| | 1 | Author
| Nikolaus Troje | Requires cookie* | | | Title
| Spectral Categories in the Learning Behaviour of Blowflies  | | | | Abstract
| Wavelength discrimination in the flower visiting blowfly Lucilia spec, was investigated in an attempt to elucidate the mechanisms underlying colour vision in this insect. The flies were sub jected to a classical conditioning procedure in which they had to discriminate between a re warded and an unrewarded monochrom atic light stimulus. The results reveal large wavelength ranges within which no discrimination occurs, between which, however, a very distinct dis crimination is found. The first range consists o f the UV region up to 400 nm (U V). The second range comprises wavelengths between 400 nm and 515 nm (B L U E) and the third range all wavelengths longer than 515 nm (YELLOW). A simple model consisting o f two colour oppo nent subsystems (R 7 p /R 8 p and R 7 y /R 8 y) can explain these results. Each o f the two subsys tems is assumed to evaluate only whether the sign o f the difference between the excitations o f R 7 and R 8 is positive or negative. For the whole system there are thus four possible condi tions: p +y +, p +y", p~y+, p "y~. Three o f them correspond to the experim entally obtained wave length ranges. The fourth condition (p+y~) might represent a still hypothetical PU R PLE cate gory in which the stimulus is made up o f both short and long wavelengths. | | | |
Reference
| Z. Naturforsch. 48c, 96—104 (1993); received January 7 1993 | | | |
Published
| 1993 | | | |
Keywords
| Blowfly, W avelength Discrimination, Colour Categories, Learning, Photoreceptors | | | |
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| ZNC-1993-48c-0096 | | | | Volume
| 48 | |
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