Varying benefits of generalist and specialist camouflage in two versus four background environments.

ABSTRACT: Background-matching camouflage is a well-established strategy to reduce detection, but implementing this on heterogeneous backgrounds is challenging. For prey with fixed color patterns, solutions include specializing on a particular visual microhabitat, or adopting a compromise or generalist appearance, matching multiple backgrounds less well. Existing studies suggest both approaches can succeed, but most consider relatively simple scenarios, where artificial prey appear against two backgrounds differing in a single visual characteristic. Here, we used computer-based search tasks with human participants to test the relative benefits of specializing and generalizing for complex targets, displayed on either two or four types of naturalistic backgrounds. Across two background types, specializ

SUBMITTER: Hughes AE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10183209 | biostudies-literature | 2023 May-Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature