1
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Alves Soares T, Caspers BA, Loos HM. Volatile organic compounds in preen oil and feathers - a review. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2024; 99:1085-1099. [PMID: 38303487 DOI: 10.1111/brv.13059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2022] [Revised: 01/18/2024] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 02/03/2024]
Abstract
For a long time birds were assumed to be anosmic or at best microsmatic, with olfaction a poorly understood and seldom investigated part of avian physiology. The full viability of avian olfaction was first discovered through its functions in navigation and foraging. Subsequently, researchers have investigated the role of olfaction in different social and non-social contexts, including reproduction, kin recognition, predator avoidance, navigation and foraging. In parallel to the recognition of the importance of olfaction for avian social behaviour, there have been advances in the techniques and methods available for the sampling and analysis of trace volatiles and odourants, leading to insights into the chemistry underlying chemical communication in birds. This review provides (i) an overview of the current state of knowledge regarding the volatile chemical composition of preen oil and feathers, its phylogenetic coverage, chemical signatures and their potential functions, and (ii) a discussion of current methods used for the isolation and detection of volatiles. Finally, lines for future research are proposed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatjana Alves Soares
- Chair of Aroma and Smell Research, Department of Chemistry and Pharmacy, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Henkestraße 9, Erlangen, 91054, Germany
| | - Barbara A Caspers
- Department of Behavioural Ecology, Bielefeld University, Konsequenz 45, Bielefeld, 33615, Germany
- Joint Institute for Individualisation in a Changing Environment (JICE), University of Münster and Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Helene M Loos
- Chair of Aroma and Smell Research, Department of Chemistry and Pharmacy, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Henkestraße 9, Erlangen, 91054, Germany
- Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging IVV, Giggenhauser Straße 35, Freising, 85354, Germany
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2
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Hassan S, Wang L, Mahmud KR. Robotic Odor Source Localization via Vision and Olfaction Fusion Navigation Algorithm. SENSORS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2024; 24:2309. [PMID: 38610520 PMCID: PMC11014090 DOI: 10.3390/s24072309] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2024] [Revised: 03/28/2024] [Accepted: 04/03/2024] [Indexed: 04/14/2024]
Abstract
Robotic odor source localization (OSL) is a technology that enables mobile robots or autonomous vehicles to find an odor source in unknown environments. An effective navigation algorithm that guides the robot to approach the odor source is the key to successfully locating the odor source. While traditional OSL approaches primarily utilize an olfaction-only strategy, guiding robots to find the odor source by tracing emitted odor plumes, our work introduces a fusion navigation algorithm that combines both vision and olfaction-based techniques. This hybrid approach addresses challenges such as turbulent airflow, which disrupts olfaction sensing, and physical obstacles inside the search area, which may impede vision detection. In this work, we propose a hierarchical control mechanism that dynamically shifts the robot's search behavior among four strategies: crosswind maneuver, Obstacle-Avoid Navigation, Vision-Based Navigation, and Olfaction-Based Navigation. Our methodology includes a custom-trained deep-learning model for visual target detection and a moth-inspired algorithm for Olfaction-Based Navigation. To assess the effectiveness of our approach, we implemented the proposed algorithm on a mobile robot in a search environment with obstacles. Experimental results demonstrate that our Vision and Olfaction Fusion algorithm significantly outperforms vision-only and olfaction-only methods, reducing average search time by 54% and 30%, respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sunzid Hassan
- Department of Computer Science, Louisiana Tech University, 201 Mayfield Ave., Ruston, LA 71272, USA; (S.H.); (K.R.M.)
| | - Lingxiao Wang
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Louisiana Tech University, 201 Mayfield Ave., Ruston, LA 71272, USA
| | - Khan Raqib Mahmud
- Department of Computer Science, Louisiana Tech University, 201 Mayfield Ave., Ruston, LA 71272, USA; (S.H.); (K.R.M.)
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3
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Schwarz S, Wystrach A, Cheng K, Kelly DM. Landmarks, beacons, or panoramic views: What do pigeons attend to for guidance in familiar environments? Learn Behav 2024; 52:69-84. [PMID: 38379118 DOI: 10.3758/s13420-023-00610-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/25/2023] [Indexed: 02/22/2024]
Abstract
Birds and social insects represent excellent systems for understanding visually guided navigation. Both animal groups use surrounding visual cues for homing and foraging. Ants extract sufficient spatial information from panoramic views, which naturally embed all near and far spatial information, for successful homing. Although egocentric panoramic views allow for parsimonious explanations of navigational behaviors, this potential source of spatial information has been mostly neglected during studies of vertebrates. Here we investigate how distinct landmarks, a beacon, and panoramic views influence the reorientation behavior in pigeons (Columba livia). Pigeons were trained to search for a location characterized by a beacon and several distinct landmarks. Transformation tests manipulated aspects of the landmark configuration, allowing for a dissociation among navigational strategies. Quantitative image and path analyses provided support that the panoramic view was used by the pigeons. Although the results from some individuals support the use of beaconing, overall the pigeons relied predominantly on the panoramic view when spatial cues provided conflicting information regarding the goal location. Reorientation based on vector and bearing information derived from distinct landmarks as well as environmental geometry failed to account fully for the results. Thus, the results of our study support that pigeons can use panoramic views for reorientation in familiar environments. Given that the current model for landmark use by pigeons posits the use of different vectors from an object, a global panorama-matching strategy suggests a fundamental change in the theory of how pigeons use surrounding visual cues for localization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian Schwarz
- Department of Psychology, University of Manitoba, 190 Dysart Road, 190 Duff Roblin Building, Winnipeg, MB, R3T, 2N2, Canada
- Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition Animale, CNRS, Université Paul Sabatier, 31062, Toulouse Cedex, 09, France
- Institute of Biology, Karl-Franzen University, Graz, Universtitätsplatz 2, 8010, Austria
| | - Antoine Wystrach
- Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition Animale, CNRS, Université Paul Sabatier, 31062, Toulouse Cedex, 09, France
| | - Ken Cheng
- School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, 2109, Australia
| | - Debbie M Kelly
- Department of Psychology, University of Manitoba, 190 Dysart Road, 190 Duff Roblin Building, Winnipeg, MB, R3T, 2N2, Canada.
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Manitoba, 212 Biological Sciences Building, Winnipeg, MB, R3T, 2N2, Canada.
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4
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Tao L, Wechsler SP, Bhandawat V. Sensorimotor transformation underlying odor-modulated locomotion in walking Drosophila. Nat Commun 2023; 14:6818. [PMID: 37884581 PMCID: PMC10603174 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-42613-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2022] [Accepted: 10/17/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Most real-world behaviors - such as odor-guided locomotion - are performed with incomplete information. Activity in olfactory receptor neuron (ORN) classes provides information about odor identity but not the location of its source. In this study, we investigate the sensorimotor transformation that relates ORN activation to locomotion changes in Drosophila by optogenetically activating different combinations of ORN classes and measuring the resulting changes in locomotion. Three features describe this sensorimotor transformation: First, locomotion depends on both the instantaneous firing frequency (f) and its change (df); the two together serve as a short-term memory that allows the fly to adapt its motor program to sensory context automatically. Second, the mapping between (f, df) and locomotor parameters such as speed or curvature is distinct for each pattern of activated ORNs. Finally, the sensorimotor mapping changes with time after odor exposure, allowing information integration over a longer timescale.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liangyu Tao
- School of Biomedical Engineering and Health Sciences, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Samuel P Wechsler
- School of Biomedical Engineering and Health Sciences, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Vikas Bhandawat
- School of Biomedical Engineering and Health Sciences, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
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5
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Clifton G, Stark AY, Li C, Gravish N. The bumpy road ahead: the role of substrate roughness on animal walking and a proposed comparative metric. J Exp Biol 2023; 226:307149. [PMID: 37083141 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.245261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/22/2023]
Abstract
Outside laboratory conditions and human-made structures, animals rarely encounter flat surfaces. Instead, natural substrates are uneven surfaces with height variation that ranges from the microscopic scale to the macroscopic scale. For walking animals (which we define as encompassing any form of legged movement across the ground, such as walking, running, galloping, etc.), such substrate 'roughness' influences locomotion in a multitude of ways across scales, from roughness that influences how each toe or foot contacts the ground, to larger obstacles that animals must move over or navigate around. Historically, the unpredictability and variability of natural environments has limited the ability to collect data on animal walking biomechanics. However, recent technical advances, such as more sensitive and portable cameras, biologgers, laboratory tools to fabricate rough terrain, as well as the ability to efficiently store and analyze large variable datasets, have expanded the opportunity to study how animals move under naturalistic conditions. As more researchers endeavor to assess walking over rough terrain, we lack a consistent approach to quantifying roughness and contextualizing these findings. This Review summarizes existing literature that examines non-human animals walking on rough terrain and presents a metric for characterizing the relative substrate roughness compared with animal size. This framework can be applied across terrain and body scales, facilitating direct comparisons of walking over rough surfaces in animals ranging in size from ants to elephants.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Chen Li
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, MD, USA
| | - Nicholas Gravish
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA
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6
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Mahr K, Nowack L, Knauer F, Hoi H. Songbirds use scent cues to relocate to feeding sites after displacement: An experiment in great tits (Parus major). Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.858981] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Air-borne chemicals are highly abundant sensory cues and their use in navigation might be one of the major evolutionary mechanisms explaining the development of olfaction in animals. Despite solid evidence for the importance of olfaction in avian life (e.g., foraging or mating), the importance of chemical cues in avian orientation remains controversial. In particular, songbirds are sorely neglected models, despite their remarkable orientation skills. Here we show that great tits (Parus major) require olfactory cues to orientate toward winter-feeding sites within their home range after displacement. Birds that received an olfaction-depriving treatment were impaired in homing. However, the return rates between olfaction-deprived and control individuals did not differ. Birds with decreased perception of olfactory cues required more time to return to the winter feeding sites. This effect became apparent when the distance between the releasing and capture sites was greater. Our results indicate that even in a familiar environment with possible visual landmarks, scent cues might serve as an important source of information for orientation.
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7
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Amo L, Saavedra I. Attraction to Smelly Food in Birds: Insectivorous Birds Discriminate between the Pheromones of Their Prey and Those of Non-Prey Insects. BIOLOGY 2021; 10:1010. [PMID: 34681109 PMCID: PMC8533543 DOI: 10.3390/biology10101010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2021] [Revised: 09/28/2021] [Accepted: 10/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Natural selection has favored the evolution of different capabilities that allow animals to obtain food-e.g., the development of senses for improving prey/food detection. Among these senses, chemical sense is possibly the most ancient mechanism used by organisms for environmental assessment. Comparative studies suggest the prime role of foraging ecology in the evolution of the olfactory apparatus of vertebrates, including birds. Here, we review empirical studies that have shown birds' abilities to detect prey/food via olfaction and report the results of a study aiming to analyze the specificity of eavesdropping on prey pheromones in insectivorous birds. In a field study, we placed artificial larvae and a dispenser with one of three treatments-prey (Operopthera brumata) pheromones, non-prey (Rhynchophorus ferrugineus) pheromones, or a control unscented dispenser-on the branches of Pyrenean oak trees (Quercus pyrenaica). We then measured the predation rate of birds on artificial larvae. Our results show that more trees had larvae with signs of avian predation when they contained a prey pheromone dispenser than when they contained a non-prey pheromone dispenser or an unscented dispenser. Our results indicate that insectivorous birds can discriminate between the pheromones emitted by their prey and those emitted by non-prey insects and that they only exhibit attraction to prey pheromones. These results highlight the potential use of insectivorous birds in the biological control of insect pests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luisa Amo
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN-CSIC), C/José Gutiérrez Abascal, 2, E-28006 Madrid, Spain;
- Area of Biodiversity and Conservation, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, c/Tulipán s/n., E-28933 Madrid, Spain
| | - Irene Saavedra
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN-CSIC), C/José Gutiérrez Abascal, 2, E-28006 Madrid, Spain;
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8
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Raithel CU, Gottfried JA. Using your nose to find your way: Ethological comparisons between human and non-human species. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2021; 128:766-779. [PMID: 34214515 PMCID: PMC8359807 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.06.040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2020] [Revised: 06/10/2021] [Accepted: 06/25/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Olfaction is arguably the least valued among our sensory systems, and its significance for human behavior is often neglected. Spatial navigation represents no exception to the rule: humans are often characterized as purely visual navigators, a view that undermines the contribution of olfactory cues. Accordingly, research investigating whether and how humans use olfaction to navigate space is rare. In comparison, research on olfactory navigation in non-human species is abundant, and identifies behavioral strategies along with neural mechanisms characterizing the use of olfactory cues during spatial tasks. Using an ethological approach, our review draws from studies on olfactory navigation across species to describe the adaptation of strategies under the influence of selective pressure. Mammals interact with spatial environments by abstracting multisensory information into cognitive maps. We thus argue that olfactory cues, alongside inputs from other sensory modalities, play a crucial role in spatial navigation for mammalian species, including humans; that is, odors constitute one of the many building blocks in the formation of cognitive maps.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clara U Raithel
- Department of Neurology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 3400 Hamilton Walk, Stemmler Hall, Room G10, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA; Department of Psychology, School of Arts and Sciences, University of Pennsylvania, 425 S. University Avenue, Stephen A. Levin Building, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA.
| | - Jay A Gottfried
- Department of Neurology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 3400 Hamilton Walk, Stemmler Hall, Room G10, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA; Department of Psychology, School of Arts and Sciences, University of Pennsylvania, 425 S. University Avenue, Stephen A. Levin Building, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
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9
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Gagliardo A, Pollonara E, Wikelski M. The homing pigeons’ olfactory map is affected by geographical barriers. ETHOL ECOL EVOL 2021. [DOI: 10.1080/03949370.2021.1878280] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Anna Gagliardo
- Department of Biology, University of Pisa, Via A. Volta 6, Pisa 56126, Italy
| | - Enrica Pollonara
- Department of Biology, University of Pisa, Via A. Volta 6, Pisa 56126, Italy
| | - Martin Wikelski
- Department for Migration, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Am Obstberg 1, Radolfzell 78315, Germany
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, Konstanz 78457, Germany
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10
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Elmer LK, Madliger CL, Blumstein DT, Elvidge CK, Fernández-Juricic E, Horodysky AZ, Johnson NS, McGuire LP, Swaisgood RR, Cooke SJ. Exploiting common senses: sensory ecology meets wildlife conservation and management. CONSERVATION PHYSIOLOGY 2021; 9:coab002. [PMID: 33815799 PMCID: PMC8009554 DOI: 10.1093/conphys/coab002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2020] [Revised: 10/27/2020] [Accepted: 01/06/2021] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Multidisciplinary approaches to conservation and wildlife management are often effective in addressing complex, multi-factor problems. Emerging fields such as conservation physiology and conservation behaviour can provide innovative solutions and management strategies for target species and systems. Sensory ecology combines the study of 'how animals acquire' and process sensory stimuli from their environments, and the ecological and evolutionary significance of 'how animals respond' to this information. We review the benefits that sensory ecology can bring to wildlife conservation and management by discussing case studies across major taxa and sensory modalities. Conservation practices informed by a sensory ecology approach include the amelioration of sensory traps, control of invasive species, reduction of human-wildlife conflicts and relocation and establishment of new populations of endangered species. We illustrate that sensory ecology can facilitate the understanding of mechanistic ecological and physiological explanations underlying particular conservation issues and also can help develop innovative solutions to ameliorate conservation problems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura K Elmer
- Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology and Institute of Environmental and Interdisciplinary Science, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6, Canada
| | - Christine L Madliger
- Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology and Institute of Environmental and Interdisciplinary Science, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6, Canada
| | - Daniel T Blumstein
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1606, USA
| | - Chris K Elvidge
- Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology and Institute of Environmental and Interdisciplinary Science, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6, Canada
| | | | - Andrij Z Horodysky
- Department of Marine and Environmental Science, Hampton University, Hampton, VA 23668, USA
| | - Nicholas S Johnson
- USGS, Great Lakes Science Center, Hammond Bay Biological Station, Millersburg, MI 49759, USA
| | - Liam P McGuire
- Department of Biology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada
| | - Ronald R Swaisgood
- Institute for Conservation Research, San Diego Zoo Global, San Diego, CA 92027-7000, USA
| | - Steven J Cooke
- Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology and Institute of Environmental and Interdisciplinary Science, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6, Canada
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11
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Bonadonna F, Gagliardo A. Not only pigeons: avian olfactory navigation studied by satellite telemetry. ETHOL ECOL EVOL 2021. [DOI: 10.1080/03949370.2021.1871967] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Francesco Bonadonna
- CEFE-CNRS, University of Montpellier, EPHE, IRD, University Paul Valéry Montpellier 3, Montpellier, France
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12
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Hengenius JB, Connor EG, Crimaldi JP, Urban NN, Ermentrout GB. Olfactory navigation in the real world: Simple local search strategies for turbulent environments. J Theor Biol 2021; 516:110607. [PMID: 33524405 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2021.110607] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2020] [Revised: 12/30/2020] [Accepted: 01/24/2021] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Olfaction informs animal navigation for foraging, social interaction, and threat evasion. However, turbulent flow on the spatial scales of most animal navigation leads to intermittent odor information and presents a challenge to simple gradient-ascent navigation. Here we present two strategies for iterative gradient estimation and navigation via olfactory cues in 2D space: tropotaxis, spatial concentration comparison (i.e., instantaneous comparison between lateral olfactory sensors on a navigating animal) and klinotaxis, spatiotemporal concentration comparison (i.e., comparison between two subsequent concentration samples as the animal moves through space). We then construct a hybrid model that uses klinotaxis but utilizes tropotactic information to guide its spatial sampling strategy. We find that for certain body geometries in which bilateral sensors are closely-spaced (e.g., mammalian nares), klinotaxis outperforms tropotaxis; for widely-spaced sensors (e.g., arthropod antennae), tropotaxis outperforms klinotaxis. We find that both navigation strategies perform well on smooth odor gradients and are robust against noisy gradients represented by stochastic odor models and real turbulent flow data. In some parameter regimes, the hybrid model outperforms klinotaxis alone, but not tropotaxis.
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Affiliation(s)
- James B Hengenius
- Department of Epidemiology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA.
| | - Erin G Connor
- Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering, University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, USA
| | - John P Crimaldi
- Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering, University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, USA
| | - Nathaniel N Urban
- Department of Biological Sciences, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA 18015, USA
| | - G Bard Ermentrout
- Department of Mathematics, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
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13
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Pail M, Landler L, Gollmann G. Orientation and navigation in Bufo bufo: a quest for repeatability of arena experiments. HERPETOZOA 2020; 33:139-147. [PMID: 35444377 PMCID: PMC7612639 DOI: 10.3897/herpetozoa.33.e52854] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Research on navigation in animals is hampered by conflicting results and failed replications. In order to assess the generality of previous results, male Bufo bufo were collected during their breeding migration and translocated to two testing sites, 2.4 and 2.9 km away, respectively, from their breeding pond in the north of Vienna (Austria). There each toad was tested twice for orientation responses in a circular arena, on the night of collection and four days later. On the first test day, the toads showed significant axial orientation along their individual former migration direction. On the second test day, no significant homeward orientation was detected. Both results accord with findings of previous experiments with toads from another population. We analysed the potential influence of environmental factors (temperature, cloud cover and lunar cycle) on toad orientations using a MANOVA approach. Although cloud cover and lunar cycle had small effects on the second test day, they could not explain the absence of homeward orientation. The absence of homing responses in these tests may be either caused by the absence of navigational capabilities of toads beyond their home ranges, or by inadequacies of the applied method. To resolve this question, tracking of freely moving toads should have greater potential than the use of arena experiments.
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14
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Gagliardo A, Pollonara E, Casini G, Rossino MG, Wikelski M, Bingman VP. Importance of the hippocampus for the learning of route fidelity in homing pigeons. Biol Lett 2020; 16:20200095. [PMCID: PMC7423047 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2020.0095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2020] [Accepted: 07/07/2020] [Indexed: 09/02/2023] Open
Abstract
The avian hippocampal formation (HF) is thought to regulate map-like memory representations of visual landmarks/landscape features and has more recently been suggested to be similarly important for the perceptual integration of landmarks/landscapes. Aspects of spatial memory and perception likely combine to support the now well-documented ability of homing pigeons to learn to retrace the same route when homing from familiar locations, leading to the prediction that damage to the HF would result in a diminished ability to repeatedly fly a similar route home. HF-lesioned homing pigeons were repeatedly released from three sites to assess the importance of the hippocampus as pigeons gradually learn a familiar route home guided by familiar landmark and landscape features. As expected, control pigeons displayed increasing fidelity to a familiar route home, and by inference, successful perceptual and memory processing of familiar landmarks/landscape features. By contrast, the impoverished route fidelity of the HF-lesioned pigeons indicated an impaired sensitivity to the same landmark/landscape features.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Gagliardo
- Department of Biology, University of Pisa, Via Volta 6, I-56126 Pisa, Italy
| | - Enrica Pollonara
- Department of Biology, University of Pisa, Via Volta 6, I-56126 Pisa, Italy
| | - Giovanni Casini
- Department of Biology, University of Pisa, Via Volta 6, I-56126 Pisa, Italy
| | | | - Martin Wikelski
- Department of Migration, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behaviour, Am Obstberg 1, 78315 Radolfzell, Germany
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, 78457 Konstanz, Germany
| | - Verner P. Bingman
- Department of Psychology, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH 43403, USA
- J.P. Scott Center for Neuroscience, Mind and Behavior, Bowling Green, OH 43403, USA
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15
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Shearwaters know the direction and distance home but fail to encode intervening obstacles after free-ranging foraging trips. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2019; 116:21629-21633. [PMID: 31591238 PMCID: PMC6815147 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1903829116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Procellariiform seabirds homing from distant foraging locations present a natural situation in which the homing route can become obstructed by islands or peninsulas because birds will not travel long distances over land. By measuring initial orientation from Global Positioning System (GPS) tracks during homing, we found that the Manx shearwater fails to encode such obstacles while homing, implying a navigation system that encodes the direction of home rather than a learned route. Nonetheless, shearwaters timed their journeys home, implying that their navigational system provides them with information about both direction and distance home, providing evidence that for routine, yet long-distance navigation, seabirds probably ascertain homeward direction by comparing their current position and the location of home with 2 or more intersecting field gradients. While displacement experiments have been powerful for determining the sensory basis of homing navigation in birds, they have left unresolved important cognitive aspects of navigation such as what birds know about their location relative to home and the anticipated route. Here, we analyze the free-ranging Global Positioning System (GPS) tracks of a large sample (n = 707) of Manx shearwater, Puffinus puffinus, foraging trips to investigate, from a cognitive perspective, what a wild, pelagic seabird knows as it begins to home naturally. By exploiting a kind of natural experimental contrast (journeys with or without intervening obstacles) we first show that, at the start of homing, sometimes hundreds of kilometers from the colony, shearwaters are well oriented in the homeward direction, but often fail to encode intervening barriers over which they will not fly (islands or peninsulas), constrained to flying farther as a result. Second, shearwaters time their homing journeys, leaving earlier in the day when they have farther to go, and this ability to judge distance home also apparently ignores intervening obstacles. Thus, at the start of homing, shearwaters appear to be making navigational decisions using both geographic direction and distance to the goal. Since we find no decrease in orientation accuracy with trip length, duration, or tortuosity, path integration mechanisms cannot account for these findings. Instead, our results imply that a navigational mechanism used to direct natural large-scale movements in wild pelagic seabirds has map-like properties and is probably based on large-scale gradients.
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Cabrera‐Cruz SA, Smolinsky JA, McCarthy KP, Buler JJ. Urban areas affect flight altitudes of nocturnally migrating birds. J Anim Ecol 2019; 88:1873-1887. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2018] [Accepted: 07/12/2019] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Jaclyn A. Smolinsky
- Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology University of Delaware Newark DE USA
| | - Kyle P. McCarthy
- Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology University of Delaware Newark DE USA
| | - Jeffrey J. Buler
- Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology University of Delaware Newark DE USA
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17
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Prada PA, Furton KG. Birds and Dogs: Toward a Comparative Perspective on Odor Use and Detection. Front Vet Sci 2018; 5:188. [PMID: 30155472 PMCID: PMC6103309 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2018.00188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2018] [Accepted: 07/24/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
While canines are generally considered the gold standard for olfactory detection in many situations other animals provide alternatives and offer a unique opportunity to compare biological detection capabilities. Critical components in successfully studying biological detectors is not only understanding their anatomical evidence for olfaction, but also, understanding the life history of the species to better direct the potential of an olfactory task. Here, a brief overview is provided presenting a comparative viewpoint on the use of odors by birds and canines over a range of unique detection scenarios. Similar to canines, birds use olfactory information in various natural oriented contexts where odors are dispersed over a widespread spatial range. Comparing these two distinctive animal models, and current trends in physiological and behavioral assessments may open the door for novel uses of birds as biological sensors in forensic applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paola A Prada
- Department of Environmental Toxicology, Institute for Forensic Science, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, United States
| | - Kenneth G Furton
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, International Forensic Research Institute, Florida International University, Miami, FL, United States
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Olfactory navigation versus olfactory activation: a controversy revisited. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2018; 204:703-706. [PMID: 29961122 DOI: 10.1007/s00359-018-1273-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2018] [Revised: 06/06/2018] [Accepted: 06/08/2018] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
In the early 1970s, Floriano Papi and colleagues proposed the olfactory-navigation hypothesis, which explains the homing ability of pigeons by the existence of an odor-based map acquired through learning. This notion, although supported by some observations, has also generated considerable controversy since its inception. As an alternative, Paulo Jorge and colleagues formulated in 2009 the olfactory-activation hypothesis, which states that atmospheric odorants do not provide navigational information but, instead, activate a non-olfactory path integration system. However, this hypothesis is challenged by an investigation authored by Anna Gagliardo and colleagues and published in the current issue of the Journal of Comparative Physiology A. In this editorial, the significance of the findings of this study is assessed in the broader context of the role of olfaction in avian navigation and homing, and experiments are suggested that might help to finally resolve the olfactory-navigation versus olfactory-activation controversy.
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Wiltschko R, Wiltschko W. Considerations on the role of olfactory input in avian navigation. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2018; 220:4347-4350. [PMID: 29187617 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.168302] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
A large amount of data documents an important role of olfactory input in pigeon navigation, but the nature of this role is not entirely clear. The olfactory navigation hypothesis assumes that odors are carrying essential navigational information, yet some recent experiments support an activating role of odors. This led to an ongoing controversy. An important, often-neglected aspect of the findings on olfaction is that olfactory deprivation affects avian navigation only at unfamiliar sites. The orientation of anosmic birds at familiar sites remains an enigma; earlier assumptions that they would rely on familiar landmarks have been disproven by the home-oriented behavior of anosmic pigeons additionally deprived of object vision, which clearly indicated the use by the birds of non-visual, non-olfactory cues. However, if odors activate the establishing and enlarging of the navigational 'map' and promote the integration of local values of navigational factors into this map, it seems possible that such a process needs to occur only once at a given site, when the birds are visiting this site for the first time. If that were the case, the birds could interpret the local factors correctly at any later visit and orient by them. This hypothesis could explain the oriented behavior of birds at familiar sites, and it could also help to reconcile some of the seemingly controversial findings reported in the literature, where the effect of olfactory deprivation was reported to differ considerably between the various pigeon lofts, possibly because of different training procedures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roswitha Wiltschko
- FB Biowissenschaften, J.W. Goethe-Universität Frankfurt, Biologicum, Max von Laue-Straße 13, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Wiltschko
- FB Biowissenschaften, J.W. Goethe-Universität Frankfurt, Biologicum, Max von Laue-Straße 13, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
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20
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Saavedra I, Amo L. Insectivorous birds eavesdrop on the pheromones of their prey. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0190415. [PMID: 29414994 PMCID: PMC5802436 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0190415] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2017] [Accepted: 12/14/2017] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Chemical cues play a fundamental role in mate attraction and mate choice. Lepidopteran females, such as the winter moth (Operophtera brumata), emit pheromones to attract males in the reproductive period. However, these chemical cues could also be eavesdropped by predators. To our knowledge, no studies have examined whether birds can detect pheromones of their prey. O. brumata adults are part of the winter diet of some insectivorous tit species, such as the great tit (Parus major) and blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus). We performed a field experiment aimed to disentangle whether insectivorous birds can exploit the pheromones emitted by their prey for prey location. We placed artificial larvae and a dispenser on branches of Pyrenean oak trees (Quercus pyrenaica). In half of the trees we placed an O. brumata pheromone dispenser and in the other half we placed a control dispenser. We measured the predation rate of birds on artificial larvae. Our results show that more trees had larvae with signs of avian predation when they contained an O. brumata pheromone than when they contained a control dispenser. Furthermore, the proportion of artificial larvae with signs of avian predation was greater in trees that contained the pheromone than in control trees. Our results indicate that insectivorous birds can exploit the pheromones emitted by moth females to attract males, as a method of prey detection. These results highlight the potential use of insectivorous birds in the biological control of insect pests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irene Saavedra
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (CSIC), C/ José Gutiérrez Abascal, Madrid, Spain
- * E-mail:
| | - Luisa Amo
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (CSIC), C/ José Gutiérrez Abascal, Madrid, Spain
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21
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Steinke M, Randell L, Dumbrell AJ, Saha M. Volatile Biomarkers for Aquatic Ecological Research. ADV ECOL RES 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.aecr.2018.09.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
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22
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Farouk SM, Hassan SA, Emam MA. Histochemical and surface ultrastructural characteristics of the nasal cavity of laughing dove. Anat Histol Embryol 2017; 46:592-599. [DOI: 10.1111/ahe.12317] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2017] [Accepted: 09/06/2017] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- S. M. Farouk
- Department of Cytology and Histology; Faculty of Veterinary Medicine; Suez Canal University; Ismailia Egypt
| | - S. A. Hassan
- Department of Anatomy and Embryology; Faculty of Veterinary Medicine; Suez Canal University; Ismailia Egypt
| | - M. A. Emam
- Department of Histology and Cytology; Faculty of Veterinary Medicine; Benha University; Moshtohor Egypt
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24
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Navigation. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2017; 203:455-463. [DOI: 10.1007/s00359-017-1160-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2016] [Revised: 02/17/2017] [Accepted: 02/20/2017] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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Schiffner I, Denzau S, Gehring D, Wiltschko R. Mathematical analysis of the homing flights of pigeons based on GPS tracks. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2016; 202:869-877. [PMID: 27766380 DOI: 10.1007/s00359-016-1127-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2016] [Revised: 09/13/2016] [Accepted: 10/08/2016] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
To analyse the effect of magnetic and olfactory deprivation on the homing flight of pigeons, we released birds from a familiar site with either their upper beak or their nostrils anaesthetized. The tracks were analysed by time lag embedding to calculate the short-term correlation dimension, a variable that reflects the degrees of freedom and thus the number of factors involved in a system. We found that higher natural fluctuations in the earth's magnetic field characterized by A P-indices of 8 and above caused a reduction of the correlation dimension of the control birds. We thus separated the data into two groups according to whether they were recorded on magnetically quiet days or on days with higher magnetic fluctuations. Anaesthetizing the upper beak had no significant effect. Making pigeons anosmic reduced the correlation dimension on magnetically quiet days, but did not cause any reduction on days with higher fluctuations. Altogether, our data suggest an involvement of magnetic cues and olfactory factors during the homing flight and point to a robust, multi-factorial map.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ingo Schiffner
- Queensland Brain Institute, University of Queensland, Building #79, St. Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia. .,Fachbereich Biowissenschaften, Goethe-Universität Frankfurt, Max von Laue-Str. 13, 60438, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
| | - Susanne Denzau
- Fachbereich Biowissenschaften, Goethe-Universität Frankfurt, Max von Laue-Str. 13, 60438, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Dennis Gehring
- Fachbereich Biowissenschaften, Goethe-Universität Frankfurt, Max von Laue-Str. 13, 60438, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Roswitha Wiltschko
- Fachbereich Biowissenschaften, Goethe-Universität Frankfurt, Max von Laue-Str. 13, 60438, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
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Safi K, Gagliardo A, Wikelski M, Kranstauber B. How Displaced Migratory Birds Could Use Volatile Atmospheric Compounds to Find Their Migratory Corridor: A Test Using a Particle Dispersion Model. Front Behav Neurosci 2016; 10:175. [PMID: 27799899 PMCID: PMC5065961 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2016.00175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2016] [Accepted: 08/31/2016] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Olfaction represents an important sensory modality for navigation of both homing pigeons and wild birds. Experimental evidence in homing pigeons showed that airborne volatile compounds carried by the winds at the home area are learned in association with wind directions. When displaced, pigeons obtain information on the direction of their displacement using local odors at the release site. Recently, the role of olfactory cues in navigation has been reported also for wild birds during migration. However, the question whether wild birds develop an olfactory navigational map similar to that described in homing pigeons or, alternatively, exploit the distribution of volatile compounds in different manner for reaching the goal is still an open question. Using an interdisciplinary approach, we evaluate the possibilities of reconstructing spatio-temporally explicit aerosol dispersion at large spatial scales using the particle dispersion model FLEXPART. By combining atmospheric information with particle dispersion models, atmospheric scientists predict the dispersion of pollutants for example, after nuclear fallouts or volcanic eruptions or wildfires, or in retrospect reconstruct the origin of emissions such as aerosols. Using simple assumptions, we reconstructed the putative origin of aerosols traveling to the location of migrating birds. We use the model to test whether the putative odor plume could have originated from an important stopover site. If the migrating birds knew this site and the associated plume from previous journeys, the odor could contribute to the reorientation towards the migratory corridor, as suggested for the model scenario in displaced Lesser black-backed gulls migrating from Northern Europe into Africa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kamran Safi
- Department of Migration and Immuno-Ecology, Max Planck Institute for OrnithologyRadolfzell, Germany
- Department of Biology, University of KonstanzKonstanz, Germany
| | | | - Martin Wikelski
- Department of Migration and Immuno-Ecology, Max Planck Institute for OrnithologyRadolfzell, Germany
- Department of Biology, University of KonstanzKonstanz, Germany
| | - Bart Kranstauber
- Department of Migration and Immuno-Ecology, Max Planck Institute for OrnithologyRadolfzell, Germany
- Department of Biology, University of KonstanzKonstanz, Germany
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27
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Abstract
A new study has decoded which birds become leaders in homing pigeon flocks, finding an unexpected benefit of leadership: faster birds emerge as leaders, and these leaders learn more about their environment than their followers.
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28
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Wallraff HG. An amazing discovery: bird navigation based on olfaction. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2016; 218:1464-6. [PMID: 25994630 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.109348] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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29
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Pritchard DJ, Hurly TA, Tello-Ramos MC, Healy SD. Why study cognition in the wild (and how to test it)? J Exp Anal Behav 2016; 105:41-55. [DOI: 10.1002/jeab.195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2015] [Accepted: 12/08/2015] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
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30
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Anguita C, Simeone A. The shifting roles of intrinsic traits in determining seasonal feeding flock composition in seabirds. Behav Ecol 2016. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arv180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
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31
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Knaden M, Graham P. The Sensory Ecology of Ant Navigation: From Natural Environments to Neural Mechanisms. ANNUAL REVIEW OF ENTOMOLOGY 2016; 61:63-76. [PMID: 26527301 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-ento-010715-023703] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
Animals moving through the world are surrounded by potential information. But the components of this rich array that they extract will depend on current behavioral requirements and the animal's own sensory apparatus. Here, we consider the types of information available to social hymenopteran insects, with a specific focus on ants. This topic has a long history and much is known about how ants and other insects use idiothetic information, sky compasses, visual cues, and odor trails. Recent research has highlighted how insects use other sensory information for navigation, such as the olfactory cues provided by the environment. These cues are harder to understand because they submit less easily to anthropomorphic analysis. Here, we take an ecological approach, considering first what information is available to insects, then how different cues might interact, and finally we discuss potential neural correlates of these behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Markus Knaden
- Department of Evolutionary Neuroethology, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, 07745 Jena, Germany;
| | - Paul Graham
- Centre for Computational Neuroscience and Robotics, University of Sussex, Brighton, BN1 9RH, United Kingdom;
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Corfield JR, Price K, Iwaniuk AN, Gutierrez-Ibañez C, Birkhead T, Wylie DR. Diversity in olfactory bulb size in birds reflects allometry, ecology, and phylogeny. Front Neuroanat 2015; 9:102. [PMID: 26283931 PMCID: PMC4518324 DOI: 10.3389/fnana.2015.00102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2015] [Accepted: 07/13/2015] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The relative size of olfactory bulbs (OBs) is correlated with olfactory capabilities across vertebrates and is widely used to assess the relative importance of olfaction to a species’ ecology. In birds, variations in the relative size of OBs are correlated with some behaviors; however, the factors that have led to the high level of diversity seen in OB sizes across birds are still not well understood. In this study, we use the relative size of OBs as a neuroanatomical proxy for olfactory capabilities in 135 species of birds, representing 21 orders. We examine the scaling of OBs with brain size across avian orders, determine likely ancestral states and test for correlations between OB sizes and habitat, ecology, and behavior. The size of avian OBs varied with the size of the brain and this allometric relationship was for the most part isometric, although species did deviate from this trend. Large OBs were characteristic of more basal species and in more recently derived species the OBs were small. Living and foraging in a semi-aquatic environment was the strongest variable driving the evolution of large OBs in birds; olfaction may provide cues for navigation and foraging in this otherwise featureless environment. Some of the diversity in OB sizes was also undoubtedly due to differences in migratory behavior, foraging strategies and social structure. In summary, relative OB size in birds reflect allometry, phylogeny and behavior in ways that parallel that of other vertebrate classes. This provides comparative evidence that supports recent experimental studies into avian olfaction and suggests that olfaction is an important sensory modality for all avian species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeremy R Corfield
- Department of Psychology, University of Alberta, Edmonton AB, Canada ; Department of Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge AB, Canada
| | - Kasandra Price
- Department of Psychology, University of Alberta, Edmonton AB, Canada
| | - Andrew N Iwaniuk
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge AB, Canada
| | | | - Tim Birkhead
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield Sheffield, UK
| | - Douglas R Wylie
- Department of Psychology, University of Alberta, Edmonton AB, Canada
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Yang SY, Walther BA, Weng GJ. Stop and Smell the Pollen: The Role of Olfaction and Vision of the Oriental Honey Buzzard in Identifying Food. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0130191. [PMID: 26177533 PMCID: PMC4503435 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0130191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2015] [Accepted: 05/18/2015] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
The importance of olfaction for various avian behaviors has become increasingly evident. So far, the use of olfaction for food detection among raptors has only been demonstrated for Cathartes vultures. The Oriental honey buzzard (Pernis orientalis) is a resident and migrant in Taiwan and regularly forages in apiaries. One of its foods in apiaries is yellow pollen dough, a softball-sized mixture of pollen, soybeans, and sugar that beekeepers provide as a supplementary food for bees. Given that pollen dough is not similar to any naturally occurring food, we hypothesized that buzzards identify the dough’s nutritious contents using olfaction, perhaps in combination with vision. Using a series of choice experiments in which individuals could choose between two doughs, we showed that (1) buzzards almost unerringly chose pollen-containing over pollen lacking doughs when otherwise the doughs were identical in size, shape, and yellow color; (2) buzzards always preferred yellow over black or green doughs if both doughs contained pollen; (3) buzzards still preferred pollen-containing over pollen-lacking doughs when both doughs were black, but at a lower rate than in (1). We statistically excluded the possible influences of the doughs’ relative brightness or of repeat visits by the same individuals. Our experiments thus suggest the use of a ‘multi-modal foraging strategy’ among buzzards whereby olfaction and vision are likely to be both used in identifying food at close distances. We also estimated the olfactory receptor gene repertoire size in the buzzard’s genome which is almost five times as large as that of three other raptor species. Therefore, olfaction is likely of far greater ecological importance to this species than to other raptor species. We suggest that olfaction should be considered in the design of behavioral and genetic studies to better understand the use of multiple senses in avian behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shu-Yi Yang
- Institute of Wildlife Conservation, College of Veterinary Medicine, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, Pingtung, Taiwan
| | - Bruno A. Walther
- Master Program in Global Health and Development, College of Public Health and Nutrition, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Guo-Jing Weng
- Institute of Wildlife Conservation, College of Veterinary Medicine, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, Pingtung, Taiwan
- * E-mail:
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Beason RC, Wiltschko W. Cues indicating location in pigeon navigation. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2015; 201:961-7. [PMID: 26149606 DOI: 10.1007/s00359-015-1027-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2015] [Revised: 06/06/2015] [Accepted: 06/19/2015] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Domesticated Rock Pigeons (Columba livia f. domestica) have been selected for returning home after being displaced. They appear to use many of the physical cue sources available in the natural environment for Map-and-Compass navigation. Two compass mechanisms that have been well documented in pigeons are a time-compensated sun compass and a magnetic inclination compass. Location-finding, or map, mechanisms have been more elusive. Visual landmarks, magnetic fields, odors, gravity and now also infrasound have been proposed as sources of information on location. Even in highly familiar locations, pigeons appear to neither use nor need landmarks and can even return to the loft while wearing frosted lenses. Direct and indirect evidence indicates magnetic field information influences pigeon navigation in ways that are consistent with magnetic map components. The role of odors is unclear; it might be motivational in nature rather than navigational. The influence of gravity must be further analyzed. Experiments with infrasound have been interpreted in the sense that they provide information on the home direction, but this hypothesis is inconsistent with the Map-and-Compass Model. All these factors appear to be components of a multifactorial system, with the pigeons being opportunistic, preferring those cues that prove most suitable in their home region. This has made understanding the roles of individual cues challenging.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Wolfgang Wiltschko
- FB Biowissenschaften, Goethe-Universität Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue-Straße 113, 60438, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
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35
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Jacobs LF, Arter J, Cook A, Sulloway FJ. Olfactory Orientation and Navigation in Humans. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0129387. [PMID: 26083337 PMCID: PMC4470656 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0129387] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2014] [Accepted: 05/07/2015] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Although predicted by theory, there is no direct evidence that an animal can define an arbitrary location in space as a coordinate location on an odor grid. Here we show that humans can do so. Using a spatial match-to-sample procedure, humans were led to a random location within a room diffused with two odors. After brief sampling and spatial disorientation, they had to return to this location. Over three conditions, participants had access to different sensory stimuli: olfactory only, visual only, and a final control condition with no olfactory, visual, or auditory stimuli. Humans located the target with higher accuracy in the olfaction-only condition than in the control condition and showed higher accuracy than chance. Thus a mechanism long proposed for the homing pigeon, the ability to define a location on a map constructed from chemical stimuli, may also be a navigational mechanism used by humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucia F. Jacobs
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, California, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Jennifer Arter
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, California, United States of America
| | - Amy Cook
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, California, United States of America
| | - Frank J. Sulloway
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, California, United States of America
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36
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Holmes CA, Nardi D, Newcombe NS, Weisberg SM. Children's Use of Slope to Guide Navigation: Sex Differences Relate to Spontaneous Slope Perception. SPATIAL COGNITION AND COMPUTATION 2015. [DOI: 10.1080/13875868.2015.1015131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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Caro SP, Balthazart J, Bonadonna F. The perfume of reproduction in birds: chemosignaling in avian social life. Horm Behav 2015; 68:25-42. [PMID: 24928570 PMCID: PMC4263688 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2014.06.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2014] [Revised: 06/02/2014] [Accepted: 06/03/2014] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
This article is part of a Special Issue "Chemosignals and Reproduction". Chemical cues were probably the first cues ever used to communicate and are still ubiquitous among living organisms. Birds have long been considered an exception: it was believed that birds were anosmic and relied on their acute visual and acoustic capabilities. Birds are however excellent smellers and use odors in various contexts including food searching, orientation, and also breeding. Successful reproduction in most vertebrates involves the exchange of complex social signals between partners. The first evidence for a role of olfaction in reproductive contexts in birds only dates back to the seventies, when ducks were shown to require a functional sense of smell to express normal sexual behaviors. Nowadays, even if the interest for olfaction in birds has largely increased, the role that bodily odors play in reproduction still remains largely understudied. The few available studies suggest that olfaction is involved in many reproductive stages. Odors have been shown to influence the choice and synchronization of partners, the choice of nest-building material or the care for the eggs and offspring. How this chemical information is translated at the physiological level mostly remains to be described, although available evidence suggests that, as in mammals, key reproductive brain areas like the medial preoptic nucleus are activated by relevant olfactory signals. Olfaction in birds receives increasing attention and novel findings are continuously published, but many exciting discoveries are still ahead of us, and could make birds one of the animal classes with the largest panel of developed senses ever described.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel P Caro
- Research Group in Behavioural Ecology, Department of Evolutionary Ecology, CEFE-CNRS (UMR 5175), Montpellier, France; Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen, The Netherlands.
| | - Jacques Balthazart
- Research Group in Behavioral Neuroendocrinology, Center for Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology, University of Liège, Belgium
| | - Francesco Bonadonna
- Research Group in Behavioural Ecology, Department of Evolutionary Ecology, CEFE-CNRS (UMR 5175), Montpellier, France
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Webster B, Hayes W, Pike TW. Avian egg odour encodes information on embryo sex, fertility and development. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0116345. [PMID: 25629413 PMCID: PMC4309571 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0116345] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2014] [Accepted: 12/06/2014] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Avian chemical communication is a rapidly emerging field, but has been hampered by a critical lack of information on volatile chemicals that communicate ecologically relevant information (semiochemicals). A possible, but as yet unexplored, function of olfaction and chemical communication in birds is in parent-embryo and embryo-embryo communication. Communication between parents and developing embryos may act to mediate parental behaviour, while communication between embryos can control the synchronicity of hatching. Embryonic vocalisations and vibrations have been implicated as a means of communication during the later stages of development but in the early stages, before embryos are capable of independent movement and vocalisation, this is not possible. Here we show that volatiles emitted from developing eggs of Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica) convey information on egg fertility, along with the sex and developmental status of the embryo. Specifically, egg volatiles changed over the course of incubation, differed between fertile and infertile eggs, and were predictive of embryo sex as early as day 1 of incubation. Egg odours therefore have the potential to facilitate parent-embryo and embryo-embryo interactions by allowing the assessment of key measures of embryonic development long before this is possible through other modalities. It also opens up the intriguing possibility that parents may be able to glean further relevant information from egg volatiles, such as the health, viability and heritage of embryos. By determining information conveyed by egg-derived volatiles, we hope to stimulate further investigation into the ecological role of egg odours.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ben Webster
- School of Life Sciences, University of Lincoln, Lincoln, United Kingdom
| | - William Hayes
- School of Life Sciences, University of Lincoln, Lincoln, United Kingdom
| | - Thomas W. Pike
- School of Life Sciences, University of Lincoln, Lincoln, United Kingdom
- * E-mail:
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Wiltschko R, Wiltschko W. Avian Navigation: A Combination of Innate and Learned Mechanisms. ADVANCES IN THE STUDY OF BEHAVIOR 2015. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.asb.2014.12.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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Wascher CAF, Heiss RS, Baglione V, Canestrari D. Behavioural responses to olfactory cues in carrion crows. Behav Processes 2014; 111:1-5. [PMID: 25447513 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2014.11.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2014] [Revised: 10/03/2014] [Accepted: 11/10/2014] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Until recently, the use of olfactory signals in birds has been largely ignored, despite the fact that birds do possess a fully functioning olfactory system and have been shown to use odours in social and foraging tasks, predator detection and orientation. The present study investigates whether carrion crows (Corvus corone corone), a bird species living in complex social societies, respond behaviourally to olfactory cues of conspecifics. During our experiment, carrion crows were observed less often close to the conspecific scent compared to a control side. Because conspecific scent was extracted during handling, a stressful procedure for birds, we interpreted the general avoidance of the 'scent' side as disfavour against a stressed conspecific. However, males, unlike females, showed less avoidance towards the scent of a familiar individual compared to an unfamiliar one, which might reflect a stronger interest in the information conveyed and/or willingness to provide social support.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Rebecca S Heiss
- Department of Biology, South Carolina Governor's School for Science and Mathematics, Hartsville, SC, USA
| | - Vittorio Baglione
- Departamento de Ciencias Agro-Forestales, University of Valladolid, Spain
| | - Daniela Canestrari
- Unidad Mixta de Investigación en Biodiversidad, Campus de Mieres, University of Oviedo, Spain
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41
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Schiffner I, Wiltschko R. Pigeon navigation: different routes lead to Frankfurt. PLoS One 2014; 9:e112439. [PMID: 25391144 PMCID: PMC4229201 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0112439] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2014] [Accepted: 10/15/2014] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Tracks of pigeons homing to the Frankfurt loft revealed an odd phenomenon: whereas birds returning from the North approach their loft more or less directly in a broad front, pigeons returning from the South choose, from 25 km from home onward, either of two corridors, a direct one and one with a considerable detour to the West. This implies differences in the navigational process. Methodology/Principle Findings Pigeons released at sites at the beginning of the westerly corridor and in this corridor behave just like pigeons returning from farther south, deviating to the west before turning towards their loft. Birds released at sites within the straight corridors, in contrast, take more or less straight routes. The analysis of the short-term correlation dimension, a quantity reflecting the complexity of the system and with it, the number of factors involved in the navigational process, reveals that it is significantly larger in pigeons choosing the westerly corridor than in the birds flying straight - 3.03 vs. 2.85. The difference is small, however, suggesting a different interpretation of the same factors, with some birds apparently preferring particular factors over others. Conclusions The specific regional distribution of the factors which pigeons use to determine their home course seems to provide ambiguous information in the area 25 km south of the loft, resulting in the two corridors. Pigeons appear to navigate by deriving their routes directly from the locally available navigational factors which they interpret in an individual way. The fractal nature of the correlation dimensions indicates that the navigation process of pigeons is chaotic-deterministic; published tracks of migratory birds suggest that this may apply to avian navigation in general.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ingo Schiffner
- FB Biowissenschaften der Goethe-Universität Frankfurt, Siesmayerstraße 70, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Queensland Brain Institute, University of Queensland, Building #79, St. Lucia, Queensland, Australia
| | - Roswitha Wiltschko
- FB Biowissenschaften der Goethe-Universität Frankfurt, Siesmayerstraße 70, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- * E-mail:
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42
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Corfield JR, Eisthen HL, Iwaniuk AN, Parsons S. Anatomical specializations for enhanced olfactory sensitivity in kiwi, Apteryx mantelli. BRAIN, BEHAVIOR AND EVOLUTION 2014; 84:214-26. [PMID: 25376305 DOI: 10.1159/000365564] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2014] [Accepted: 03/25/2014] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The ability to function in a nocturnal and ground-dwelling niche requires a unique set of sensory specializations. The New Zealand kiwi has shifted away from vision, instead relying on auditory and tactile stimuli to function in its environment and locate prey. Behavioral evidence suggests that kiwi also rely on their sense of smell, using olfactory cues in foraging and possibly also in communication and social interactions. Anatomical studies appear to support these observations: the olfactory bulbs and tubercles have been suggested to be large in the kiwi relative to other birds, although the extent of this enlargement is poorly understood. In this study, we examine the size of the olfactory bulbs in kiwi and compare them with 55 other bird species, including emus, ostriches, rheas, tinamous, and 2 extinct species of moa (Dinornithiformes). We also examine the cytoarchitecture of the olfactory bulbs and olfactory epithelium to determine if any neural specializations beyond size are present that would increase olfactory acuity. Kiwi were a clear outlier in our analysis, with olfactory bulbs that are proportionately larger than those of any other bird in this study. Emus, close relatives of the kiwi, also had a relative enlargement of the olfactory bulbs, possibly supporting a phylogenetic link to well-developed olfaction. The olfactory bulbs in kiwi are almost in direct contact with the olfactory epithelium, which is indeed well developed and complex, with olfactory receptor cells occupying a large percentage of the epithelium. The anatomy of the kiwi olfactory system supports an enhancement for olfactory sensitivities, which is undoubtedly associated with their unique nocturnal niche.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeremy R Corfield
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
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Tuttle EM, Sebastian PJ, Posto AL, Soini HA, Novotny MV, Gonser RA. Variation in preen oil composition pertaining to season, sex, and genotype in the polymorphic white-throated sparrow. J Chem Ecol 2014; 40:1025-38. [PMID: 25236380 DOI: 10.1007/s10886-014-0493-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2013] [Revised: 04/24/2014] [Accepted: 08/09/2014] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Evidence for the the ability of birds to detect olfactory signals is now well documented, yet it remains unclear whether birds secrete chemicals that can be used as social cues. A potential source of chemical cues in birds is the secretion from the uropygial gland, or preen gland, which is thought to waterproof, maintain, and protect feathers from ectoparasites. However, it is possible that preen oil also may be used for individual recognition, mate choice, and signalling social/sexual status. If preen oil secretions can be used as socio-olfactory signals, we should be able to identify the volatile components that could make the secretions more detectable, determine the seasonality of these secretions, and determine whether olfactory signals differ among relevant social groups. We examined the seasonal differences in volatile compounds of the preen oil of captive white-throated sparrows, Zonotrichia albicollis. This species is polymorphic and has genetically determined morphs that occur in both sexes. Mating is almost exclusively disassortative with respect to morph, suggesting strong mate choice. By sampling the preen oil from captive birds in breeding and non-breeding conditions, we identified candidate chemical signals that varied according to season, sex, morph, and species. Linear alcohols with a 10-18 carbon chains, as well as methyl ketones and carboxylic acids, were the most abundant volatile compounds. Both the variety and abundances of some of these compounds were different between the sexes and morphs, with one morph secreting more volatile compounds in the non-breeding season than the other. In addition, 12 compounds were seasonally elevated in amount, and were secreted in high amounts in males. Finally, we found that preen oil signatures tended to be species-specific, with white-throated sparrows differing from the closely related Junco in the abundances and/or prevalence of at least three compounds. Our data suggest roles for preen oil secretions and avian olfaction in both non-social as well as social interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elaina M Tuttle
- Department of Biology, Indiana State University, 600 Chestnut Street, Terre Haute, IN, 47809, USA,
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Mihailova M, Berg ML, Buchanan KL, Bennett AT. Odour-based discrimination of subspecies, species and sexes in an avian species complex, the crimson rosella. Anim Behav 2014. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2014.07.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
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45
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Postlethwaite CM, Walker MM. A model for navigational errors in complex environmental fields. J Theor Biol 2014; 363:134-44. [PMID: 25149368 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2014.08.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2014] [Revised: 08/06/2014] [Accepted: 08/07/2014] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Many animals are believed to navigate using environmental signals such as light, sound, odours and magnetic fields. However, animals rarely navigate directly to their target location, but instead make a series of navigational errors which are corrected during transit. In previous work, we introduced a model showing that differences between an animal׳s 'cognitive map' of the environmental signals used for navigation and the true nature of these signals caused a systematic pattern in orientation errors when navigation begins. The model successfully predicted the pattern of errors seen in previously collected data from homing pigeons, but underestimated the amplitude of the errors. In this paper, we extend our previous model to include more complicated distortions of the contour lines of the environmental signals. Specifically, we consider the occurrence of critical points in the fields describing the signals. We consider three scenarios and compute orientation errors as parameters are varied in each case. We show that the occurrence of critical points can be associated with large variations in initial orientation errors over a small geographic area. We discuss the implications that these results have on predicting how animals will behave when encountering complex distortions in any environmental signals they use to navigate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claire M Postlethwaite
- Department of Mathematics, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland 1142, New Zealand.
| | - Michael M Walker
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland 1142, New Zealand.
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46
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Barkan S, Yom-Tov Y, Barnea A. A possible relation between new neuronal recruitment and migratory behavior inAcrocephaluswarblers. Dev Neurobiol 2014; 74:1194-209. [DOI: 10.1002/dneu.22198] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2014] [Revised: 05/28/2014] [Accepted: 06/02/2014] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Shay Barkan
- Department of Zoology; Tel-Aviv University; Tel-Aviv 61391 Israel
| | - Yoram Yom-Tov
- Department of Zoology; Tel-Aviv University; Tel-Aviv 61391 Israel
| | - Anat Barnea
- Department of Natural and Life Sciences; The Open University of Israel; Ra'anana 43107 Israel
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47
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Wallraff HG. Pigeon homing from unfamiliar areas: An alternative to olfactory navigation is not in sight. Commun Integr Biol 2014; 7:e28565. [PMID: 25346789 PMCID: PMC4203629 DOI: 10.4161/cib.28565] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2014] [Revised: 03/16/2014] [Accepted: 03/17/2014] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The conclusion that pigeons and other birds can find their way home from unfamiliar areas by means of olfactory signals is well based on a variety of experiments and supporting investigations of the chemical atmosphere. Here I argue that alternative concepts proposing other sources of geopositional information are disproved by experimental findings or, at least, are not experimentally supported and hardly realistic.
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48
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Phillips JB, Jorge PE. Olfactory navigation: failure to attempt replication of critical experiments keeps controversy alive. Reply to Wallraff. Anim Behav 2014. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2014.01.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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50
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Mann RP, Armstrong C, Meade J, Freeman R, Biro D, Guilford T. Landscape complexity influences route-memory formation in navigating pigeons. Biol Lett 2014; 10:20130885. [PMID: 24451267 PMCID: PMC3917332 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2013.0885] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Observations of the flight paths of pigeons navigating from familiar locations have shown that these birds are able to learn and subsequently follow habitual routes home. It has been suggested that navigation along these routes is based on the recognition of memorized visual landmarks. Previous research has identified the effect of landmarks on flight path structure, and thus the locations of potentially salient sites. Pigeons have also been observed to be particularly attracted to strong linear features in the landscape, such as roads and rivers. However, a more general understanding of the specific characteristics of the landscape that facilitate route learning has remained out of reach. In this study, we identify landscape complexity as a key predictor of the fidelity to the habitual route, and thus conclude that pigeons form route memories most strongly in regions where the landscape complexity is neither too great nor too low. Our results imply that pigeons process their visual environment on a characteristic spatial scale while navigating and can explain the different degrees of success in reproducing route learning in different geographical locations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard P Mann
- Mathematics Department, Uppsala University, , Uppsala, Sweden
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