How different is different: highly contrasting colours in animal patterns (2015-2019)

Red apples in green trees and blue berries on the ground create very different visual signals to animals. Furthermore, elaborate animal colour patterns have evolved to render them conspicuous or camouflaged against their background. Despite the ecological and evolutionary importance of animal colour patterns, we know very little about how larger colour contrasts and complex patterns are perceived by animals, our efforts previously going towards understanding colours that are only just noticeably different. This project will fill this knowledge gap, provide useful tools for behavioural ecologists and visual neuroscientists, and for the first time understand the full gamut of colour signalling in both terrestrial and aquatic environments.