Active photolocation: A new frontier in active sensing

主动光定位：主动传感的新领域

• 批准号: RGPIN-2019-04984
• 负责人: Bitton, PierrePaul
• 金额: $ 2.04万
• 依托单位: Memorial University of Newfoundland
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2021-01-01 至 2022-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=737990
• 关键词: Active; photolocation; new; frontier; active

Active sensory systems, which rely on self-generated energy to gather information about the environment, have been well studied in several animals. For example, bats emit high-pitched sounds and detect their reflection to locate prey items, avoid obstacles, and communicate with conspecifics. The main active sensory modalities, echolocation and electrolocation, have received much attention, and generated a tremendous amount of influential findings. However, active photolocation, the process of sensing the environment through light emission or redirection, is virtually unstudied. This is surprising since a large number of deep-sea fish species, and several nocturnal reef fish species possess light producing organs near their eyes. These `flashlights' are hypothetically used for prey/predator detection, luring prey, and intraspecific communication such as group cohesion and individual recognition. However, the proposed functions of these light organs are mostly speculative; only a single study has quantified photophore use in flashlight fishes. Furthermore, recent studies, by a group of colleagues and myself, demonstrated that many diurnal fish possess structures on their irises that redirect or change the quality of ambient light, allowing them to increase their probability of detecting potential prey and predators. Diurnal active photolocation could be widespread in fish, and work from our group has laid the foundation for studying this behaviour and associated ecological and evolutionary consequences. With my first Discovery Grant I will initiate a comprehensive research programme aimed at understanding the mechanisms and functions of active photolocation. In the first five years, I will establish a long-term experimental program on 1) nocturnal active photolocation using the flashlight fish Anomalops katoptron as a model, and 2) diurnal active photolocation using the three-spined stickleback Gasterosteus aculeatus. My studies will provide a novel framework for testing trade-offs constraining the evolution of active photolocation, but also have ramifications on our understanding of the co-evolution of fish eyes among species. Active photolocation is heavily neglected in the active sensing literature, consequently offering exciting opportunities for novel discoveries. This research program will be unique in Canada and therefore make a distinctive Canadian contribution to the international study of active sensing. My research program will provide a multidisciplinary training environment for the next generation of scientist. My students will gain broadly transferable skills through e.g., animal husbandry and care, scientific SCUBA diving and other field work, and train with state of the art techniques including spectroradiometry, multispectral imaging, and advanced visual modelling. All research results will be communicated to the scientific community and the general public through the publishing of pre-print or open-access articles.

主动感觉系统依靠自身产生的能量来收集关于环境的信息，已经在几种动物身上进行了很好的研究。例如，蝙蝠发出高音并检测它们的反射来定位猎物物品，避开障碍物，并与同种生物交流。回声定位和电定位这两种主要的主动感觉方式受到了人们的广泛关注，并产生了大量有影响力的研究成果。然而，主动光定位，即通过光发射或重定向来感知环境的过程，几乎没有人研究过。这是令人惊讶的，因为大量的深海鱼类物种，以及几个夜间活动的珊瑚礁鱼类物种在眼睛附近有发光器官。这些“手电筒”被假想地用于探测猎物/捕食者、引诱猎物以及物种内的交流，如群体凝聚力和个体识别。然而，这些发光器官的拟议功能大多是推测的；只有一项研究量化了闪光鱼中发光体的使用。此外，我和一组同事最近的研究表明，许多白天活动的鱼的虹膜上有结构，可以改变环境光的质量，使它们能够增加发现潜在猎物和捕食者的可能性。白天活跃的光定位可能在鱼类中广泛存在，我们团队的工作为研究这种行为以及相关的生态和进化后果奠定了基础。有了我的第一笔探索基金，我将启动一项全面的研究计划，旨在了解主动光定位的机制和功能。在第一个五年里，我将建立一个长期的实验计划，1)以闪光鱼Anomalops katoptron为模型进行夜间主动光定位，2)以三刺刺鱼为例进行白天主动光定位。我的研究将为测试限制主动光定位进化的权衡提供一个新的框架，但也将对我们理解鱼眼在不同物种之间的共同进化产生影响。主动光定位在主动传感文献中被严重忽视，因此为新发现提供了令人兴奋的机会。这项研究计划在加拿大将是独一无二的，因此将为加拿大对有源传感的国际研究做出独特的贡献。我的研究计划将为下一代科学家提供一个多学科的培训环境。我的学生将通过畜牧和护理、科学潜水和其他实地工作获得广泛可移植的技能，并接受包括光谱辐射测量、多光谱成像和高级视觉建模在内的最先进技术的培训。所有研究成果都将通过发表预印或开放获取的文章的方式向科学界和公众传达。