The influence of interactions between the antagonistic centre and surround areas of receptive fields on the electrical activities of medulla neurones was examined in the larval swallowtail butterfly Papilio xuthus. Weak signals from the surround had a significant depressive effect on the maintained discharge, which increased for on-centre cells or decreased for off-centre cells in response to illumination of the centre. Moderation of the maintained discharge suppressed saturation of the response and extended the graded response range of the neurones. Surround illumination also reduced irregular fluctuations in the membrane potentials and variability in the discharge rate of impulses. The results indicate that the spatial inhibitory mechanism is important for the larval visual system in order to increase the efficiency of signal processing.
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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