Natural History Note Differential Response To Circularly Polarized Light By The Jewel Scarab Beetle Chrysina Gloriosa

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dc.contributor.utaustinauthorBrady, Parrishen
dc.contributor.utaustinauthorCummings, Mollyen
dc.creatorBrady, Parrishen
dc.creatorCummings, Mollyen
dc.date.accessioned2015-09-09T15:50:16Zen
dc.date.available2015-09-09T15:50:16Zen
dc.date.issued2010-05en
dc.description.abstractCircularly polarized light is rare in the terrestrial environment, and cuticular reflections from scarab beetles are one of the few natural sources. Chrysina gloriosa LeConte 1854, a scarab beetle found in montane juniper forests of the extreme southwestern United States and northern Mexico, are camouflaged in juniper foliage; however, when viewed with right circularly polarizing filters, the beetles exhibit a stark black contrast. Given the polarization-specific changes in the appearance of C. gloriosa, we hypothesized that C. gloriosa can detect circularly polarized light. We tested for phototactic response and differential flight orientation of C. gloriosa toward different light stimuli. Chrysina gloriosa exhibited (a) positive phototaxis, (b) differential flight orientation between linear and circularly polarized light stimuli of equal intensities, and (c) discrimination between circularly polarized and unpolarized lights of different intensities consistent with a model of circular polarization sensitivity based on a quarter-wave plate. These results demonstrate that C. gloriosa beetles respond differentially to circularly polarized light. In contrast, Chrysina woodi Horn 1885, a close relative with reduced circularly polarized reflection, exhibited no phototactic discrimination between linear and circularly polarized light. Circularly polarized sensitivity may allow C. gloriosa to perceive and communicate with conspecifics that remain cryptic to predators, reducing indirect costs of communication.en
dc.description.departmentIntegrative Biologyen
dc.description.sponsorshipen
dc.identifier.citationParrish Brady, Molly Cummings. Natural History Note Differential Response To Circularly Polarized Light By The Jewel Scarab Beetle Chrysina Gloriosa. The American Naturalist, Vol. 175, No. 5 (May., 2010), pp. 614-620. DOI: 10.1086/651593en
dc.identifier.doi10.1086/651593en
dc.identifier.issn0003-0147en
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/2152/31068en
dc.identifier.urlen
dc.language.isoEnglishen
dc.relation.ispartofserialAmerican Naturalisten
dc.rightsAdministrative deposit of works to Texas ScholarWorks: This works author(s) is or was a University faculty member, student or staff member; this article is already available through open access or the publisher allows a PDF version of the article to be freely posted online. The library makes the deposit as a matter of fair use (for scholarly, educational, and research purposes), and to preserve the work and further secure public access to the works of the University.en
dc.rights.holderen
dc.subjectcircularly polarized lighten
dc.subjectscarab beetlesen
dc.subjectpolarization sensitivityen
dc.subjectphototaxisen
dc.subjectvisionen
dc.subjectcommunicationen
dc.subjectcoleopteraen
dc.subjectanimalsen
dc.subjectchannelen
dc.subjectcuticleen
dc.subjectsignalen
dc.subjectecologyen
dc.subjectevolutionary biologyen
dc.titleNatural History Note Differential Response To Circularly Polarized Light By The Jewel Scarab Beetle Chrysina Gloriosaen
dc.typeArticleen

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