Many animals are sensitive to UV light. Furthermore, a lot of animals and plants can use UV light as a special communication signal. UV light, however, cannot be perceived by humans and its importance for communication among living organisms needed yet to be discovered. The subjects of the presented study are the two most significant pioneers in research into the function of UV light: Sir John Lubbock (1834–1913), an English polymath who was the first one to demonstrate the sensitivity of certain invertebrates to UV light; and Frank Eugene Lutz (1879–1943), an American entomologist whose research into UV light, UV-reflective patterns and their function in communication among animals or plants and their pollinators opened the way for further studies. The following development is briefly summarized in the conclusion of the article.
UV-sensitivity; UV-reflectance; history of biology; John Lubbock; Frank E. Lutz; Robert E. Silberglied
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