Abstract
‘Dazzle coloration’ describes a wide variety of high-contrast patterns allegedly providing protection against attack during motion. Previous research falls into three broad groups. First, studies using humans demonstrate that certain surface patterns can cause significant misperceptions in controlled laboratory conditions, although the effects are inconsistent in both direction and magnitude. Second, experiments on target capture or tracking also show effects that are strongly dependent upon the test paradigm. It has not been established that these laboratory findings generalize to other species, or to the real world. Third, mainly comparative studies build a case for longitudinal striping being involved in escape strategies in some squamate reptiles. We suggest that: (1) the concept of dazzle conflates a description of appearance with presumed function; (2) some effects attributed to dazzle have not been distinguished clearly from other mechanisms of protective coloration; and (3) confusion persists over the evidence necessary to attribute a dazzle function to markings. We refine the definition of dazzle to exclude appearance: dazzle is coloration that interferes with target interception, as a result of misperception of its speed, trajectory and/or range. Our review clarifies discussion of dazzle, and sets out a coherent and practical framework for future research.
Original language | English |
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Article number | blad075 |
Pages (from-to) | 485-503 |
Number of pages | 19 |
Journal | Biological Journal of the Linnean Society |
Volume | 140 |
Issue number | 4 |
Early online date | 26 Aug 2023 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | E-pub ahead of print - 26 Aug 2023 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS N.E.S.-S. and I.C.C. were supported by Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) grant BB/S00873X/1. S.R.M. was supported by a CASE studentship from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and QinentiQ plc. S.R.M. performed the literature search; I.C.C. carried out the analyses; N.E.S.-S., I.C.C. and T.C. wrote the manuscript. We thank the members of CamoLab (www. camolab.com) for stimulating discussion, and Simcha Lev-Yadun and an anonymous referee for their helpful comments.
Funding Information:
N.E.S.-S. and I.C.C. were supported by Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) grant BB/S00873X/1. S.R.M. was supported by a CASE studentship from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and QinentiQ plc. S.R.M. performed the literature search; I.C.C. carried out the analyses; N.E.S.-S., I.C.C. and T.C. wrote the manuscript. We thank the members of CamoLab ( www.camolab.com ) for stimulating discussion, and Simcha Lev-Yadun and an anonymous referee for their helpful comments.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 The Linnean Society of London.
Research Groups and Themes
- Visual Perception
- Mind and Brain (Psychological Science)