Data from: A framework for analysing colour pattern geometry: adjacent colours

The analysis of colour pattern geometry is not as well advanced as the analysis of colour, although this reflects a lack of an analytical framework. The present study proposes an approach based on a consideration of which colours are adjacent to each other. Both vertebrate and invertebrate eyes do not take static images of the world but move across the field of view. As a consequence, the eye takes transects across the field of view responding to the colours and luminances within patches and to the colour and/or luminance transitions between patches. The framework and methods suggested here are based upon transects across colour patterns and make it possible to estimate colour pattern parameters that capture not only the relative areas of each patch class, but also the relative frequencies of colour/luminance transitions or adjacency. This allows tests of new hypotheses about colour patterns at the same time as including colour, pattern, and texture. Eleven groups of predictions are made with respect to the often conflicting needs of communication with conspecifics, avoiding predation, and finding food. New phenomena may be discovered as a result of these methods and predictions. For example, certain colour transitions may be used for species recognition even though the same colours are used by all species.

相较于颜色分析，颜色图案几何特征的分析进展相对滞后，而这一现状恰恰反映出当前缺乏相应的分析框架。本研究提出了一种基于色块邻接颜色关系的分析方法。无论是脊椎动物还是无脊椎动物的眼睛，都不会静态捕获外界场景的图像，而是会在视野范围内移动扫描。因此，眼睛会在视野中形成扫视轨迹，同时响应色块内部的颜色与亮度，以及色块间的颜色或亮度过渡。本文提出的分析框架与方法，基于颜色图案的扫视轨迹，可实现对颜色图案参数的估算——这类参数不仅能反映各类色块的相对面积占比，还能捕捉颜色/亮度过渡或邻接关系的相对出现频率。这使得我们可以同时结合颜色、图案与纹理特征，对有关颜色图案的全新假说开展检验。研究针对与同种个体交流、规避捕食以及觅食这三类常相互冲突的需求，提出了11组预测假说。借助这些方法与预测框架，或可发现全新的现象。例如，即便所有物种都使用相同的颜色，某些颜色过渡特征仍可被用于物种识别。