人們都說神槍手目光如電,，但是如果與蜜蜂相比,，這恐怕就算不得什么了,。
一只大黃蜂（Bombusterrestrisdalmatinus）究竟如何在像泡沫般盛開著花朵的櫻桃樹間快速移動(dòng)，并設(shè)法從一朵花前嗖地飛到另一朵花前,。根據(jù)在3月17日出版的《神經(jīng)科學(xué)雜志》上報(bào)道的一項(xiàng)最新研究成果,，大黃蜂的視覺速度是人類的5倍，這也就意味著這種昆蟲的色彩視覺是所有動(dòng)物中最快速的,。
研究人員報(bào)告說,，生物的視覺速度取決于它們眼中的感光細(xì)胞捕獲周圍世界快照的速度到底有多快，以及將這些快照傳送回大腦所需的時(shí)間,。根據(jù)在經(jīng)冷凍而麻痹的大黃蜂的視網(wǎng)膜細(xì)胞中植入電極所記錄的數(shù)據(jù),，研究人員發(fā)現(xiàn)，蜜蜂完成這一系列過程所需的時(shí)間比其他任何動(dòng)物都要短,。蜜蜂的快速視覺能力使得它們可以在斑駁的光線下迅速移動(dòng),，從而能夠識(shí)別出不同的形狀——例如蜂巢的入口，特別是能夠發(fā)現(xiàn)那些富含花蜜的色彩鮮艷的花朵,。(生物谷Bioon.com)
更多閱讀
PLoS ONE：蝙蝠視覺演化研究
Current Biology：蝗蟲具有較強(qiáng)視覺導(dǎo)航能力
Nature Neuroscience：孤獨(dú)癥與視覺學(xué)習(xí)能力
研究發(fā)現(xiàn)動(dòng)物有超強(qiáng)視覺
生物谷推薦原文出處：
The Journal of Neuroscience doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.5700-09.2010.
Differences in Photoreceptor Processing Speed for Chromatic and Achromatic Vision in the Bumblebee, Bombus terrestris
Peter Skorupski and Lars Chittka
Queen Mary University of London, Research Centre for Psychology, School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS, United Kingdom
Fast detection of visual change can be mediated by visual processes that ignore chromatic aspects of the visual signal, relying on inputs from a single photoreceptor class (or pooled input from similar classes). There is an established link between photoreceptor processing speed (in achromatic vision) and visual ecology. Highly maneuverable flies, for example, have the fastest know photoreceptors, relying on metabolically expensive membrane conductances to boost performance. Less active species forgo this investment and their photoreceptors are correspondingly slower. However, within a species, additional classes of photoreceptors are required to extract chromatic information, and the question therefore arises as to whether there might be within-species differences in processing speed between photoreceptors involved in chromatic processing compared with those feeding into fast achromatic visual systems. We used intracellular recording to compare light-adapted impulse responses in three spectral classes of photoreceptor in the bumblebee. Green-sensitive photoreceptors, which are known to provide achromatic contrast for motion detection, generated the fastest impulse responses (half-width, t = 7.9 ± 1.1 ms). Blue- and UV-sensitive photoreceptors (which are involved in color vision) were significantly slower (9.8 ± 1.2 and 12.3 ± 1.8 ms, respectively). The faster responses of green photoreceptors are in keeping with their role in fast achromatic vision. However, blue and UV photoreceptors are still relatively fast in comparison with many other insect species, as well as vertebrate cones, suggesting a significant investment in photoreceptor processing for color vision in bees. We discuss this finding in relation to bees' requirement for accurate learning of flower color, especially in conditions of variable luminance contrast.
