Monday, February 24, 2014

My Year of Darwin (2/24/2014)

 Charles Darwin

"Before seeing them [bread fruit and mango ], I had no idea that any trees could cast so black a shade on the ground." Charles Darwin, Voyage of the Beagle

I have a hard time convincing temperate biologists that the tropical understory is a habitat not seen in temperate forests. Birds of tropical understories experience a dark habitat, year-round, and throughout their entire lives. 

I suspect that the insectivores there have eyes that are adapted to such dark conditions. The adaptations would take the form of gross anatomical (essentially a wider aperture for their eye size) and histological differences (relatively more light sensitive rods). 

Below is an example of Variegated Antpitta. A classic understory bird. Look at that eye!  Look at it!  This species would frustrate me because it would call well before sunrise and I would chase it with my headlamp on and this bird would fly through the dense understory in the dark. How could it do this?







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