title: Effect of luminosity on color discrimination of dichromatic marmosets (Callithrix jacchus).
abstract: Psychophysical data have shown that under mesopic conditions cones and rods can interact, improving color vision. Since electrophysiological data have suggested that rods of dichromatic marmosets appear to be active at higher luminance, we aimed to investigate the effect of different levels of sunlight on the foraging abilities of male dichromatic marmosets. Captive marmosets were observed under three different conditions, with respect to their performance in detecting colored food items against a green background. Compared to high and low light intensities, intermediate luminosities significantly increased detection of orange targets by male dichromats, an indication of rod intrusion.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Sensory Ecology, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Avenida Senador Salgado Filho s/n, Natal, RN 59072-970, Brazil.
authors.forename: Fabio Batista
authors.initials: FB
authors.lastname: Freitag
authors.forename: Daniel Marques Almeida
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Pessoa
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology / Q000528:radiation effects; D002144:Callithrix; D003116:Color; D003118:Color Perception / Q000528:radiation effects*; D004192:Discrimination, Psychological / Q000528:radiation effects*; D004435:Eating / Q000502:physiology / Q000523:psychology / Q000528:radiation effects; D008297:Male; D013472:Sunlight