Hi all,
I’m currently working on implementing QCPA and mica into my analysis of color patterns in bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) and an African cichlid (Astatotilapia burtoni). I’ve started reviewing relevant literature in hopes to glean variables from papers looking into these models. The one difficulty I’ve run into is creating a custom receptor model for these fish. For example, I’m looking at one done for a dichromat (dog) and trying to adapt this formatting to data as seen in Hawryshyn et al. What other steps would I need to take in order to further adapt my model systems to this analysis? Are there tools out there that can aid me?
Thank you so much for your help and I look forward to hearing back.
Best,
Matt Hackett
Hi Matt,
As always, it ultimately depends on what you are using the analysis for. However, given that many fish are tri- or even tetrachromats (I’m not familiar with cichlids) with dedicated luminance channels (i.e. double cones in triggerfish) and distinctly distributed spectral sensitivities, I would not recommend using parameters from an animal such as a dog (which is a dichromat). I would recommend talking to an expert on cichlid visual systems, such as Dr. Karen Carlton in the US or others to obtain reasonable parameter choices.
I hope this helps,
Cedric