51
|
Mora CV, Acerbi ML, Bingman VP. Conditioned discrimination of magnetic inclination in a spatial-orientation arena task by homing pigeons (Columba livia). J Exp Biol 2014; 217:4123-31. [PMID: 25278470 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.101113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
It has been well established that homing pigeons are able to use the Earth’s magnetic field to obtain directional information when returning to their loft and that their magnetic compass is based, at least in part, on the perception of magnetic inclination. Magnetic inclination has also been hypothesized in pigeons and other long-distance navigators, such as sea turtles, to play a role providing positional information as part of a map. Here we developed a behavioural paradigm which allows us to condition homing pigeons to discriminate magnetic inclination cues in a spatial-orientation arena task. Six homing pigeons were required to discriminate in a circular arena between feeders located either in a zone with a close to 0º inclination cue or in a zone with a rapidly changing inclination cue (-3º to +85º when approaching the feeder and +85º to -3º when moving away from the feeder) to obtain a food reward. The pigeons consistently performed this task above chance level. Control experiments, during which the coils were turned off or the current was running anti-parallel through the double-wound coils system, confirmed that no alternative cues were used by the birds in the discrimination task. The results show that homing pigeons can be conditioned to discriminate differences in magnetic field inclination, enabling investigation into the peripheral and central neural processing of geomagnetic inclination under controlled laboratory conditions.
Collapse
|
52
|
Benhamou S. Of scales and stationarity in animal movements. Ecol Lett 2013; 17:261-72. [DOI: 10.1111/ele.12225] [Citation(s) in RCA: 109] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2013] [Revised: 10/11/2013] [Accepted: 10/30/2013] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Simon Benhamou
- Centre d’Écologie Fonctionnelle et Évolutive; CNRS UMR 5175 Montpellier France
| |
Collapse
|
53
|
Blaser N, Guskov SI, Meskenaite V, Kanevskyi VA, Lipp HP. Altered orientation and flight paths of pigeons reared on gravity anomalies: a GPS tracking study. PLoS One 2013; 8:e77102. [PMID: 24194860 PMCID: PMC3806762 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0077102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2013] [Accepted: 08/30/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The mechanisms of pigeon homing are still not understood, in particular how they determine their position at unfamiliar locations. The “gravity vector” theory holds that pigeons memorize the gravity vector at their home loft and deduct home direction and distance from the angular difference between memorized and actual gravity vector. However, the gravity vector is tilted by different densities in the earth crust leading to gravity anomalies. We predicted that pigeons reared on different gravity anomalies would show different initial orientation and also show changes in their flight path when crossing a gravity anomaly. We reared one group of pigeons in a strong gravity anomaly with a north-to-south gravity gradient, and the other group of pigeons in a normal area but on a spot with a strong local anomaly with a west-to-east gravity gradient. After training over shorter distances, pigeons were released from a gravitationally and geomagnetically normal site 50 km north in the same direction for both home lofts. As expected by the theory, the two groups of pigeons showed divergent initial orientation. In addition, some of the GPS-tracked pigeons also showed changes in their flight paths when crossing gravity anomalies. We conclude that even small local gravity anomalies at the birth place of pigeons may have the potential to bias the map sense of pigeons, while reactivity to gravity gradients during flight was variable and appeared to depend on individual navigational strategies and frequency of position updates.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nicole Blaser
- Institute of Anatomy, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- * E-mail:
| | | | | | | | - Hans-Peter Lipp
- Institute of Anatomy, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
54
|
Zidar J, Løvlie H. Scent of the enemy: behavioural responses to predator faecal odour in the fowl. Anim Behav 2012. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2012.06.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
|
55
|
Mora CV, Walker MM. Consistent effect of an attached magnet on the initial orientation of homing pigeons, Columba livia. Anim Behav 2012. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2012.05.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
|
56
|
From chemotaxis to the cognitive map: the function of olfaction. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2012; 109 Suppl 1:10693-700. [PMID: 22723365 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1201880109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 113] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
A paradox of vertebrate brain evolution is the unexplained variability in the size of the olfactory bulb (OB), in contrast to other brain regions, which scale predictably with brain size. Such variability appears to be the result of selection for olfactory function, yet there is no obvious concordance that would predict the causal relationship between OB size and behavior. This discordance may derive from assuming the primary function of olfaction is odorant discrimination and acuity. If instead the primary function of olfaction is navigation, i.e., predicting odorant distributions in time and space, variability in absolute OB size could be ascribed and explained by variability in navigational demand. This olfactory spatial hypothesis offers a single functional explanation to account for patterns of olfactory system scaling in vertebrates, the primacy of olfaction in spatial navigation, even in visual specialists, and proposes an evolutionary scenario to account for the convergence in olfactory structure and function across protostomes and deuterostomes. In addition, the unique percepts of olfaction may organize odorant information in a parallel map structure. This could have served as a scaffold for the evolution of the parallel map structure of the mammalian hippocampus, and possibly the arthropod mushroom body, and offers an explanation for similar flexible spatial navigation strategies in arthropods and vertebrates.
Collapse
|
57
|
Abstract
Many animals react to danger by producing chemical cues that can be smelled by others, which is called the smell of fear. Some bird species produce chemical compounds when threatened, such as nestlings of the Eurasian roller Coracias garrulus that vomit an odorous orange liquid when scared in their nests. Here, we experimentally explore the possibility that parents were informed about recent predation attempts at their nests through the olfaction of this vomit. Parents of nests treated with nestling vomit delayed their entrance to nests and decreased their provisioning rate in comparison with parents of nests treated with an odorous control. These results demonstrate that adult rollers are able to smell the fear of offspring and show for the first time in birds that a scent produced during an interspecific challenge has a role in an intraspecific communication scenario.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- D Parejo
- Departamento de Ecología Funcional y Evolutiva, EEZA, CSIC, Carretera de Sacramento s/n, E-04120, La Cañada de San Urbano, Almería, Spain.
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
58
|
Amo L, Avilés JM, Parejo D, Peña A, Rodríguez J, Tomás G. Sex recognition by odour and variation in the uropygial gland secretion in starlings. J Anim Ecol 2012; 81:605-13. [PMID: 22220811 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2656.2011.01940.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
1. Although a growing body of evidence supports that olfaction based on chemical compounds emitted by birds may play a role in individual recognition, the possible role of chemical cues in sexual selection of birds has been only preliminarily studied. 2. We investigated for the first time whether a passerine bird, the spotless starling Sturnus unicolor, was able to discriminate the sex of conspecifics by using olfactory cues and whether the size and secretion composition of the uropygial gland convey information on sex, age and reproductive status in this species. 3. We performed a blind choice experiment during mating, and we found that starlings were able to discriminate the sex of conspecifics by using chemical cues alone. Both male and female starlings preferred male scents. Furthermore, the analysis of the chemical composition of the uropygial gland secretion by using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) revealed differences between sexes, ages and reproductive status. 4. In conclusion, our study reveals for first time that a passerine species can discriminate the sex of conspecifics by relying on chemical cues and suggests that the uropygial gland secretion may potentially function as a chemical signal used in mate choice and/or intrasexual competition in this species.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Luisa Amo
- Departamento de Ecología Funcional y Evolutiva, Estación Experimental de Zonas Áridas (CSIC), Carretera de Sacramento s/n, E-04120, La Cañada de San Urbano, Almería, Spain.
| | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
59
|
|
60
|
Abstract
Navigation, the ability to reach desired goal locations, is critical for animals and humans. Animal navigation has been studied extensively in birds, insects, and some marine vertebrates and invertebrates, yet we are still far from elucidating the underlying mechanisms in other taxonomic groups, especially mammals. Here we report a systematic study of the mechanisms of long-range mammalian navigation. High-resolution global positioning system tracking of bats was conducted here, which revealed high, fast, and very straight commuting flights of Egyptian fruit bats (Rousettus aegyptiacus) from their cave to remote fruit trees. Bats returned to the same individual trees night after night. When displaced 44 km south, bats homed directly to one of two goal locations--familiar fruit tree or cave--ruling out beaconing, route-following, or path-integration mechanisms. Bats released 84 km south, within a deep natural crater, were initially disoriented (but eventually left the crater toward the home direction and homed successfully), whereas bats released at the crater-edge top homed directly, suggesting navigation guided primarily by distal visual landmarks. Taken together, these results provide evidence for a large-scale "cognitive map" that enables navigation of a mammal within its visually familiar area, and they also demonstrate the ability to home back when translocated outside the visually familiar area.
Collapse
|
61
|
Campagna S, Mardon J, Celerier A, Bonadonna F. Potential semiochemical molecules from birds: a practical and comprehensive compilation of the last 20 years studies. Chem Senses 2011; 37:3-25. [PMID: 21798850 DOI: 10.1093/chemse/bjr067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
During the past 2 decades, considerable progress has been made in the study of bird semiochemistry, and our goal was to review and evaluate this literature with particular emphasis on the volatile organic constituents. Indeed, since the importance of social chemosignaling in birds is becoming more and more apparent, the search for molecules involved in chemical communication is of critical interest. These molecules can be found in different sources that include uropygial gland secretions, feather-surface compounds, and molecules from feces and skin. Although many studies have examined the chemical substances secreted by birds, research on bird chemical communication is still at the start, so new strategies for collecting samples and development of new methods of analysis are urgently required. As a first step, we built a database that brings together potential semiochemicals, using a unique chemical nomenclature for comparing different bird species and also for referencing the different classes of substances that can be found in order to adapt future parameters of analysis. The most important patterns of the wax fraction of preen secretions are highlighted and organized in an ordered table. We also draw up a list of various combinations of sampling and analytical techniques, so that each method can be compared at a glance.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sylvie Campagna
- Behavioral Ecology Group, Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive-CNRS UMR 5175, Montpellier, France.
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
62
|
Whittaker DJ, Richmond KM, Miller AK, Kiley R, Bergeon Burns C, Atwell JW, Ketterson ED. Intraspecific preen oil odor preferences in dark-eyed juncos (Junco hyemalis). Behav Ecol 2011. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arr122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
|
63
|
Caspers BA, Krause ET. Odour-based natal nest recognition in the zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata), a colony-breeding songbird. Biol Lett 2011; 7:184-6. [PMID: 20880859 PMCID: PMC3061170 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2010.0775] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2010] [Accepted: 09/08/2010] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Passerine birds have an extensive repertoire of olfactory receptor genes. However, the circumstances in which passerine birds use olfactory signals are poorly understood. The aim of this study is to investigate whether olfactory cues play a role in natal nest recognition in fledged juvenile passerines. The natal nest provides fledglings with a safe place for sleeping and parental food provisioning. There is a particular demand in colony-breeding birds for fledglings to be able to identify their nests because many pairs breed close to each other. Olfactory orientation might thus be of special importance for the fledglings, because they do not have a visual representation of the nest site and its position in the colony when leaving the nest for the first time. We investigated the role of olfaction in nest recognition in zebra finches, which breed in dense colonies of up to 50 pairs. We performed odour preference tests, in which we offered zebra finch fledglings their own natal nest odour versus foreign nest odour. Zebra finch fledglings significantly preferred their own natal nest odour, indicating that fledglings of a colony breeding songbird may use olfactory cues for nest recognition.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Barbara A Caspers
- Department of Behavioural Biology, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany.
| | | |
Collapse
|
64
|
Longitude perception and bicoordinate magnetic maps in sea turtles. Curr Biol 2011; 21:463-6. [PMID: 21353561 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2011.01.057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 118] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2010] [Revised: 01/08/2011] [Accepted: 01/23/2011] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Long-distance animal migrants often navigate in ways that imply an awareness of both latitude and longitude. Although several species are known to use magnetic cues as a surrogate for latitude, it is not known how any animal perceives longitude. Magnetic parameters appear to be unpromising as longitudinal markers because they typically vary more in a north-south rather than an east-west direction. Here we report, however, that hatchling loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) from Florida, USA, when exposed to magnetic fields that exist at two locations with the same latitude but on opposite sides of the Atlantic Ocean, responded by swimming in different directions that would, in each case, help them advance along their circular migratory route. The results demonstrate for the first time that longitude can be encoded into the magnetic positioning system of a migratory animal. Because turtles also assess north-south position magnetically, the findings imply that loggerheads have a navigational system that exploits the Earth's magnetic field as a kind of bicoordinate magnetic map from which both longitudinal and latitudinal information can be extracted.
Collapse
|
65
|
Shemesh H, Arbiv A, Gersani M, Ovadia O, Novoplansky A. The effects of nutrient dynamics on root patch choice. PLoS One 2010; 5:e10824. [PMID: 20520811 PMCID: PMC2877079 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0010824] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2010] [Accepted: 04/23/2010] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Plants have been recognized to be capable of allocating more roots to rich patches in the soil. We tested the hypothesis that in addition to their sensitivity to absolute differences in nutrient availability, plants are also responsive to temporal changes in nutrient availability. Different roots of the same Pisum sativum plants were subjected to variable homogeneous and heterogeneous temporally - dynamic and static nutrient regimes. When given a choice, plants not only developed greater root biomasses in richer patches; they discriminately allocated more resources to roots that developed in patches with increasing nutrient levels, even when their other roots developed in richer patches. These results suggest that plants are able to perceive and respond to dynamic environmental changes. This ability might enable plants to increase their performance by responding to both current and anticipated resource availabilities in their immediate proximity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hagai Shemesh
- Life Sciences Department, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel.
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
66
|
Caro SP, Balthazart J. Pheromones in birds: myth or reality? J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2010; 196:751-66. [PMID: 20490809 DOI: 10.1007/s00359-010-0534-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2009] [Revised: 04/26/2010] [Accepted: 04/29/2010] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Birds are anosmic or at best microsmatic… This misbelief persisted until very recently and has strongly influenced the outcome of communication studies in birds, with olfaction remaining neglected as compared to acoustic and visual channels. However, there is now clear empirical evidence showing that olfaction is perfectly functional in birds and birds use olfactory information in a variety of ethological contexts. Although the existence of pheromones has never been formally demonstrated in this vertebrate class, different groups of birds, such as petrels, auklets and ducks have been shown to produce specific scents that could play a significant role in within-species social interactions. Behavioral experiments have indeed demonstrated that these odors influence the behavior of conspecifics. Additionally, in quail, deprivation of olfactory inputs decreases neuronal activation induced by sexual interactions with a female. It seems therefore well established that birds enjoy a functional sense of smell and a fast growing body of experimental evidence suggests that they use this channel of olfactory communication to control their social life. The unequivocal identification of an avian pheromone is, however, still ahead of us but there are now many exciting opportunities to unravel the behavioral and physiological particularities of chemical communication in birds.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Samuel P Caro
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | | |
Collapse
|
67
|
|
68
|
Mardon J, Saunders SM, Anderson MJ, Couchoux C, Bonadonna F. Species, gender, and identity: cracking petrels' sociochemical code. Chem Senses 2010; 35:309-21. [PMID: 20190009 DOI: 10.1093/chemse/bjq021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Avian chemosignaling remains relatively unexplored, but its potential importance in birds' social behaviors is becoming recognized. Procellariiform seabirds provide particularly appropriate models for investigating these topics as they possess a well-developed olfactory system and unequalled associated capabilities. We present here results from a detailed chemical examination of the uropygial secretions (the main source of avian exogenous chemicals) from 2 petrel species, Antarctic prions and blue petrels. Using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry techniques and recently developed multivariate tools, we demonstrate that the secretions contain critical socioecological information such as species, gender, and individual identity. Importantly, these chemosignals correlate with some of the birds' olfactory behaviors demonstrated in the field. The molecules found to be associated with social information were essentially large unsaturated compounds, suggesting that these may be precursors of, or correlates to the actual airborne signals. Although the species-specific chemosignal may be involved in interspecific competition at the breeding grounds, the role of the sexually specific chemosignal remains unclear. The existence of individually specific signals (i.e., chemical signatures) in these birds has important implications for processes such as individual recognition and genetically based mate choice already suspected for this group. Our results open promising avenues of research for the study of avian chemical communication.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jérôme Mardon
- Department of Population Biology, Behavioural Ecology Group, Centre d'Ecologie Fontcionnelle et Evolutive - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, 1919 route de Mende, 34293 Montpellier, France.
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
69
|
Cadiou H, McNaughton PA. Avian magnetite-based magnetoreception: a physiologist's perspective. J R Soc Interface 2010; 7 Suppl 2:S193-205. [PMID: 20106875 DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2009.0423.focus] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
It is now well established that animals use the Earth's magnetic field to perform long-distance migration and other navigational tasks. However, the transduction mechanisms that allow the conversion of magnetic field variations into an electric signal by specialized sensory cells remain largely unknown. Among the species that have been shown to sense Earth-strength magnetic fields, birds have been a model of choice since behavioural tests show that their direction-finding abilities are strongly influenced by magnetic fields. Magnetite, a ferromagnetic mineral, has been found in a wide range of organisms, from bacteria to vertebrates. In birds, both superparamagnetic (SPM) and single-domain magnetite have been found to be associated with the trigeminal nerve. Electrophysiological recordings from cells in the trigeminal ganglion have shown an increase in action potential firing in response to magnetic field changes. More recently, histological evidence has demonstrated the presence of SPM magnetite in the subcutis of the pigeon's upper beak. The aims of the present review are to review the evidence for a magnetite-based mechanism in birds and to introduce physiological concepts in order to refine the proposed models.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hervé Cadiou
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge CB2 1PD, UK.
| | | |
Collapse
|
70
|
Jorge PE, Marques PAM, Phillips JB. Activational effects of odours on avian navigation. Proc Biol Sci 2009; 277:45-9. [PMID: 19812082 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2009.1521] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The sensory basis of the navigational map remains one of the most important and intriguing questions in animal behaviour. In birds, odours have been hypothesized to provide the primary source of map information. Convincing tests have shown that experienced homing pigeons rely on map information obtained at sites where they are exposed to natural odours, even if subsequently released (without additional olfactory information) at a different site. These findings have been interpreted as support for the olfactory map hypothesis. Using this 'false-release-site' (FRS) approach, we compared the effects of exposure to natural odours with that of exposure to a series of artificial odours lacking spatial information. Our findings show that olfactory exposure to either natural or artificial odours at an FRS caused pigeons to rely on map information obtained at the FRS, even if subsequently released at the true-release site in the opposite direction from the home loft. Because artificial odours did not provide map information, however, the findings clearly demonstrate that olfactory exposure provides no navigational information to pigeons whatsoever; instead it activates an independent non-olfactory map system. This test decisively contradicts the olfactory map hypothesis, which predicts that olfactory cues are the primary source of navigational information used by birds.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Paulo E Jorge
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, 4100 Derring Hall, Blacksburg, VA 24061-0406, USA.
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
71
|
Yokosuka M, Hagiwara A, Saito TR, Aoyama M, Ichikawa M, Sugita S. Morphological and Histochemical Study of the Nasal Cavity and Fused Olfactory Bulb of the Brown-Eared Bulbul,Hysipetes amaurotis. Zoolog Sci 2009; 26:713-21. [DOI: 10.2108/zsj.26.713] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
|
72
|
Yokosuka M, Hagiwara A, Saito TR, Tsukahara N, Aoyama M, Wakabayashi Y, Sugita S, Ichikawa M. Histological properties of the nasal cavity and olfactory bulb of the Japanese jungle crow Corvus macrorhynchos. Chem Senses 2009; 34:581-93. [PMID: 19620387 DOI: 10.1093/chemse/bjp040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The nasal cavity and olfactory bulb (OB) of the Japanese jungle crow (Corvus macrorhynchos) were studied using computed tomography (CT) and histochemical staining. The nasal septum divided the nasal cavity in half. The anterior and maxillary conchae were present on both sides of the nasal cavity, but the posterior concha was indistinct. A small OB was present on the ventral surface of the periphery of the cerebrum. The OB-brain ratio--the ratio of the size of the OB to that of the cerebral hemisphere--was 6.13. The olfactory nerve bundles projected independently to the OB, which appeared fused on gross examination. Histochemical analysis confirmed the fusion of all OB layers. Using a neural tracer, we found that the olfactory nerve bundles independently projected to the olfactory nerve layer (ONL) and glomerular layer (GL) of the left and right halves of the fused OB. Only 4 of 21 lectins bound to the ONL and GL. Thus, compared with mammals and other birds, the jungle crow may have a poorly developed olfactory system and an inferior sense of olfaction. However, it has been contended recently that the olfactory abilities of birds cannot be judged from anatomical findings alone. Our results indicate that the olfactory system of the jungle crow is an interesting research model to evaluate the development and functions of vertebrate olfactory systems.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Makoto Yokosuka
- Department of Comparative and Behavior Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Nippon Veterinary and Life Science University, Musashino, Tokyo 180-8602, Japan.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
73
|
Kelly DM, Kamil AC, Cheng K. Landmark use by Clark’s nutcrackers (Nucifraga columbiana): influence of disorientation and cue rotation on distance and direction estimates. Anim Cogn 2009; 13:175-88. [DOI: 10.1007/s10071-009-0256-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2009] [Revised: 06/18/2009] [Accepted: 06/19/2009] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
|
74
|
Balthazart J, Taziaux M. The underestimated role of olfaction in avian reproduction? Behav Brain Res 2009; 200:248-59. [PMID: 18804490 PMCID: PMC2692081 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2008.08.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2008] [Revised: 08/25/2008] [Accepted: 08/26/2008] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Until the second half of the 20th century, it was broadly accepted that most birds are microsmatic if not anosmic and unable to detect and use olfactory information. Exceptions were eventually conceded for species like procellariiforms, vultures or kiwis that detect their food at least in part based on olfactory signals. During the past 20-30 years, many publications have appeared indicating that this view is definitely erroneous. We briefly review here anatomical, electrophysiological and behavioral data demonstrating that birds in general possess a functional olfactory system and are able to use olfactory information in a variety of ethological contexts, including reproduction. Recent work also indicates that brain activation induced by sexual interactions with a female is significantly affected by olfactory deprivation in Japanese quail. Brain activation was measured via immunocytochemical detection of the protein product of the immediate early gene c-fos. Changes observed concerned two brain areas that play a key role in the control of male sexual behavior, the medial preoptic nucleus and the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis therefore suggesting a potential role of olfaction in the control of reproduction. The widespread idea that birds are anosmic or microsmatic is thus not supported by the available experimental data and presumably originates in our anthropomorphic view that leads us to think that birds do not smell because they have a rigid beak and nostrils and do not obviously sniff. Experimental analysis of this phenomenon is thus warranted and should lead to a significant change in our understanding of avian biology.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jacques Balthazart
- Center for Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology, Research Group in Behavioral Neuroendocrinology, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium.
| | | |
Collapse
|
75
|
Gagliardo A, Ioalè P, Savini M, Dell’Omo G, Bingman VP. Hippocampal-dependent familiar area map supports corrective re-orientation following navigational error during pigeon homing: a GPS-tracking study. Eur J Neurosci 2009; 29:2389-400. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1460-9568.2009.06793.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
|
76
|
Jorge PE, Marques AE, Phillips JB. Activational Rather Than Navigational Effects of Odors on Homing of Young Pigeons. Curr Biol 2009; 19:650-4. [PMID: 19361998 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2009.02.066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2008] [Revised: 02/10/2009] [Accepted: 02/11/2009] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Paulo E Jorge
- Centro de Biologia Ambiental, Museu Nacional de Historia Natural, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal.
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
77
|
Steck K, Hansson BS, Knaden M. Smells like home: Desert ants, Cataglyphis fortis, use olfactory landmarks to pinpoint the nest. Front Zool 2009; 6:5. [PMID: 19250516 PMCID: PMC2651142 DOI: 10.1186/1742-9994-6-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 90] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2008] [Accepted: 02/27/2009] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Cataglyphis fortis ants forage individually for dead arthropods in the inhospitable salt-pans of Tunisia. Locating the inconspicuous nest after a foraging run of more than 100 meters demands a remarkable orientation capability. As a result of high temperatures and the unpredictable distribution of food, Cataglyphis ants do not lay pheromone trails. Instead, path integration is the fundamental system of long-distance navigation. This system constantly informs a foraging ant about its position relative to the nest. In addition, the ants rely on visual landmarks as geocentric navigational cues to finally pinpoint the nest entrance. Results Apart from the visual cues within the ants' habitat, we found potential olfactory landmark information with different odour blends coupled to various ground structures. Here we show that Cataglyphis ants can use olfactory information in order to locate their nest entrance. Ants were trained to associate their nest entrance with a single odour. In a test situation, they focused their nest search on the position of the training odour but not on the positions of non-training odours. When trained to a single odour, the ants were able to recognise this odour within a mixture of four odours. Conclusion The uniform salt-pans become less homogenous if one takes olfactory landmarks into account. As Cataglyphis ants associate environmental odours with the nest entrance they can be said to use olfactory landmarks in the vicinity of the nest for homing.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kathrin Steck
- Department of Evolutionary Neuroethology, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Hans Knoell Strasse 8, 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Bill S Hansson
- Department of Evolutionary Neuroethology, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Hans Knoell Strasse 8, 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Markus Knaden
- Department of Evolutionary Neuroethology, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Hans Knoell Strasse 8, 07745 Jena, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
78
|
Nesterova AP, Mardon J, Bonadonna F. Orientation in a crowded environment: can King Penguin (Aptenodytes patagonicus) chicks find their crèches after a displacement? J Exp Biol 2009; 212:210-6. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.024893] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
SUMMARY
For seabird species, the presence of conspecifics in a crowded breeding colony can obstruct locally available orientation cues. Thus, navigation to specific locations can present a challenging problem. We investigated short-range orientation in King Penguin (Aptenodytes patagonicus)chicks that live in a large and densely populated colony. The two main objectives were to determine whether chicks displaced to a novel location away from the colony (i) can orient towards the colony and return to their crèche and (ii) rely on visual or non-visual cues for orientation. To address these questions, a circular arena was constructed 100 m away from the colony. Chicks were released in the arena during the day and at night. After the orientation experiment in the arena, chicks were allowed to return to their home crèche, if they could. Our results showed that, during day trials, chicks preferred the half of the arena closer to the colony, but not at night. However, at night, birds spent more time on `the colony half' of the arena if the wind blew from the colony direction. When animals were allowed to leave the arena, 98% of chicks homed during the day but only 62% of chicks homed at night. Chicks that homed at night also took longer to find their crèche. The experiments suggest that King Penguin chicks can find their crèche from a novel location. Visual cues are important for homing but,when visual cues are not present, animals are able to make use of other information carried by the wind.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anna P. Nesterova
- Behavioural Ecology Group, CEFE–CNRS, 1919 route de Mende, F-34293 Montpellier, Cedex 5, France
| | - Jérôme Mardon
- Behavioural Ecology Group, CEFE–CNRS, 1919 route de Mende, F-34293 Montpellier, Cedex 5, France
- AECR Group, School of Biomedical, Biomolecular and Chemical Sciences UWA, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley WA 6009, Australia
| | - Francesco Bonadonna
- Behavioural Ecology Group, CEFE–CNRS, 1919 route de Mende, F-34293 Montpellier, Cedex 5, France
| |
Collapse
|
79
|
|
80
|
Mennerat A. Blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus) respond to an experimental change in the aromatic plant odour composition of their nest. Behav Processes 2008; 79:189-91. [DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2008.07.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2008] [Revised: 07/08/2008] [Accepted: 07/08/2008] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
|
81
|
DeBose JL, Nevitt GA. The use of Odors at Different Spatial Scales: Comparing Birds with Fish. J Chem Ecol 2008; 34:867-81. [DOI: 10.1007/s10886-008-9493-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2008] [Revised: 04/18/2008] [Accepted: 04/28/2008] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
|
82
|
|
83
|
Jorge P, Silva I, Vicente L. Loft features reveal the functioning of the young pigeon's navigational system. Naturwissenschaften 2007; 95:223-31. [PMID: 18004532 DOI: 10.1007/s00114-007-0321-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2007] [Revised: 10/08/2007] [Accepted: 10/21/2007] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
It is thought that young homing pigeons are able to use information acquired en route for their initial homeward orientation. However, the cues involved and mechanisms utilised are under discussion. Blocking light-dependent route-specific information during the first leg of an outward journey detour, together with analysis of pigeons that were raised under different loft conditions, allowed us to correctly evaluate the functioning of this mechanism and, more generally, the navigational map of birds. Pigeons from the same stock were raised and kept in two different lofts. The birds in the experimental groups were transported to the release sites via detours, and light-dependent information was denied during the first half of the outward journey (no compass information was available). Control birds were transported by the most direct route and had access to all available information. In general, the results showed that the low-loft birds preferred to use magnetic compass cues, whereas the high-loft birds preferred to use navigational map cues to collect information of the first part of the outward journey. The impairments observed in the homing performances of the experimental groups highlight the reliability of information collected inside the map area. Relevant to an understanding of the route-reversal mechanism was the evidence that this mechanism is able to function in the absence of compass information (birds raised in a wind-exposed loft show a detour effect). In systems where directional information could be provided by multiple sources, processing and extracting accurate course trajectories through a common mechanism may prove more efficient and reliable.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Paulo Jorge
- Centro de Biologia Ambiental-FCUL-Dep. Biologia Animal, Rua Ernesto Vasconcelos, Bloco C2, 3o piso, 1749-016 Lisbon, Portugal.
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
84
|
Hagelin JC, Jones IL. Bird Odors and Other Chemical Substances: A Defense Mechanism or Overlooked Mode of Intraspecific Communication? ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2007. [DOI: 10.1093/auk/124.3.741] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Julie C. Hagelin
- Department of Biology, Swarthmore College, 500 College Avenue, Swarthmore, Pennsylvania 19081, USA
| | - Ian L. Jones
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, Newfoundland, A1B 3X9, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
85
|
Gagliardo A, Pecchia T, Savini M, Odetti F, Ioalè P, Vallortigara G. Olfactory lateralization in homing pigeons: initial orientation of birds receiving a unilateral olfactory input. Eur J Neurosci 2007; 25:1511-6. [PMID: 17425577 DOI: 10.1111/j.1460-9568.2007.05378.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
It has been shown that homing pigeons (Columba livia) rely on olfactory cues to navigate from unfamiliar locations. In fact, the integrity of the olfactory system, from the olfactory mucosa to the piriform cortex, is required for pigeons to navigate over unfamiliar areas. Recently it has been shown that there is a functional asymmetry in the piriform cortex, with the left piriform cortex more involved in the use of the olfactory navigational map than the right piriform cortex. To investigate further the lateralization of the olfactory system in relation to navigational processes in carrier pigeons, we compared their homing performance after either their left or the right nostril was plugged. Contrary to our expectations, we observed an impairment in the initial orientation of the pigeons with their right nostril plugged. However, both groups released with one nostril plugged tended to be poorer than control pigeons in their homing performance. The observed asymmetry in favour of the right nostril might be due to projections from the olfactory bulbs to the contralateral globus pallidum, a structure involved in motor responses.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anna Gagliardo
- Dipartimento di Biologia, Università di Pisa, Via A.Volta 6, I-56126 Pisa, Italy.
| | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
86
|
Nevitt GA, Bonadonna F. Sensitivity to dimethyl sulphide suggests a mechanism for olfactory navigation by seabirds. Biol Lett 2007; 1:303-5. [PMID: 17148193 PMCID: PMC1617144 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2005.0350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Petrels, albatrosses and other procellariiform seabirds have an excellent sense of smell, and routinely navigate over the world's oceans by mechanisms that are not well understood. These birds travel thousands of kilometres to forage on ephemeral prey patches at variable locations, yet they can quickly and efficiently find their way back to their nests on remote islands to provision chicks, even with magnetic senses experimentally disrupted. Over the seemingly featureless ocean environment, local emissions of scents released by phytoplankton reflect bathymetric features such as shelf breaks and seamounts. These features suggest an odour landscape that may provide birds with orientation cues. We have previously shown that concentrated experimental deployments of one such compound, dimethyl sulphide (DMS), attracts procellariiforms at sea, suggesting that some species can use it as a foraging cue. Here we present the first physiological demonstration that an Antarctic seabird can detect DMS at biogenic levels. We further show that birds can use DMS as an orientation cue in a non-foraging context within a concentration range that they might naturally encounter over the ocean.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gabrielle A Nevitt
- Centre for Animal Behaviour, Section of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behaviour, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
| | | |
Collapse
|
87
|
Gagliardo A, Ioalè P, Savini M, Wild JM. Having the nerve to home: trigeminal magnetoreceptor versus olfactory mediation of homing in pigeons. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2006; 209:2888-92. [PMID: 16857872 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.02313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The ability of pigeons to find their way home from unfamiliar sites located up to hundreds of kilometers away is well known, but the mechanisms underlying this ability remain controversial. One proposed mechanism is based on the suggestion that pigeons are equipped with magnetoreceptors that can enable the detection of either the earth's magnetic field and/or magnetic field anomalies in the local terrain over which the pigeons fly. Recent reports have suggested that these magnetoreceptors are located in the upper beak where they are innervated by the ophthalmic branch of the trigeminal nerve. Moreover, this nerve has been shown to mediate pigeons' ability to discriminate the presence versus the absence of a magnetic field anomaly in a conditioning situation. In the present study, however, we show that an intact ophthalmic branch of the trigeminal nerve is neither necessary nor sufficient for good homing performance from unfamiliar locations, but that an intact olfactory nerve is necessary.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- A Gagliardo
- Dipartimento di Biologia, University of Pisa, Via Volta 6, Pisa, Italy
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
88
|
Benhamou S. Detecting an orientation component in animal paths when the preferred direction is individual-dependent. Ecology 2006; 87:518-28. [PMID: 16637375 DOI: 10.1890/05-0495] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
An orientation component leads to directionally biased paths, with major consequences in animal population redistribution. Classical orientation analyses, which focus on the overall direction of motion, are useless for detecting such a component when the preferred direction is not common to the whole population, but differs from one path to another. In-depth path analyses are required in this case. They consist of determining whether paths are more suitably represented as biased or unbiased random walks. The answer is not easy because most animals' paths show some forward persistence propensity that acts as a purely local directional bias and, hence, blurs the possible occurrence of an additional, consistent bias in a preferred direction. I highlight the key differences between biased and unbiased random walks and the different ways orientation mechanisms can generate a consistent directional bias. I then examine the strength and weakness of the available methods likely to detect it. Finally, I introduce a new procedure based on the backward evolution of the beeline distance, from the end of the path, which might correspond to a goal toward which the animal orients itself, to each of the animal's preceding locations. This new procedure proves to be very efficient, as it requires only a small sample of short paths for detecting a possible orientation component.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Simon Benhamou
- Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive, CNRS, Montpellier, France.
| |
Collapse
|
89
|
Frost BJ, Mouritsen H. The neural mechanisms of long distance animal navigation. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2006; 16:481-8. [PMID: 16839758 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2006.06.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2006] [Accepted: 06/28/2006] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Animal navigation is a complex process involving the integration of many sources of specialized sensory information for navigation in near and far space. Our understanding of the neurobiological underpinnings of near-space navigation is well-developed, whereas the neural mechanisms of long-distance navigation are just beginning to be unraveled. One crucial question for future research is whether the near space concepts of place cells, head direction cells, and maps in the entorhinal cortex scale up to animals navigating over very long distances and whether they are related to the map and compass concepts of long-distance navigation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Barrie J Frost
- Department of Psychology, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, K7L 3N6, Canada.
| | | |
Collapse
|
90
|
Cheng K, Spetch ML, Kelly DM, Bingman VP. Small-scale spatial cognition in pigeons. Behav Processes 2006; 72:115-27. [PMID: 16481125 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2005.11.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2005] [Accepted: 11/28/2005] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Roberts and Van Veldhuizen's [Roberts, W.A., Van Veldhuizen, N., 1985. Spatial memory in pigeons on the radial maze. J. Exp. Psychol.: Anim. Behav. Proc. 11, 241-260] study on pigeons in the radial maze sparked research on landmark use by pigeons in lab-based tasks as well as variants of the radial-maze task. Pigeons perform well on open-field versions of the radial maze, with feeders scattered on the laboratory floor. Pigeons can also be trained to search precisely for buried food. The search can be based on multiple landmarks, but is sometimes controlled by just one or two landmarks, with the preferred landmarks varying across individuals. Findings are similar in landmark-based searching on a computer monitor and on a lab floor, despite many differences between the two kinds of tasks. A number of general learning principles are found in landmark-based searching, such as cue competition, generalization and peak shift, and selective attention. Pigeons also learn the geometry of the environment in which they are searching. Neurophysiological studies have implicated the hippocampal formation (HF) in avian spatial cognition, with the right hippocampus hypothesized to play a more important role in the spatial recognition of goal locations. Most recently, single-cell recording from the pigeon's hippocampal formation has revealed cells with different properties from the classic 'place' cells of rats, as well as differences in the two sides of the hippocampus.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ken Cheng
- Centre for the Integrative Study of Animal Behaviour, Department of Psychology, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia.
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
91
|
Bodin C, Benhamou S, Poulle ML. What do European badgers (Meles meles) know about the spatial organisation of neighbouring groups? Behav Processes 2006; 72:84-90. [PMID: 16443332 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2006.01.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2005] [Revised: 12/12/2005] [Accepted: 01/02/2006] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
European badgers (Meles meles) live in groups. Although they can distinguish between a member of their own group, a member of a neighbouring group and a stranger, their ability to understand that neighbouring individuals belong to different groups inhabiting different places, and possibly to build up some representation of the spatial organisation of neighbouring groups remains to be shown. In this study, we conducted a pilot homing experiment to test such ability. Radio-collared badgers were displaced to the home ranges of neighbouring groups and their homing performances were compared to those of badgers displaced either to the periphery of their own group's home range or beyond the neighbouring home ranges. When released in their own home range, badgers homed rapidly and efficiently, whereas when released beyond the neighbouring groups' home ranges (whatever the distance) they did not home. In contrast, badgers released in the home range of a neighbouring group performed some random search there, before returning to their setts quite efficiently. These results suggest that badgers may consider their neighbours as members of different groups inhabiting different places close to their own home range, but their ability to build up some spatial representation of neighbourhood relationships could not be demonstrated.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Carole Bodin
- CNRS-CEFE, 1919 route de Mende, F-34293 Montpellier cedex 5, France
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
92
|
Lau KK, Roberts S, Biro D, Freeman R, Meade J, Guilford T. An edge-detection approach to investigating pigeon navigation. J Theor Biol 2006; 239:71-8. [PMID: 16129453 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2005.07.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2005] [Revised: 07/21/2005] [Accepted: 07/25/2005] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
This study brings together work in pattern recognition and animal behaviour. By applying algorithms in pattern recognition, we examined how visual landscape information influences pigeons' homing behaviour. We used an automated procedure (Canny edge detector) to extract edges from an aerial image of the experimental terrain. Analysis of pigeons' homing routes recorded using global positioning system (GPS) trackers showed that the chosen homing paths, as well as changes in the birds' navigational states, tended to coincide with these edges. This study demonstrates that some edge-containing land features attract homing pigeons and trigger changes in their navigational states.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kam-Keung Lau
- Machine Learning Research Group, University of Oxford, UK.
| | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
93
|
Gagliardo A, Vallortigara G, Nardi D, Bingman VP. A lateralized avian hippocampus: preferential role of the left hippocampal formation in homing pigeon sun compass-based spatial learning. Eur J Neurosci 2005; 22:2549-59. [PMID: 16307597 DOI: 10.1111/j.1460-9568.2005.04444.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
The hippocampal formation (HF) plays a crucial role in amniote spatial cognition. There are also indications of functional lateralization in the contribution of the left and right HF in processes that enable birds to navigate space. The experiments described in this study were designed to examine left and right HF differences in a task of sun compass-based spatial learning in homing pigeons (Columba livia). Control, left (HFL) and right (HFR) HF lesioned pigeons were trained in an outdoor arena to locate a food reward using their sun compass in the presence or absence of alternative feature cues. Subsequent to training, the pigeons were subjected to test sessions to determine if they learned to represent the goal location with their sun compass and the relative importance of the sun compass vs. feature cues. Under all test conditions, the control pigeons demonstrated preferential use of the sun compass in locating the goal. By contrast, the HFL pigeons demonstrated no ability to locate the goal by the sun compass but an ability to use the feature cues. The behaviour of the HFR pigeons demonstrated that an intact left HF is sufficient to support sun compass-based learning, but in conflict situations and in contrast to controls, they often relied on feature cues. In conclusion, only the left HF is capable of supporting sun compass-based learning. However, preferential use of the sun compass for learning requires an intact right HF. The data support the hypothesis that the left and right HF make different but complementary contributions toward avian spatial cognition.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anna Gagliardo
- Department of Ethology Ecology and Evolution, University of Pisa, Via Volta 6, 56126 Pisa, Italy.
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
94
|
Mennerat A, Bonadonna F, Perret P, Lambrechts MM. Olfactory conditioning experiments in a food-searching passerine bird in semi-natural conditions. Behav Processes 2005; 70:264-70. [PMID: 16144746 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2005.07.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2004] [Revised: 06/30/2005] [Accepted: 07/19/2005] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Because passerine birds have a very small relative olfactory bulb size, they have been considered to have weak olfactory capacities for decades. Recent investigations however suggest that breeding female blue tits (Parus caeruleus) are sensitive to lavender odour in the reproductive context of building and maintaining the nest. Here, we present results of an olfactory conditioning experiment in blue tits held in semi-natural conditions during the breeding season. We show that captive male blue tits, trained to associate lavender odour with a food reward, are more attracted to an empty feeder box emitting lavender odour than an odourless empty feeder box. Females did not distinguish significantly between empty feeders with and without lavender odour during the test phase, although they responded positively at the end of the training phase. These results suggest that male blue tits can use olfaction in a context not related to nest building. Additional experiments will be required to better understand the observed sex differences in response to the experimental set up, and in what context free-ranging individuals use olfaction.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- A Mennerat
- Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive, UMR 5175 du CNRS, 1919 Route de Mende, F-34293 Montpellier Cedex 5, France.
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
95
|
Jorge P, Vicente L. Loft features influence the processing of navigational information by pigeons. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2005. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-005-0063-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
|
96
|
Bingman V, Cheng K. Mechanisms of animal global navigation: comparative perspectives and enduring challenges. ETHOL ECOL EVOL 2005. [DOI: 10.1080/08927014.2005.9522584] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
|
97
|
Gagliardo A, Odetti F, Ioalè P, Pecchia T, Vallortigara G. Functional asymmetry of left and right avian piriform cortex in homing pigeons' navigation. Eur J Neurosci 2005; 22:189-94. [PMID: 16029208 DOI: 10.1111/j.1460-9568.2005.04204.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
It has been shown that homing pigeons rely on olfactory cues to navigate over unfamiliar areas and that any kind of olfactory impairment produces a dramatic reduction of navigational performance from unfamiliar sites. The avian piriform cortex is the main projection field of olfactory bulbs and it is supposed to process olfactory information; not surprisingly bilateral lesions to this telencephalic region disrupt homing pigeon navigation. In the present study, we attempted to assess whether the left and right piriform cortex are differentially involved in the use of the olfactory navigational map. Therefore, we released from unfamiliar locations pigeons subjected, when adult, to unilateral ablation of the piriform cortex. After being released, the pigeons lesioned to the right piriform cortex orientated similarly to the intact controls. On the contrary, the left lesioned birds were significantly more scattered than controls, showing a crucial role of the left piriform cortex in processing the olfactory cues needed for determining the direction of displacement. However, both lesioned groups were significantly slower than controls in flying back to the home loft, showing that the integrity of both sides of the piriform cortex is necessary to accomplish the whole homing process.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anna Gagliardo
- Dipartimento di Etologia, Ecologia ed Evoluzione, Università di Pisa, Via A.Volta 6, I-56126 Pisa, Italy.
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
98
|
Bonadonna F, Bajzak C, Benhamou S, Igloi K, Jouventin P, Lipp HP, Dell'Omo G. Orientation in the wandering albatross: interfering with magnetic perception does not affect orientation performance. Proc Biol Sci 2005; 272:489-95. [PMID: 15799944 PMCID: PMC1578712 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2004.2984] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
After making foraging flights of several thousands of kilometers, wandering albatrosses (Diomedea exulans) are able to pinpoint a specific remote island where their nests are located. This impressive navigation ability is highly precise but its nature is mysterious. Here we examined whether albatrosses rely on the perception of the Earth's magnetic field to accomplish this task. We disturbed the perception of the magnetic field using mobile magnets glued to the head of nine albatrosses and compared their performances with those of 11 control birds. We then used satellite telemetry to monitor their behavior. We found that the ability of birds to home specific nest sites was unimpaired by this manipulation. In particular, experimental and control birds did not show significant differences with respect to either foraging trip duration, or length, or with respect to homing straightness index. Our data suggest that wandering albatrosses do not require magnetic cues to navigate back to their nesting birds.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- F Bonadonna
- Behavioural Ecology Group, CNRS-CEFE, 1919 route de Mende, F-34293 Montpellier Cedex 5, France.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
99
|
|
100
|
Lipp HP, Vyssotski AL, Wolfer DP, Renaudineau S, Savini M, Tröster G, Dell'Omo G. Pigeon Homing along Highways and Exits. Curr Biol 2004; 14:1239-49. [PMID: 15268853 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2004.07.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 83] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2004] [Revised: 06/09/2004] [Accepted: 06/09/2004] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Anecdotal observations and early airplane and helicopter tracking studies suggest that pigeons sometimes follow large roads and use landmarks as turning points during their homeward journey. However, technical limitations in tracking pigeon routes have prevented proof. RESULTS Here, we present experimental and statistical evidence for this strategy from the analysis of 216 GPS-recorded pigeon tracks over distances up to 50 km. Experienced pigeons released from familiar sites during 3 years around Rome, Italy, were significantly attracted to highways and a railway track running toward home, in many cases without anything forcing them to follow such guide-rails. Birds often broke off from the highways when these veered away from home, but many continued their flight along the highway until a major junction, even when the detour added substantially to their journey. The degree of road following increased with repeated releases but not flight length. Significant road following (in 40%-50% of the tracks) was mainly observed from release sites along northwest-southeast axis. CONCLUSIONS Our data demonstrate the existence of a learned road-following homing strategy of pigeons and the use of particular topographical points for final navigation to the loft. Apparently, the better-directed early stages of the flight compensated the added final detour. During early and middle stages of the flight, following large and distinct roads is likely to reflect stabilization of a compass course rather than the presence of a mental roadmap. A cognitive (roadmap) component manifested by repeated crossing of preferred topographical points, including highway exits, is more likely when pigeons approach the loft area. However, it might only be expected in pigeons raised in an area characterized by navigationally relevant highway systems.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hans-Peter Lipp
- Institute of Anatomy, University of Zürich, CH-8057 Zürich, Switzerland.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|