PMID- 32205436
OWN - NLM
STAT- MEDLINE
DCOM- 20200721
LR  - 20200923
IS  - 1091-6490 (Electronic)
IS  - 0027-8424 (Print)
IS  - 0027-8424 (Linking)
VI  - 117
IP  - 15
DP  - 2020 Apr 14
TI  - Bioluminescent backlighting illuminates the complex visual signals of a social 
      squid in the deep sea.
PG  - 8524-8531
LID - 10.1073/pnas.1920875117 [doi]
AB  - Visual signals rapidly relay information, facilitating behaviors and ecological 
      interactions that shape ecosystems. However, most known signaling systems can be 
      restricted by low light levels-a pervasive condition in the deep ocean, the 
      largest inhabitable space on the planet. Resident visually cued animals have 
      therefore been hypothesized to have simple signals with limited 
      information-carrying capacity. We used cameras mounted on remotely operated 
      vehicles to study the behavior of the Humboldt squid, Dosidicus gigas, in its 
      natural deep-sea habitat. We show that specific pigmentation patterns from its 
      diverse repertoire are selectively displayed during foraging and in social 
      scenarios, and we investigate how these behaviors may be used syntactically for 
      communication. We additionally identify the probable mechanism by which D. gigas, 
      and related squids, illuminate these patterns to create visual signals that can 
      be readily perceived in the deep, dark ocean. Numerous small subcutaneous (s.c.) 
      photophores (bioluminescent organs) embedded throughout the muscle tissue make 
      the entire body glow, thereby backlighting the pigmentation patterns. Equipped 
      with a mechanism by which complex information can be rapidly relayed through a 
      visual pathway under low-light conditions, our data suggest that the visual 
      signals displayed by D. gigas could share design features with advanced forms of 
      animal communication. Visual signaling by deep-living cephalopods will likely be 
      critical in understanding how, and how much, information can be shared in one of 
      the planet's most challenging environments for visual communication.
FAU - Burford, Benjamin P
AU  - Burford BP
AUID- ORCID: 0000-0002-2120-3769
AD  - Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA 93950; 
      bburford@stanford.edu.
AD  - Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, Moss Landing, CA 95039.
FAU - Robison, Bruce H
AU  - Robison BH
AD  - Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, Moss Landing, CA 95039.
LA  - eng
PT  - Journal Article
PT  - Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
PT  - Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.
DEP - 20200323
PL  - United States
TA  - Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
JT  - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
JID - 7505876
RN  - 0 (Pigments, Biological)
SB  - IM
MH  - *Animal Communication
MH  - Animal Migration
MH  - Animals
MH  - *Behavior, Animal
MH  - Chromatophores/*physiology
MH  - Decapodiformes/*physiology
MH  - Ecosystem
MH  - *Luminescence
MH  - Oceans and Seas
MH  - Pigments, Biological/*physiology
MH  - *Vision, Ocular
PMC - PMC7165453
OTO - NOTNLM
OT  - behavioral ecology
OT  - deep-sea biology
OT  - social evolution
OT  - visual signaling
COIS- The authors declare no competing interest.
EDAT- 2020/03/25 06:00
MHDA- 2020/07/22 06:00
PMCR- 2020/09/23
CRDT- 2020/03/25 06:00
PHST- 2020/03/25 06:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 2020/07/22 06:00 [medline]
PHST- 2020/03/25 06:00 [entrez]
PHST- 2020/09/23 00:00 [pmc-release]
AID - 1920875117 [pii]
AID - 201920875 [pii]
AID - 10.1073/pnas.1920875117 [doi]
PST - ppublish
SO  - Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2020 Apr 14;117(15):8524-8531. doi: 
      10.1073/pnas.1920875117. Epub 2020 Mar 23.