Ecology meets physics: a MSc. thesis opportunity
Can birds tell the difference?
Spectral realism of artificial caterpillars used in ecological experiments
Artificial caterpillars made from plasticine are among the most widely used tools for measuring predation pressure in ecological research. Tens of studies have used them to quantify attacks by birds and arthropod predators. However, surprisingly little is known about how closely these artificial models resemble real caterpillars from the predators' perspective.
In collaboration with the department of physicists at the University of South Bohemia, we developed a custom integrating-sphere spectrophotometer that enables highly standardised reflectance measurements across the visible and ultraviolet spectra.
Using this device, we collected spectral measurements from (i) traditional plasticine caterpillars; (ii) advanced, more realistic hand-painted 3D-printed caterpillar models; and (iii) different instars of live caterpillars reared in laboratory conditions or (iv) collected in the field.
The project aims to evaluate how realistic commonly used artificial caterpillars actually are and whether predators are likely to perceive them as real prey
