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A common phenotype of UV coloration is the “bulls-eye” pattern where a flower reflects UV light at the ends of the petals and absorbs UV light in the center. [4] This acts as a guide for pollinators to locate and find pollen. [4] Other flowers add the contrast between their reproductive parts (anthers and pistils) and their petals. [7]
This is believed to make the flowers more attractive to pollinators such as honey bees and other insects that can see ultraviolet. This page on butterflies shows an animated comparison of black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta) flowers in visible and UV light. [citation needed]
Ultraviolet photography can reveal features of living things that are not visible to humans. For example, since it is known that animals such as pigeons, [5] bees, [6] and Jumping spiders, [7] can see UV light, it is of interest to know what these animals are seeing in those wavelengths.
However, UV sensitivity has been reported in most insect species. [40] Bees and many other insects can detect ultraviolet light, which helps them find nectar in flowers. Plant species that depend on insect pollination may owe reproductive success to their appearance in ultraviolet light rather than how colorful they appear to humans.
Birds, too, can see into the ultraviolet (300–400 nm), and some have sex-dependent markings on their plumage that are visible only in the ultraviolet range. [44] [45] Many animals that can see into the ultraviolet range, however, cannot see red light or any other reddish wavelengths. For example, bees' visible spectrum ends at about 590 nm ...
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The four pigments in a bird's cone cells (in this example, estrildid finches) extend the range of color vision into the ultraviolet. [1]Tetrachromacy (from Greek tetra, meaning "four" and chroma, meaning "color") is the condition of possessing four independent channels for conveying color information, or possessing four types of cone cell in the eye.
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