Studies of the electrosensory system of gymnotiform fish have revealed principles of neuronal coding and processing of information which also characterize more advanced systems, such as vision and audition in higher vertebrates. 1. Animals may have different classes of receptors adapted to code different variables within a given modality, and the separation of their central projections provides the basis for independent initial processing of these variables by higher-order neurones. 2. These separate pathways, however, eventually converge at the level of still higher-order neurones which are adapted to ‘recognize’ particular spatial and temporal constellations, or patterns, of the stimulus variables conveyed by these pathways. 3. As different stimulus patterns may control different forms of behavioural responses, corresponding neuronal structures can be identified which are adapted to recognize specific patterns. Neurones at an early level of pattern discrimination may still show very general response properties, whereas neurones closer to the ultimate control of a given behaviour show more specific response properties. These latter are less sensitive to stimulus features which are irrelevant to the control of the behaviour, and they code relevant features more purely and with higher acuity than do lower-level neurones. 4. The acuity of stimulus discrimination displayed by some high-order neurones may rival that observed at the behavioural level. This high sensitivity is achieved through pooling and integration of information supplied by large populations of less-sensitive receptors and lower-order neurones.
In the field: an interview with Harald Wolf
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In our new Conversation, Harald Wolf talks about his fieldwork experiences working with desert ants in Tunisia to understand their navigation.
Propose a new Workshop
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Our Workshops bring together leading experts and early-career researchers from a range of scientific backgrounds. Applications are now open to propose Workshops for 2024, one of which will be held in a Global South country.
Julian Dow steps down and John Terblanche joins the JEB team
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After 15 years with the journal, Julian Dow from University of Glasgow, UK, is stepping down as a Monitoring Editor. We wish Julian all the best for the future and welcome John Terblanche, Stellenbosch University, South Africa, who is joining the team. Julian talks about his long association with The Company of Biologists and the journal and John tells us about his life and career in this News article.
The capture of crude oil droplets by filter feeders at high and low Reynolds numbers
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Researchers from the University of Montreal, Canada, reveal how tiny filter feeding barnacles and Daphnia entrap and consume minute droplets of crude oil, introducing the pollutant at the bottom of the food chain.
Patterns and processes in amphibious fish
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In their Review, Keegan Lutek, Cassandra Donatelli and Emily Standen discuss the biomechanics and neural control of terrestrial locomotion in amphibious fish. They explore how locomotor mode depends on body shape, physical constraints and phylogeny.
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