Color in Nature

Justin Marshall, Thomas Cronin, Sönke Johnsen, Ron Douglas, Anya Hurlbert, Jane Boddy, Fabio Cortesi

• Publisher: Princeton University Press
• Year: 2024
• Print ISBN: 9780691258614
• eBook ISBN: 9780691258621
• Topic: Biological Sciences
• Subtopic: Ecology
• Index: Biological Sciences

A marvelously illustrated guide to color in the natural world

Recent years have seen tremendous strides in the fields of vision, visual ecology, and our own multilayered experience of color in life and the world. These advances have been driven by astonishing discoveries in neuroscience and evolutionary biology as well as psychology and design. This beautifully illustrated book unlocks nature’s colorful purpose, revealing how creatures see color as well as shedding light on the important part that it plays in animal behavior, from reproduction and communication to aggression and defense. Color in Nature also places the human experience and uses of color in the context of all the colors around us, both in the natural world and in the world that we humans create for our own pleasure and purpose. A wide-ranging survey of a vibrant and compelling topic, Color in Nature will open your eyes to new ways of perceiving the world.

• Features a wealth of stunning color illustrations
• Explains what color is and how it happens
• Covers the physics, genetics, chemistry, physiology, and psychology of animal color perception
• Discusses colors humans don’t see or rarely use
• Sheds light on the evolution of colors for mating, hunting, fighting, deceiving, and hiding
• Provides insights into color blindness, bio-inspired colors, and people’s appreciation for art and design

Table of contents

• Cover
• Contents
• Introduction
• 1. What is Color?
• 2. How Animals See Color
• 3. Hidden Color
• 4. The Evolution of Colors
• 5. Color in Human Life
• Glossary
• Further Reading
• Picture References
• Author Bios
• Index
• Acknowledgments