Re: NANFA-L-- central mudminnow gravel consumption

dlmcneely-in-lunet.edu
Fri, 16 Dec 2005 12:42:07 -0600

Matter of fact, they not only have the apparatus, but numerous
experiments have shown that they do perceive color. Most of the
studies have used training experiments where fish were offered the
opportunity to associate specific wavelengths with a food reward, then
offered the chance to choose an object of that wavelength over other
colored objects. For longear sunfish, it works best when the color they
are trained on closely matches the color exhibited by breeding males.
I'd need to do some checking to be able to cite the references, but it
works.

Dave

David L. McNeely, Ph.D., Professor of Biology
Langston University; P.O. Box 1500
Langston, OK 73050; email: dlmcneely-in-lunet.edu
telephone: (405) 466-6025; fax: 405) 466-3307
home page http://www.lunet.edu/mcneely/index.htm

"Where are we going?" "I don't know, are we there yet?"

----- Original Message -----
From: Bruce Stallsmith <fundulus-in-hotmail.com>
Date: Thursday, December 15, 2005 4:22 pm
Subject: Re: NANFA-L-- central mudminnow gravel consumption
> Your point's well-taken about inferring the color acuity of fish
> vision
> merely from the fact that fishes themselves are often colored. But
> they
> definitely perceive colors and react to them. The retina of a fish
> contains
> rod and cone cells similar to ours to respond to light, shapes and
> colors.
> Most temperate freshwater teleosts have three cone pigments that
> absorb
> light maximally-in-about 455, 530, and 625 nanometers, or blue,
> green and
> orange/red (referenced in "Fishes, An Introduction to
> Ichthyology," 3rd ed.,
> by Moyle and Cech). So 'twould appear that they have the
> biochemical
> apparatus (and neuronal apparatus) to perceive color in some form
> roughly
> like ourselves.
>
> --Bruce Stallsmith
> the grey, rainy Tennessee
> Huntsville, AL, US of A
>
> >From: Jerry Baker <nanfa-in-bakerweb.biz>
> >Reply-To: nanfa-l-in-nanfa.org
> >To: nanfa-l-in-nanfa.org
> >Subject: Re: NANFA-L-- central mudminnow gravel consumption
> >Date: Thu, 15 Dec 2005 13:43:08 -0800
> >
> >SHasloue-in-kdhe.state.ks.us wrote:
> >>I don't know how one could tell if fish "perceive" colors as we
> do, but
> >>they darn sure perceive color in some fashion.
> >>
> >>If not - many species of darters, reef fish, and fishing lure
> >>manufacturers
> >>are going to a lot of trouble for nothing!
> >
> >I'm not sure I understand why the coloration of fish implies
> their ability
> >to see color. Humans absorb different frequencies of ultraviolet
> light to
> >different degrees (as can be seen in UV photographs of human
> skin) and yet
> >we cannot perceive it whatsoever. I'm sure that a bee can see
> that we have
> >a certain "color" in UV light, but the bee would be wrong if he
> assumed
> >that we could see that color.
> >
> >Not trying to be difficult, but just pointing out that we cannot
> infer the
> >ability to differentiate colors on the basis of coloration.
> /------------------------------------------------------------------
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