Flying fruit flies correct for visual sideslip depending on relative speed of forward optic flow.

ABSTRACT: As a fly flies through its environment, static objects produce moving images on its retina, and this optic flow is essential for steering and course corrections. Different types of rotation and translation produce unique flow fields, which fly brains are wired to identify. However, a feature of optic flow unique to translational motion is that adjacent images may move across the retina at different speeds, depending on their distance from the observer. Many insects take advantage of this depth cue, called motion parallax, to determine the distance to objects. We wanted to know if differential object speeds affect the corrective responses of fruit flies when they experience unplanned course deviations. We presented tethered flying flies with optic flow and measured their corrective response

SUBMITTER: Cabrera S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3698416 | biostudies-literature | 2013

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature