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Biological Sciences - Tenure-Track Faculty
808 Rieveschl Hall
513-556-9718
john.layne@uc.edu

Research Interests

I am interested in how animals perceive and interact with their environments. Specifically, I try to relate animals’ visual morphology and physiology to their behavior and the structure of their natural habitats. The goal is to understand the way natural stimuli are perceived, and to understand the evolutionary adaptation of sense organs with respect to the behaviors they mediate. This research follows the trail of information vertically through different levels of biological organization: from the spatial structure of light in an animal’s habitat, to the gross anatomy of its eyes, to the sensory cells’ physiological responses to light, to the higher-order cells’ filtering and computational properties. What binds all of these things together is the behavior of the animal itself. Such an extensive range of research questions requires many different and complimentary approaches.

Techniques I employ include:

• measurement and analysis of natural visual scenes from the animals’ perspective
• quantitative analysis of natural behavior from high-speed video recordings
• morphological and optical measurements of the visual receptor array
• electrophysiological recordings from nerve cells in the peripheral visual system

Other related topics that I also have a strong interest in are animal spatial orientation, especially in the context of homing and navigation, and sensorimotor integration, especially in the context of the relationship between animal locomotion, visual feedback, and control.

See more about Animal Behavior at UC.

Peer Reviewed Publications

Walls, M.L and Layne, J.E. (2009). Direct Evidence for Distance Measurement via Flexible Stride Integration in the Fiddler Crab. Current Biology, 19, 1-5.

Walls, M. L. and Layne, J. E. (2009). Fiddler crabs accurately measure two-dimensional distance over three-dimensional terrain.. Journal of Experimental Biology, 212, 32363240.

Maksimovic, S., Layne, J.E. and Buschbeck, E.K. (2007). Behavioral evidence for within-eyelet resolution in twisted-winged insects (Strepsiptera). Journal of Experimental Biology, 210, 2819-2828.

Layne, J.E., Chen, P.W. and Gilbert, C. (2006). The role of target elevation in prey selection by tiger beetles (Carabidae : Cicindela spp.). Journal of Experimental Biology, 209(21), 4295, 4303.

Layne, J.E., Barnes, W.J.P. and Duncan, L.M.J. (2003). Mechanisms of homing in the fiddler crab Uca rapax 1. Spatial and temporal characteristics of a system of small-scale navigation. Journal of Experimental Biology, 206(24), 4413, 4423.

Layne, J.E., Barnes, W.J.P. and Duncan, L.M.J. (2003). Mechanisms of homing in the fiddler crab Uca rapax 2. Information sources and frame of reference for a path integration system. Journal of Experimental Biology, 206(24), 4425, 4442.

Layne, J.E. (1998). Retinal location is the key to identifying predators in fiddler crabs (Uca pugilator). Journal of Experimental Biology, 201, 2253-2261.

Layne, J. E., M. Wicklein, F. A. Dodge, and R. Barlow (1997). Prediction of maximum allowable retinal slip speed in Uca pugilator. Biological Bulletin, 193, 202-203.

Layne, J.E., Land, M.F. and J. Zeil, J. (1997). Fiddler crabs use the visual horizon to distinguish predators from conspecifics: A review of the evidence. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the UK, 77, 43-54.

Land, M.F. and Layne, J.E. (1995). The Visual Control of Behavior in Fiddler Crabs. I. Resolution, Thresholds and the Role of the Horizon.. Jounral of Comparative Physiology A, 177, 81-90.

Land, M.F. and Layne, J.E. (1995). The Visual Control of Behavior in Fiddler Crabs. II. Tracking Control Systems in Courtship and Defence. Jounral of Comparative Physiology A, 177, 91-103.

Book Chapters

Zeil, J. and J. E. Layne (2002). Path integration in fiddler crabs and its relation to habitat. K. Wiese (Eds.), Crustacean Experimental Systems in Neurobiology. (pp. 227-246). Berlin, Heidelberg, New York: Springer Verlag.

Paper Presentations

Barnes, W.J.P, Macauley, M., Neidhardt, J. and Layne, J. E.. Varying the sign and gain of optomotor feedback provides insights into mechanisms of course control in walking land crabs, Cardisoma guanhumi. Society for Experimental Biology Meeting, Marseille, France. 2008.

Rajkumar, P., Rollmann, S.M., Buschbeck, E. and Layne, J.E.. Sequence & expression of opsins in fiddler crab, Uca pugilator. 2nd International Conference for Invertebrate Vision, Bäckaskog Castle, Sweden. 2008.

Maksimovic, S., J. E. Layne and E. K. Buschbeck. Motion processing within individual eyelets in twisted-winged insects (Strepsiptera). 2nd International Conference for Invertebrate Vision, Bäckaskog Castle, Sweden. 2008.

Maksimovic, S. J. E. Layne and E. K. Buschbeck. Behavioral evidence for within-eyelet resolution in twisted-winged insects (Strepsiptera). Proceedings of the 8th National Congress of Neuroethology , Vancouver, Canada. 2007.

Walls, M. L., P. Rajkumar and J. E. Layne. Path integrating fiddler crabs integrate the 3rd dimension. Proceedings of the 8th National Congress of Neuroethology , Vancouver, Canada. 2007.

Layne, J. E. and C. Gilbert . Sub-optimal spatiotemporal resolution of natural images by tiger beetles. Society for Neuroscience annual meeting, Atlanta, GA. 2006.

Maksimovic, S., J. E. Layne and E. K. Buschbeck. Functional characteristics and spatial resolution of the visual system of Xenos peckii (strepsiptera) . Society for Neuroscience annual meeting, Washington, D.C.. 2005.

Layne, J. E., P. W. Chen and C. Gilbert. Use of elevation as a distance cue during prey selection by tiger beetles. Animal Behavior Society Annual Meeting, Oaxaca, Mexico. 2004.

Layne, J. E. and C. Gilbert. Regional variation in spatial and temporal sampling in the eyes of tiger beetles (Carabidae: Cicindela spp.) . Proceedings of the 7th National Congress of Neuroethology , Nyborg, Denmark. 2004.

Gilbert, C., P. O. Zanen and J. E. Layne. View from the cockpit of a fly: Visually guided pursuit by male flies. Proceedings of the 7th National Congress of Neuroethology , Nyborg, Denmark. 2004.

Gilbert, C., P. O. Zanen and J. E. Layne. View from the cockpit of a fly: Visual guidance of sexual aerial pursuit by male flesh flies. Society for Neuroscience annual meeting, New Orleans, LA.. 2003.

Layne, J. E., P. W. Chen and C. Gilbert. Optical structure of visual space and prey selection in tiger beetles. Society for Neuroscience annual meeting, New Orleans, LA.. 2003.