> The reindeer is the only mammal with a color-shifting retroreflector behind the retina and the only ruminant with a lichen-dominated diet. These puzzling traits coexist with eye fluid that transmit up to 60% of ultraviolet (UV) light, enough to excite the cones responsible for color vision. It is unclear why any day-active circum-Arctic mammal would benefit from UV visual sensitivity, but it could improve detection of UV-absorbing lichens against a background of UV-reflecting snows, especially during the extended twilight hours of winter. To explore this idea and advance our understanding of reindeer visual ecology, we recorded the reflectance spectra of several ground-growing, shrubby lichens in the diets of reindeer living in Cairngorms National Park, Scotland.
Ruminant (i.e.: animals that ruminate) is one word I didn't know in English yet but has no simpler synonym: the thing that cows do where they eat their food multiple times. Apparently reindeer are ruminants.
Lichen is another word that I didn't know other than from Minecraft. The actual definition is this (Merriam Webster): "any of numerous complex plantlike organisms made up of an alga or a cyanobacterium and a fungus growing in symbiotic association on a solid surface (such as on a rock or the bark of trees)".
Now, if someone could shed (UV?) light on why the paper's title is chosen the way it is (how is this useful to anyone? When you get this as search result, how're you gonna tell whether this is relevant to what you're looking for? Why not use the title that the HN submission¹ used?), I'd be rather interested
¹ "Reindeer can see UV light" at the time of writing
Ruminant: an herbivorous, even-toed, hoofed mammal (suborder Ruminantia and Tylopoda) that has a complex 3- or 4-chambered stomach. The word "ruminant" comes from the Latin ruminare, which means "to chew over again". Related to the English word ruminate, "think deeply about something"
I seem to be unfamiliar with all of your acronyms. Dictionary service for anyone else:
FWIU=From What I Understand; KNF=Korean Natural Farming; JADAM seems to be an uppercase-stylized brand name from what I can tell after some searching (https://en.jadam.kr about page: `He established JADAM (meaning "People that resemble nature") in 1991, and opened website www.JADAM.kr`)
Thank you, very helpful! As to why they didn't use something like a "Reindeer can see UV light" title, my understanding is that was already known, and this study provided evidence that the selective advantage of this trait is that it allows them to see their food source (lichens) better.
That sounds like there is still a better title possible a la "Reindeer's UV sensitivity allows them to see lichens better", rather than just making some pun that reduces the information to "something about reindeer in Scotland"
> The reindeer is the only mammal with a color-shifting retroreflector behind the retina and the only ruminant with a lichen-dominated diet. These puzzling traits coexist with eye fluid that transmit up to 60% of ultraviolet (UV) light, enough to excite the cones responsible for color vision. It is unclear why any day-active circum-Arctic mammal would benefit from UV visual sensitivity, but it could improve detection of UV-absorbing lichens against a background of UV-reflecting snows, especially during the extended twilight hours of winter. To explore this idea and advance our understanding of reindeer visual ecology, we recorded the reflectance spectra of several ground-growing, shrubby lichens in the diets of reindeer living in Cairngorms National Park, Scotland.
Ruminant (i.e.: animals that ruminate) is one word I didn't know in English yet but has no simpler synonym: the thing that cows do where they eat their food multiple times. Apparently reindeer are ruminants.
Lichen is another word that I didn't know other than from Minecraft. The actual definition is this (Merriam Webster): "any of numerous complex plantlike organisms made up of an alga or a cyanobacterium and a fungus growing in symbiotic association on a solid surface (such as on a rock or the bark of trees)".
Now, if someone could shed (UV?) light on why the paper's title is chosen the way it is (how is this useful to anyone? When you get this as search result, how're you gonna tell whether this is relevant to what you're looking for? Why not use the title that the HN submission¹ used?), I'd be rather interested
¹ "Reindeer can see UV light" at the time of writing