Researchers from the University of Adelaide, in collaboration with Lund University in Sweden, have made a significant discovery regarding how temperature affects the vision of dragonflies.
The study, led by PhD candidate Mahdi Hussaini and Associate Professor Steven Wiederman from Adelaide’s School of Biomedicine, explored how temperature influences dragonflies’ perception of the world.
As poikilothermic animals, dragonflies have body temperatures that fluctuate with their environment, including their brain temperature. “Despite this, they can still successfully hunt prey in varying conditions,” explained Mr Hussaini.
The researchers found that small target motion detector (STMD) neurons in the dragonfly’s brain, which help detect and track prey, become more sensitive and faster as temperatures rise.
These findings may inspire the development of neuro-inspired computational models for advanced target-tracking applications, such as artificial vision systems for detecting fast-moving drones.