Butterflies and Insect Vision
Ask A Biologist Podcast
Chapters
0:57
How do butterflies fit into the ecosystem. [Part 1]
1:31
Movement of energy.
3:10
Pollen & Pollinators.
3:27
Consuming bad tasting compounds to protect them from predators.
4:32
Monarch butterfly migration.
6:23
Where do Monarchs migrate from the Intermountain zone? Tagging butterflies
7:27
How do Monarch butterflies know which way to go? Navigation
7:50
Maybe the sun?
8:31
Maybe wind currents?
8:51
Built in compass that works off the Earth's magnetic field.
9:34
Ecology and Monarch Butterflies
10:08
Genetically modified corn - pesticides.
11:11
Lincoln Brower - Monarch butterfly expert
11:38
Destruction of Monarch winter home.
13:23
More information on Ask-a-Biologist (Migrating Monarchs & Coloring Page)
13:42
Insect Vision - movies get it wrong. [Part 2]
14:10
Ommatitium
14:25
What do insects see?
15:13
Structure of an insect eye (rods, cones, ommatidium)
16:06
Butterflies and most insects do not see the world a clearly as humans.
16:13
Description of legally blind (20/20 and 20/200 vision).
17:51
Butterflies can still see detail.
18:14
How close to males need to be to a female butterfly to see them?
19:39
Butterfly color and pattern.
20:04
What is optical resolution?
20:28
Butterfly color vision and color choice.
21:27
How many species of butterflies are there?
21:38
Do butterflies see color?
22:16
Can butterflies see colors that humans cannot see? (color wavelength chart)
23:09
Infrared light (IR)
23:29
Ultraviolet light (UV).
24:46
How does the color vision of butterflies affect their behavior?
25:22
Scientific American article and cover image
26:39
A simple experiment and or observation for young scientists. What in your back yard?
28:03
Resources for identifying butterfly species.
28:42
Butterfly gardens.
30:58
How long have you been playing and performing with the violin? [Part 3]
32:10
Intro to song from solo album Violinalone (title - Stronger than Dirt)
34:07
Where did the title, Stronger than Dirt, come from?
34:52
Do you find it difficult juggling careers?
36:59
Is there a cross over between your science and music careers?
37:39
Is there a connection between your science and music?
38:52
Youtube video with Ron Rutowski and Jeff Dayton performing.
39:34
When did you first know that you wanted to be a biologist?
41:18
If you were not a biologist, what would you be?
41:42
Advice for young scientists
Ask A Biologist Podcast
Butterflies and Insect Vision
Mar 16, 2007
Episode 7
Dr. Biology Talks With Ron Rutowski
Learn about one of nature's most fashionable animals, the butterfly. In this three-part series, Professor Ron Rutowski talks about the role of butterflies in the ecosystem, and the amazing migration of the monarch butterfly [Part 1], along with his research on butterfly coloration and insect vision—are butterflies legally blind? [Part 2]. In the last part of the series, we learn about Professor Rutowski's other life as a musician and listen to a song from his solo album titled Violinalone [Part 3].
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