Astract:
Motion is widely considered the great enemy of camouflage and concealment: even a perfectly matched animal becomes conspicuous once it moves. However, this assumes that observers can always detect and attend to movement. In reality, visual attention is limited, and that limitation creates opportunities that animals can exploit. In this talk, I will highlight how predators and prey use colouration and behaviour to reduce the salience of their own movement by working with, rather than against, the visual scene.
Bio:
I am fascinated by the strategies and counterstrategies employed by predators and prey, and my research focuses on how behaviour, perception and colouration interact within these dynamics. Specifically, how behaviour can enhance colouration strategies, how the success and evolution of specific colourations is underpinned by perception, and how perception can be improved by behaviour, particularly in visually complex habitats. To address these research questions, I combine experiments, both in the laboratory and in the field, with state-of-the-art computational techniques, including the use of augmented reality environments, supervised machine learning for high-resolution movement tracking, and species-specific colour analyses. Most recently, I have constructed replica 3D models of fishes and presented these to wild fish in situ to develop our understanding of predatory hunting strategies, polymorphisms and prey perception.