2020 Fiscal Year Research-status Report
A biological image generator: cuttlefish camouflage and visual perception
| Project/Area Number |
20K15939
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| Research Institution | Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University |
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Principal Investigator |
REITER Samuel 沖縄科学技術大学院大学, 計算行動神経科学ユ ニット, 准教授 (60869155)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2020-04-01 – 2022-03-31
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| Keywords | cuttlefish / visual perception / camouflage / neuroscience / motor control |
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| Outline of Annual Research Achievements |
We have performed the most comprehensive study of cuttlefish camouflage to date, filming 3 orders of magnitude more images at much higher resolution than previous studies. We are finding that rather than producing a small number of camouflage patterns, cuttlefish can adopt a continuous range of patterns to precisely match their environment. They can move freely from one pattern to another, and movements between perceptually similar patterns can be accomplished in multiple ways at cellular scale. Together our work is generating novel insights into how this unique motor system is controlled by the cephalopod brain.
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| Current Status of Research Progress |
Current Status of Research Progress
2: Research has progressed on the whole more than it was originally planned.
Reason
Over the last year, we have built an experimental setup and succeeded in recording cuttlefish camouflage at cellular resolution in a range of different visual environments. We have developed a software pipeline to extract the activity of individual pigment cells from this high-resolution video data. We are currently completing data collection and running data through this pipeline. We are proceeding with data analysis and manuscript preparation.
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| Strategy for Future Research Activity |
We plan to continue studying cuttlefish camouflage in different environments. We are finding that any single stimulus set does not reveal the full capacity of the camouflage system, and as we lack the ability to deliver every possible stimulus set, we plan to densely sample a limited range of visual stimuli to probe system capacity. Our work is transitioning to more data analysis, where we are applying machine learning and dynamical systems tools to help understand the system behavior.
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| Causes of Carryover |
Purchasing the equipment for ongoing experiments.
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Research Products
(1 results)
