Abstract
In this chapter we show that the polarization visibility of water surfaces is an important factor in the colonization of aquatic habitats by flying water beetles using horizontal polarization of water-reflected light to seek potential locations. After mowing of cattail (Typha sp.), for example, in freshwater marshes, aquatic beetles become more abundant due to the higher water temperature and the enhanced polarization visibility of the water surface. Here we also show that it is worth flying at dusk for aquatic insects, because the polarotactic water detection is easiest at low solar elevations. Polarotactic water insects interpret a surface as water if the degree of linear polarization of reflected light is higher than a threshold and the deviation of the direction of polarization from the horizontal is lower than a threshold. At sunrise and sunset the polarization visibility of water surfaces is maximal. Thus, the risk that a polarotactic insect will be unable to recognize the surface of a dark or bright water body is minimal at low solar elevations. The daily change in the reflection-polarization pattern of water surfaces is an important visual ecological factor that contributes to the preference of the twilight period for habitat searching by polarotactic water insects. Air temperature at sunrise is generally low, so dusk is one of the optimal periods for polarotactic aquatic insects to seek new habitats.
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Notes
- 1.
At the Brewster angle θ Brewster (=arctan n ≈ 53° from the vertical for the refractive index n = 1.33 of water), the surface-reflected ray of light is perpendicular to the refracted ray penetrating into water.
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1 Electronic Supplementary Material
Supplementary figures and two video clips are available in the online version of this chapter. The videos can also be accessed at http://www.springerimages.com/videos/<ISBNprint>
Supplementary Fig. 16.1
Photographs, patterns of the intensity I, degree d and angle α (clockwise from the vertical) of linear polarization, and areas detected polarotactically as water (for which d > 10 % and 80° < α < 100°) of a water channel (the surface of which is partly covered by cattail) measured by imaging polarimetry in the blue (450 nm), green (550 nm) and red (650 nm) parts of the spectrum. The angle of elevation of the optical axis of the polarimeter was −35° from the horizontal (CDR 5328 kb)
Supplementary Fig. 16.2
As Supplementary Fig. 16.1 for a water channel, the surface of which is open (without water plants) (CDR 5215 kb)
Supplementary Fig. 16.3
As Supplementary Fig. 16.1 for a water surface, which is totally covered by cattail (CDR 5292 kb)
Supplementary Fig. 16.4
As Supplementary Fig. 16.1 for a region of a water body, when it is almost totally covered by cattail (CDR 5547 kb)
Supplementary Fig. 16.5
As Supplementary Fig. 16.4 for a region of a water body, when it is covered by mowed cattail (CDR 5446 kb)
Supplementary Fig. 16.6
As Supplementary Fig. 16.5 for a region of a water body, when the mowed cattail is raked away (CDR 5544 kb)
Supplementary Fig. 16.7
As Supplementary Fig. 16.6 from the side (CDR 3708 kb)
Supplementary Fig. 16.8
As Supplementary Fig. 16.7 from a remote distance (CDR 3463 kb)
Supplementary Fig. 16.9
As Supplementary Fig. 16.1 for a water body (CDR 5489 kb)
Supplementary Fig. 16.10
As Supplementary Fig. 16.1 for a water body (CDR 5284 kb)
Supplementary Fig. 16.11
As Supplementary Fig. 16.1 for a water body (CDR 5578 kb)
Supplementary Fig. 16.12
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Supplementary Fig. 16.13
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Supplementary Fig. 16.14
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Supplementary Fig. 16.15
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Supplementary Fig. 16.16
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Supplementary Fig. 16.17
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Supplementary Fig. 16.18
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Supplementary Fig. 16.19
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Supplementary Fig. 16.20
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Supplementary Fig. 16.21
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Supplementary Fig. 16.22
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Supplementary Fig. 16.23
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Supplementary Fig. 16.24
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Supplementary Fig. 16.25
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Supplementary Fig. 16.26
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Supplementary Fig. 16.27
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Supplementary Fig. 16.28
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Supplementary Fig. 16.29
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Supplementary Fig. 16.30
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Supplementary Fig. 16.31
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Supplementary Fig. 16.32
As Supplementary Fig. 16.1 for a water body (CDR 4530 kb)
Supplementary Fig. 16.33
Colour photographs (without polarisers) of the mirror image of the clear sky reflected from the grey water dummy used by Bernáth et al. (2004), patterns of the degree d and angle α (measured from the local meridian) of linear polarization of reflected skylight, and the area detected polarotactically as water as a function of the solar elevation θ. The grey water dummy is composed of a horizontal glass pane underlain by a matt grey cloth. The polarization patterns are measured by 180° field-of-view imaging polarimetry in the blue (450 nm) spectral range. Chequered areas show those regions, which are inappropriate for comparative analysis due to unwanted overexposure, shadows and mirror images of the polarimeter, its holder and remote cord. In the right column regions are shaded by black, where d > 5 % and 85° ≤ α ≤ 95°. A polarotactic water insect is assumed to consider a surface as water, if these two conditions are satisfied for the partially linearly polarized reflected light. In the right column the regions where these criteria are not satisfied remained blank. The positions of the mirror image of the Sun are shown by dots; the Brewster angle (56° from the nadir for glass with index of refraction n glass = 1.5) is represented by an inner circle within the circular patterns [after Fig. 2 on page 759 of Bernáth et al. (2004)] (CDR 1145 kb)
Video Clip 16.1
Patterns of the intensity I (upper row), degree d (middle row) and angle α (clockwise from the local meridian, lower row) of linear polarization of reflected skylight as a function of the position of the mirror image of the sun for a horizontal glass pane underlined with a matte black cloth (imitating the surface of a dark water body) measured by 180° field-of-view imaging polarimetry in the red (650 nm, left column), green (550 nm, middle column) and blue (450 nm, right column) parts of the spectrum under a clear sky between sunrise and noon. The centre and perimeter of the circular patterns are the nadir and the horizon, respectively. In the d- and α-patterns the over-exposed glass regions are shaded by red and black, respectively (copyright holders: Dr. Balázs Bernáth and Dr. Gábor Horváth) (GIF 4598 kb)
Video Clip 16.2
Patterns of the intensity I (upper row), degree d (middle row) and angle α (clockwise from the local meridian, lower row) of linear polarization of reflected skylight as a function of the position of the mirror image of the sun for a horizontal glass pane underlined with a matte light grey cloth (imitating the surface of a bright water body) measured by 180° field-of-view imaging polarimetry in the red (650 nm, left column), green (550 nm, middle column) and blue (450 nm, right column) parts of the spectrum under a clear sky between sunrise and noon. The centre and perimeter of the circular patterns are the nadir and the horizon, respectively. In the d- and α-patterns the over-exposed glass regions are shaded by red and black, respectively (copyright holders: Dr. Balázs Bernáth and Dr. Gábor Horváth) (GIF 4598 kb)
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Horváth, G. (2014). Polarization Patterns of Freshwater Bodies with Biological Implications. In: Horváth, G. (eds) Polarized Light and Polarization Vision in Animal Sciences. Springer Series in Vision Research, vol 2. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-54718-8_16
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-54718-8_16
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