Prof Daniel Colaco Osorio

Biography

BA, MA, PhD (ANU)

Director of Taught Programmes (School of Life Sciences)

Daniel Osorio is Professor of Neuroscience at Sussex University, and Director of Teaching in the School of Life Sciences. He read Natural Sciences at the University of Cambridge, specialising in Zoology. Daniel moved to Australia for postgraduate studies, taking a Ph.D. in Neurobiology with a thesis on insect visual physiology. After Postdoctoral posts in Cambridge and the Australian National University, he moved to Sussex in 1992.

 Daniel Osorio’s research centres on understanding how animals see colour, how they recognise the objects they encounter in their daily lives, and how these abilities have evolved. His studies encompass a variety of animals including butterflies, primates, birds and cephalopod molluscs.

 In addition, Daniel holds a patent for colour measurement in photographic images. This is based on theory developed to understand animal colour vision, and is currently being tested for use in medical applications. He sits on the research Committee of the Biology and Biotechnology Research Council. He also has an interest in ethics and welfare; he is on the Ethics Committee of the Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour, and of Merlin Entertainments (which owns many public aquaria and zoos), and is part of a team writing guidelines for the use of Cephalopods under the protection of the EU animal welfare legislation, which was implemented in 2013.

Animal colour vision and eye design, visual ecology and the evolution of visual signals. Current research on birds, primates and cephalopod molluscs, deals with how these animals perceive their natural environments, and how they use vision to recognise and learn about objects in their worlds.

Some Recent Publications
Bird vision and behaviour

• Martin, GR, Osorio, D. 2008. Vision in birds. Pages 25-52 in The Senses: A comprehensive reference, Vol. 1 Vision 1 (A.I. Basbaum, A. Kaneko, G.M. Shepherd, and G. Westheimer, editors). Academic press, San Diego. ISBN 0126394822. doi:10.1016/B978-012370880-9.00401-1 
  

• Chittka L, Osorio D. 2007. Cognitive dimensions of predator responses to imperfect mimicry. PLoS Biol. 5 :e339. doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.0050339
  
• Ham AD, Osorio D. 2007. Colour preferences and colour vision in poultry chicks. Proc R Soc Lond B. 274: 1941-1948. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2007.0538
  
• Baddeley RJ, Osorio D, Jones CD. 2007. Generalization of color by chickens: Experimental observations and a Bayesian model. American Naturalist 169: S27-S41. doi:10.1086/510142
• Jones CD, Osorio D. 2004. Discrimination of oriented visual textures by poultry chicks. Vision Res. 44: 83-89. doi:10.1016/j.visres.2003.08.014

Primate trichromacy and reviews on photoreceptor spectral sensitivities and colour vision

• Osorio D, Vorobyev, M. 2008. A review of the evolution of animal colour vision and visual communication signals. Vision Research.
  
• Osorio D, Vorobyev M. 2005. Photoreceptor spectral sensitivities in terrestrial animals: adaptations for luminance and colour vision. Proc R Soc Lond B. 2005 72: 1745-1752. doi:10.1098/rspb.2005.3156
  
• Osorio D, Smith, AC, Vorobyev M , Buchanan-Smith HM. 2004. Detection of fruit and the selection of primate visual pigments for color vision. American Naturalist 164: 696-708. doi: 10.1086/425332
  
• Kelber A, Vorobyev M, Osorio D. 2003. Animal colour vision: behavioural tests and physiological concepts. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc. 78: 81-118. doi:10.1017/S1464793102005985
  
• Surridge AK, Osorio, D, Mundy NI. 2003. Evolution and selection of trichromatic vision in primates. Trends in Ecol. Evol. 18: 198-205 doi:10.1016/S0169-5347(03)00012-0

Cuttlefish visual behaviour and camouflage

• Kelman, E.J., Osorio, D. Baddeley, R.J. 2008. A review of cuttlefish camouflage and object recognition and evidence for depth perception, Journal of Experimental Biology, 211. doi: 10.1242/jeb.015149
  
• Langridge KV, Broom M, Osorio D. 2007. Selective signalling by cuttlefish to predators. Curr Biol. 17: R1044-5. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2007.10.028
  
• Kelman EJ, Baddeley RJ, Shohet AJ, Osorio D. 2007. Perception of visual texture and the expression of disruptive camouflage by the cuttlefish, Sepia officinalis. Proc R Soc Lond B. 274: 1369-1375. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2007.0240
  
• Kelman EJ, Tiptus P, Osorio D. 2006. Juvenile plaice (Pleuronectes platessa) produce camouflage by flexibly combining two separate patterns. J Exp Biol. 209: 3288-3292. doi: 10.1242/jeb.02380

Miscellaneous: Insect vision, Plumage Coloration etc.

• Osorio D. 2007. Spam and the evolution of the fly's eye. Bioessays. 29 :111-115
  
• Madsen V, Dabelsteen T, Osorio D, Osorno J-L. 2007. Morphology and ornamentation in male magnificent frigatebirds: Variation with age class and mating status. American Naturalist 169 S93-S111. DOI: 10.1086/510096
  
• Booth D, Stewart AJ, Osorio D. 2004. Colour vision in the glow-worm Lampyris noctiluca (L.) (Coleoptera: Lampyridae): evidence for a green-blue chromatic mechanism. J Exp Biol. 207: 2373-2378. doi: 10.1242/jeb.01044
  
• Osorio D, Ham AD. 2002. Spectral reflectance and directional properties of structural coloration in bird plumage. J. Exp. Biol. 205: 2017-2027.

Recent publication titles and some PDF's are on

http://eprints.sussex.ac.uk/view/people/Osorio,_D.html

Director of Taught Programmes (School of Life Sciences)

Organiser of courses:

Receptors and Senses

Seminars in Neuroscience

Student Consultation

09.30 - 10.30  daily or by email appointment.

Mascalzoni, Elena, Osorio, Daniel, Regolin, Lucia and Vallortigara, Giorgio (2012) Symmetry perception by poultry chicks and its implications for three-dimensional object recognition. Proceedings B: Biological Sciences, 279 (1730). pp. 841-846. ISSN 1471-2954

Bybee, Seth M, Yuan, Furong, Ramstetter, Monica D, Llorente-Bousquets, Jorge, Reed, Robert D, Osorio, Daniel and Briscoe, Adriana D (2012) UV photoreceptors and UV-yellow wing pigments in Heliconius butterflies allow a color signal to serve both mimicry and intraspecific communication. American Naturalist, 179 (1). pp. 38-51. ISSN 0003-0147

Chrometrics; Osorio et al. (2011) Patent for estimation of reflectance spectra using reference spectra. PCT/GB2006/000639.

Stavenga, Doekele G, Leertouwer, Hein L, Marshall, N Justin and Osorio, Daniel (2011) Dramatic colour changes in a bird of paradise caused by uniquely structured breast feather barbules. Proceedings B: Biological Sciences, 278 (1715). pp. 2098-2104. ISSN 1471-2954

Zylinski, S, How, M J, Osorio, D, Hanlon, R T and Marshall, N J (2011) To be seen or to hide: visual characteristics of body patterns for camouflage and communication in the Australian giant cuttlefish Sepia apama. American Naturalist, 177 (5). pp. 681-690. ISSN 0003-0147

Osorio, Daniel (2011) Evolutionary biology: light sense. Nature, 472. pp. 300-301. ISSN 0028-0836

Osorio, Daniel and Kelber, Almut (2010) From spectral information to animal colour vision: experiments and concepts. Philosophical Transactions B: Biological Sciences, 277 (1688). pp. 1617-1625. ISSN 1471-2970

Zylinski, Sarah, Osorio, Daniel and Shohet, Andy J (2009) Edge detection and texture classification by cuttlefish. Journal of Vision, 9 (13). ISSN 1534-7362

Osorio, Daniel, Ham, Abigail D, Gonda, Zsusanna and Andrew, Richard J (2009) Sensory generalization and learning about novel colors by poultry chicks. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 62 (7). pp. 1249-1256. ISSN 1747-0218

Andrew, R J, Colaco Osorio, D and Budaev, S (2009) Light during embryonic development modulates patterns of lateralization strongly and similarly in both zebrafish and chick. Philosophical Transactions B: Biological Sciences, 364. pp. 983-989. ISSN 0962-8436

Zylinski, S, Osorio, D and Shohet, A J (2009) Perception of edges and visual texture in the camouflage of the common cuttlefish, Sepia officinalis. Philosophical Transactions B: Biological Sciences, 364. pp. 439-448. ISSN 0962-8436

Osorio, D and Vorobyev, M (2008) A review of the evolution of animal colour vision and visual communication signals. Vision Research, 48 (20). pp. 2042-2051. ISSN 0042-6989

Rucker, F J and Osorio, D (2008) The effects of longitudinal chromatic aberration and a shift in the peak of the middle-wavelength sensitive cone fundamental on cone contrast. Vision Research, 48 (19). pp. 1929-1939. ISSN 0042-6989

Kelman, Emma J, Osorio, Daniel and Baddeley, Roland J (2008) A review of cuttlefish camouflage and object recognition and evidence for depth perception. Journal of Experimental Biology, 211. pp. 1757-1763. ISSN 1477-9145

Martin, G R and Osorio, D (2008) Vision in Birds. In: The Senses: A Comprehensive Reference. Academic Press, pp. 25-52. ISBN 978-0-12-370880-9

Langridge, Keri V, Broom, Mark and Osorio, Daniel (2007) Selective signalling by cuttlefish to predators. Current Biology, 17 (24). R1044-R1045. ISSN 0960-9822

Chittka, Lars and Osorio, Daniel (2007) Cognitive Dimensions of Predator Responses to Imperfect Mimicry. PLoS Biology, 5. ISSN 1544-9173

Colaco Osorio, Daniel, Baddeley, RJ and Jones, CD (2007) Generalization of color by chickens: experimental observations and a Bayesian model. American Naturalist, 169. S27-S41. ISSN 0003-0147

Shohet, Adam, Baddeley, Roland, Anderson, John and Osorio, Daniel (2006) Cuttlefish camouflage: a quantitative study of patterning. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 92 (2). pp. 335-345. ISSN 0024-4066

Lucas, P W, Dominy, N J, Riba-Hernandez, P, Stoner, K E, Yamashita, N, Loría-Calderón, C, Peterson-Pereira, Y, Rojas-Durán, Y, Salas-Pena, R, Solis-Madrigal, S, Osorio, D and Darvell, B W (2003) Evolution and function of routine trichromatic vision in primates. Evolution, 57 (11). pp. 2636-2643. ISSN 0014-3820