A Simple Method for Characterizing Iridescence

Authors

  • Dorothy Jackson Additional Author: Steven Lenhert Department of Biological Science & Integrative NanoScience Institute Florida State University

Keywords:

iridescence, electron microspopy, biology

Abstract

Iridescence is the change in hue of a surface with varying angles of illumination and/or observation; it is generated by optical diffraction resulting from subwavelength features on the specimen’s surface.This form of structural coloration enhances various biological processes (e.g., mate selection, species recognition, defense, and photosynthesis) for a wide variety of animal and plant species.

The invention of the electron microscope is responsible for many of the major breakthroughs in the ultrastructural characterization of iridescence, and electron microscopy is among the most commonly cited methods used.2 The goal of this project is to present a simple method for characterizing iridescence that overcomes cost and portability limitations associated with commonly used methods.

Author Biography

Dorothy Jackson, Additional Author: Steven Lenhert Department of Biological Science & Integrative NanoScience Institute Florida State University

Dorothy A. Jackson is a senior English major interested in the interplay between the humanities and the natural and physical sciences. Upon completion of her Bachelor’s of Arts in April 2011, Jackson plans to pursue a second Bachelor’s Degree in biology at The University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa.

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Published

2011-03-01

Issue

Vol. 1 No. 1 (2011)

Section

Research Articles

License

All works published in The Owl are published under a Creative Commons Attribution, Non-Commercial, Share-Alike (CC-BY-NC-SA) license. The author retains copyright.