Bees see red

Abstract

Recent papers reveal a burst of interest in how visual processing in various animals is adapted to the natural world of shape, colour and motion. The relationship between the inner and the outer worlds is close because vision is constantly crucial to survival. Experimental spadework proves that, in quite different visual systems, every conceivable feature of the environment is marvellously matched by the physical characteristics of the processing mechanisms that normally respond to these features. Darwin was correct, and there are plenty of interesting relevant details for ecologists along the way.