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Robira B, Benhamou S, Obeki Bayanga E, Breuer T, Masi S. Changes in movement patterns in relation to sun conditions and spatial scales in wild western gorillas. Anim Cogn 2024; 27:37. [PMID: 38684551 PMCID: PMC11058680 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-024-01871-9] [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: 12/19/2023] [Revised: 03/24/2024] [Accepted: 03/28/2024] [Indexed: 05/02/2024]
Abstract
For most primates living in tropical forests, food resources occur in patchworks of different habitats that vary seasonally in quality and quantity. Efficient navigation (i.e., spatial memory-based orientation) towards profitable food patches should enhance their foraging success. The mechanisms underpinning primate navigating ability remain nonetheless mostly unknown. Using GPS long-term tracking (596 days) of one group of wild western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla), we investigated their ability to navigate at long distances, and tested for how the sun was used to navigate at any scale by improving landmark visibility and/or by acting as a compass. Long episodic movements ending at a distant swamp, a unique place in the home range where gorillas could find mineral-rich aquatic plants, were straighter and faster than their everyday foraging movements relying on spatial memory. This suggests intentional targeting of the swamp based on long-distance navigation skills, which can thus be efficient over a couple of kilometres. Interestingly, for both long-distance movements towards the swamp and everyday foraging movements, gorillas moved straighter under sunlight conditions even under a dense vegetation cover. By contrast, movement straightness was not markedly different when the sun elevation was low (the sun azimuth then being potentially usable as a compass) or high (so providing no directional information) and the sky was clear or overcast. This suggests that gorillas navigate their home range by relying on visual place recognition but do not use the sun azimuth as a compass. Like humans, who rely heavily on vision to navigate, gorillas should benefit from better lighting to help them identify landmarks as they move through shady forests. This study uncovers a neglected aspect of primate navigation. Spatial memory and vision might have played an important role in the evolutionary success of diurnal primate lineages.
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Affiliation(s)
- B Robira
- Centre d'Écologie Fonctionnelle et Évolutive, Université de Montpellier & CNRS, Montpellier, France.
- Eco-Anthropologie, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique/Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Université Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Musée de L'Homme, Paris, France.
| | - S Benhamou
- Centre d'Écologie Fonctionnelle et Évolutive, Université de Montpellier & CNRS, Montpellier, France
- Associated to Cogitamus Lab,
| | - E Obeki Bayanga
- Congo Program, Mondika Research Center, Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park, Wildlife Conservation Society, Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo
| | - T Breuer
- Wildlife Conservation Society, Global Conservation Program, New-York, USA
- World Wide Fund for Nature, Berlin, Germany
| | - S Masi
- Eco-Anthropologie, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique/Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Université Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Musée de L'Homme, Paris, France
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2
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Hufkens K, Meier CM, Evens R, Paredes JA, Karaardiç H, Vercauteren S, Van Gysel A, Fox JW, Pacheco CM, da Silva LP, Fernandes S, Henriques P, Elias G, Costa LT, Poot M, Kearsley L. Evaluating the effects of moonlight on the vertical flight profiles of three western palaearctic swifts. Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20230957. [PMID: 37909073 PMCID: PMC10618867 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.0957] [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: 04/26/2023] [Accepted: 10/09/2023] [Indexed: 11/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent studies have suggested the presence of moonlight mediated behaviour in avian aerial insectivores, such as swifts. Here, we use the combined analysis of state-of-the-art activity logger data across three swift species, the common, pallid and alpine swifts, to quantify flight height and activity in responses to moonlight-driven crepuscular and nocturnal light conditions. Our results show a significant response in flight heights to moonlight illuminance for common and pallid swifts, i.e. when moon illuminance increased flight height also increased, while a moonlight-driven response is absent in alpine swifts. We show a weak relationship between night-time illuminance-driven responses and twilight ascending behaviour, suggesting a decoupling of both crepuscular and night-time behaviour. We suggest that swifts optimize their flight behaviour to adapt to favourable night-time light conditions, driven by light-responsive and size-dependent vertical insect stratification and weather conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Koen Hufkens
- BlueGreen Labs (bv), Kloetstraat 48, 9120 Melsele, Belgium
| | | | - Ruben Evens
- Department of Biology, Behavioural Ecology and Ecophysiology Group, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Josefa Arán Paredes
- Institute of Geography, University of Bern, Hallestrasse 12, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
- Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, Falkenplatz 16, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Hakan Karaardiç
- Education Faculty, Math and Science Education Department, Alanya Alaaddin Keykubat University, Alanya, Turkey
| | | | | | | | - Carlos Miguel Pacheco
- Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos (CIBIO), InBIO Laboratório Associado, Universidade do Porto, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal
| | - Luis P. da Silva
- Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos (CIBIO), InBIO Laboratório Associado, Universidade do Porto, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal
- BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal
| | - Sandra Fernandes
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Universidade do Porto, 4099-002 Porto, Portugal
| | | | - Gonçalo Elias
- 44 Rua de São Pedro, Castelo de Vide 7320-163, Portugal
| | - Luís T. Costa
- Nature Returns, Av D Sebastião 101, 2825-408 Costa da Caparica, Portugal
| | - Martin Poot
- Martin Poot Ecology, Culemborg, The Netherlands
| | - Lyndon Kearsley
- BlueGreen Labs (bv), Kloetstraat 48, 9120 Melsele, Belgium
- Belgian Ornithological Research Association, Steenweg Hulst-Lessen 29, 9140 Temse, Belgium
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3
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Massy R, Wotton KR. The efficiency of varying methods and degrees of time compensation for the solar azimuth. Biol Lett 2023; 19:20230355. [PMID: 37990564 PMCID: PMC10663790 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2023.0355] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2023] [Accepted: 10/27/2023] [Indexed: 11/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Daytime migrants are known to orientate using the position of the sun, compensating for its changing position throughout the day with a 'time-compensated sun compass'. This compass has been demonstrated in many migratory species, with various degrees of accuracy for the actual movement of the sun. Here, we present a model for differing levels of compensation for the solar ephemeris that shows that a high degree of efficiency, in terms of distance travelled, can be achieved without full time compensation. In our model, compensating for the sun's position had a diminishing return with an accuracy of 80% leading to only a 2% reduction in distance travelled. We compare various modes of time compensation-full, partial, time averaged and step-revealing their directional efficiency in terms of distance travelled under an autumn migration scenario. We find that the benefit of time compensation varies with latitude, with time averaging performing very well, especially at all high latitudes, but step compensation performing better at very low latitudes. Importantly, even rudimentary adjustment can dramatically increase the efficiency of migration, which suggests an easy pathway for the independent evolution of time compensation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard Massy
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus, Penryn, UK
| | - Karl R Wotton
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus, Penryn, UK
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4
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Cioccarelli S, Bianchi B, Giunchi D, Gagliardo A. Use of the sun compass by monocularly occluded homing pigeons in a food localisation task in an outdoor arena. Anim Cogn 2023; 26:1985-1995. [PMID: 37815729 PMCID: PMC10769948 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-023-01827-5] [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: 06/05/2023] [Revised: 08/31/2023] [Accepted: 09/20/2023] [Indexed: 10/11/2023]
Abstract
Functional asymmetries of the avian visual system can be studied in monocularly occluded birds, as their hemispheres are largely independent. Right and left monocularly occluded homing pigeons and control birds under binocular view have been trained in a food localisation task in an octagonal outdoor arena provided with one coloured beacon on each wall. The three groups were tested after the removal of the visual beacons, so to assess their sun compass learning abilities. Pigeons using the left eye/right hemisphere system exhibited slower learning compared to the other monocular group. During the test in the arena void of visual beacons, the three groups of birds, regardless of their visual condition, were generally able to identify the training sector by exclusively relying on sun compass information. However, the directional choices of the pigeons with the left eye/right hemisphere in use were significantly affected by the removal of the beacons, while both control pigeons and birds with the right eye/left hemisphere in use displayed unaltered performances during the test. A subsample of pigeons of each group were re-trained in the octagonal arena with visual beacons present and tested after the removal of visual beacons after a 6 h fast clock-shift treatment. All birds displayed the expected deflection consistent to the sun compass use. While birds using either the left or the right visual systems were equally able to learn a sun compass-mediated spatial task, the left eye/right hemisphere visual system displayed an advantage in relying on visual beacons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Cioccarelli
- Department of Biology, University of Pisa, Via Volta 6, 56126, Pisa, Italy
| | - Benedetta Bianchi
- Department of Biology, University of Pisa, Via Volta 6, 56126, Pisa, Italy
| | - Dimitri Giunchi
- Department of Biology, University of Pisa, Via Volta 6, 56126, Pisa, Italy
| | - Anna Gagliardo
- Department of Biology, University of Pisa, Via Volta 6, 56126, Pisa, Italy.
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McLaren JD, Schmaljohann H, Blasius B. Predicting performance of naïve migratory animals, from many wrongs to self-correction. Commun Biol 2022; 5:1058. [PMID: 36195660 PMCID: PMC9532420 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-022-03995-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2021] [Accepted: 09/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Migratory orientation of many animals is inheritable, enabling inexperienced (naïve) individuals to migrate independently using a geomagnetic or celestial compass. It remains unresolved how naïve migrants reliably reach remote destinations, sometimes correcting for orientation error or displacement. To assess naïve migratory performance (successful arrival), we simulate and assess proposed compass courses for diverse airborne migratory populations, accounting for spherical-geometry effects, compass precision, cue transfers (e.g., sun to star compass), and geomagnetic variability. We formulate how time-compensated sun-compass headings partially self-correct, according to how inner-clocks are updated. For the longest-distance migrations simulated, time-compensated sun-compass courses are most robust to error, and most closely resemble known routes. For shorter-distance nocturnal migrations, geomagnetic or star-compass courses are most robust, due to not requiring nightly cue-transfers. Our predictive study provides a basis for assessment of compass-based naïve migration and mechanisms of self-correction, and supports twilight sun-compass orientation being key to many long-distance inaugural migrations. A model is developed for assessing compass-based naïve animal migration, revealing effects of spherical geometry on migratory performance, and related mechanisms of self-correction.
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Affiliation(s)
- James D McLaren
- Institute for Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment (ICBM), University of Oldenburg, 26129, Oldenburg, Germany.
| | - Heiko Schmaljohann
- Institute for Biology and Environmental Sciences (IBU), Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg, 26129, Oldenburg, Germany.,Institute of Avian Research, 26386, Wilhelmshaven, Germany
| | - Bernd Blasius
- Institute for Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment (ICBM), University of Oldenburg, 26129, Oldenburg, Germany.,Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB), University of Oldenburg, 26129, Oldenburg, Germany
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6
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Kempton JA, Wynn J, Bond S, Evry J, Fayet AL, Gillies N, Guilford T, Kavelaars M, Juarez-Martinez I, Padget O, Rutz C, Shoji A, Syposz M, Taylor GK. Optimization of dynamic soaring in a flap-gliding seabird affects its large-scale distribution at sea. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022; 8:eabo0200. [PMID: 35648862 PMCID: PMC9159700 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abo0200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2022] [Accepted: 04/13/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Dynamic soaring harvests energy from a spatiotemporal wind gradient, allowing albatrosses to glide over vast distances. However, its use is challenging to demonstrate empirically and has yet to be confirmed in other seabirds. Here, we investigate how flap-gliding Manx shearwaters optimize their flight for dynamic soaring. We do so by deriving a new metric, the horizontal wind effectiveness, that quantifies how effectively flight harvests energy from a shear layer. We evaluate this metric empirically for fine-scale trajectories reconstructed from bird-borne video data using a simplified flight dynamics model. We find that the birds' undulations are phased with their horizontal turning to optimize energy harvesting. We also assess the opportunity for energy harvesting in long-range, GPS-logged foraging trajectories and find that Manx shearwaters optimize their flight to increase the opportunity for dynamic soaring during favorable wind conditions. Our results show how small-scale dynamic soaring affects large-scale Manx shearwater distribution at sea.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Joe Wynn
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3SZ, UK
- Institut für Vogelforschung, 26386 Wilhelmshaven, Germany
| | - Sarah Bond
- School of Ocean Sciences, Bangor University, Menai Bridge LL59 5AB, UK
| | - James Evry
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3SZ, UK
- Costello Medical, Cambridge CB1 2JH, UK
| | - Annette L. Fayet
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3SZ, UK
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, PO Box 5685 Torgarden, 7485 Trondheim, Norway
| | - Natasha Gillies
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3SZ, UK
| | - Tim Guilford
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3SZ, UK
| | - Marwa Kavelaars
- Behavioral Ecology and Ecophysiology, University of Antwerp, 2610 Antwerp, Belgium
| | | | - Oliver Padget
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3SZ, UK
| | - Christian Rutz
- School of Biology, University of St Andrews, St Andrews KY16 9TH, UK
| | - Akiko Shoji
- Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8572, Japan
| | - Martyna Syposz
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3SZ, UK
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7
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Parlin AF, Stratton SM, Guerra PA. Oriented migratory flight at night: Consequences of nighttime light pollution for monarch butterflies. iScience 2022; 25:104310. [PMID: 35573206 PMCID: PMC9097705 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.104310] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2021] [Revised: 02/23/2022] [Accepted: 04/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
We show that light trespass—a form of nighttime light pollution (NLP)—elicits normal daytime clock-mediated migratory behavior in fall monarch butterflies during their night-cycle. In controlled indoor flight simulator studies isolating the role of NLP on the expression of oriented migratory flight using a time-compensated sun compass,a full-spectrum light source consistent with lights used outdoors at night by the public,triggered proper fall directional flight at night in monarchs. Monarchs remained quiescent when initially placed in the flight simulator in the dark, but flight was immediately triggered when our light source was turned on. This nighttime behavior was identical to that seen in outdoor free-flying fall conspecifics during the day. The light source provided directional cues equivalent to those provided by the sun and could either phase-advance or phase-delay monarchs. Our study highlights the negative consequences of NLP on diurnal animals, especially those that rely on clock-mediated behavior. Nighttime light pollution can disturb diurnal migratory monarch butterflies Exposure to this pollution induces abnormal activity in normally quiescent monarchs This pollution acts as sensory noise that perturbs the circadian clock of monarchs Conservation should consider susceptibility of habitat to nighttime light pollution
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam F. Parlin
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Rieveschl Hall, 318 College Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45221, USA
| | - Samuel M. Stratton
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Rieveschl Hall, 318 College Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45221, USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Biological Sciences Building, 1105 N University Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Patrick A. Guerra
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Rieveschl Hall, 318 College Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45221, USA
- Corresponding author
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Agrawal V, Sulya D, Acharya H, Tiwari A, Sharma D. Impact of "Lateralizing" the Sigmoid Colostomy on Port Ergonomics in Laparoscopic Anorectoplasty for High Anorectal Malformations. Eur J Pediatr Surg 2022; 32:177-183. [PMID: 33378776 DOI: 10.1055/s-0040-1721771] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The high-type anorectal malformations (ARM) are conventionally managed by an initial left iliac fossa sigmoid colostomy, followed by laparoscopic anorectoplasty (LARP). Such a stoma occupies left half of the infraumbilical region and hinders the LARP ergonomics, leading to the surgeon's discomfort. We studied the outcome and impact of "lateralizing" (shifting laterally in the abdominal wall) the colostomy on port ergonomics. MATERIALS AND METHODS This prospective study was conducted in the pediatric surgery unit of a medical college in central India between March 2014 and June 2017 in two parts. In the first part of the study, neonates with high ARM were block randomized in two groups: conventional colostomy (CC) in left iliac fossa and lateral colostomy (LC, laterally placed abdominal colostomy). Outcomes of colostomy were compared among these two groups. In the second part of the study, 40 consecutive infants from both types of colostomy groups underwent ergonomic comparison and assessment of the surgeon's discomfort during LARP (CC-LARP and LC-LARP). Standard statistical tests were used for comparison. RESULTS In the first part of the study, 203 ARM cases were included in this study; 100 underwent CC and 103 underwent LC. Colostomy prolapse, excoriation, reversed stoma, and short distal limb were significantly higher in the CC group. In the second part of the study, the LC-LARP group showed many significant advantages over the CC-LARP group, including less peri-stomal adhesions, better vision, shorter operative time, and better ergonomics (better manipulation, elevation, and azimuth angles). The LC-LARP also significantly reduced the surgeon's discomfort. CONCLUSION Lateralization of high-sigmoid colostomy should be preferred over left iliac fossa sigmoid colostomy for ARM, as it improves the port ergonomics and reduces the surgeon's discomfort for second stage LARP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vikesh Agrawal
- Pediatric Surgery and Pediatric Minimal Access Surgery, NSCB Government Medical College and Hospital, Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, India
| | - Deepak Sulya
- Department of Surgery, NSCB Government Medical College and Hospital, Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, India
| | - Himanshu Acharya
- Pediatric Surgery and Pediatric Minimal Access Surgery, NSCB Government Medical College and Hospital, Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, India
| | - Abhishek Tiwari
- Pediatric Surgery and Pediatric Minimal Access Surgery, NSCB Government Medical College and Hospital, Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, India
| | - Dhananjaya Sharma
- Department of Surgery, NSCB Government Medical College and Hospital, Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, India
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9
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Zolotareva AD, Chernetsov NS. Celestial Orientation in Birds. BIOL BULL+ 2021. [DOI: 10.1134/s1062359021090259] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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10
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Massy R, Hawkes WLS, Doyle T, Troscianko J, Menz MHM, Roberts NW, Chapman JW, Wotton KR. Hoverflies use a time-compensated sun compass to orientate during autumn migration. Proc Biol Sci 2021; 288:20211805. [PMID: 34547904 PMCID: PMC8456149 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.1805] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2021] [Accepted: 08/31/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The sun is the most reliable celestial cue for orientation available to daytime migrants. It is widely assumed that diurnal migratory insects use a 'time-compensated sun compass' to adjust for the changing position of the sun throughout the day, as demonstrated in some butterfly species. The mechanisms used by other groups of diurnal insect migrants remain to be elucidated. Migratory species of hoverflies (Diptera: Syrphidae) are one of the most abundant and beneficial groups of diurnal migrants, providing multiple ecosystem services and undergoing directed seasonal movements throughout much of the temperate zone. To identify the hoverfly navigational strategy, a flight simulator was used to measure orientation responses of the hoverflies Scaeva pyrastri and Scaeva selenitica to celestial cues during their autumn migration. Hoverflies oriented southwards when they could see the sun and shifted this orientation westward following a 6 h advance of their circadian clocks. Our results demonstrate the use of a time-compensated sun compass as the primary navigational mechanism, consistent with field observations that hoverfly migration occurs predominately under clear and sunny conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard Massy
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus, Penryn, UK
| | - Will L. S. Hawkes
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus, Penryn, UK
| | - Toby Doyle
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus, Penryn, UK
| | - Jolyon Troscianko
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus, Penryn, UK
| | - Myles H. M. Menz
- Department of Migration, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behaviour, Radolfzell, Germany
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia
| | | | - Jason W. Chapman
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus, Penryn, UK
- Environment and Sustainability Institute, University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus, Penryn, UK
- Department of Entomology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, People's Republic of China
| | - Karl R. Wotton
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus, Penryn, UK
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11
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Kashetsky T, Avgar T, Dukas R. The Cognitive Ecology of Animal Movement: Evidence From Birds and Mammals. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.724887] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Cognition, defined as the processes concerned with the acquisition, retention and use of information, underlies animals’ abilities to navigate their local surroundings, embark on long-distance seasonal migrations, and socially learn information relevant to movement. Hence, in order to fully understand and predict animal movement, researchers must know the cognitive mechanisms that generate such movement. Work on a few model systems indicates that most animals possess excellent spatial learning and memory abilities, meaning that they can acquire and later recall information about distances and directions among relevant objects. Similarly, field work on several species has revealed some of the mechanisms that enable them to navigate over distances of up to several thousand kilometers. Key behaviors related to movement such as the choice of nest location, home range location and migration route are often affected by parents and other conspecifics. In some species, such social influence leads to the formation of aggregations, which in turn may lead to further social learning about food locations or other resources. Throughout the review, we note a variety of topics at the interface of cognition and movement that invite further investigation. These include the use of social information embedded in trails, the likely important roles of soundscapes and smellscapes, the mechanisms that large mammals rely on for long-distance migration, and the effects of expertise acquired over extended periods.
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12
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Mavrovouna V, Penacchio O, Allen WL. Orienting to the sun improves camouflage for bilaterally symmetrical prey. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/blab130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Here, we investigate the camouflage consequences of animal orientation behaviour. Shadows can be a conspicuous cue to the presence of prey. For bilaterally symmetrical animals, light field modelling indicates that camouflage will be improved when an animal orients its longitudinal axis directly towards or away from the sun, because the appearance of shadows is minimized. We test this prediction with a field predation experiment, in which wild birds hunt for artificial camouflaged prey oriented with the longitudinal axis either parallel or perpendicular to the sun. We find that prey oriented parallel to the sun are 3.93 times more likely to survive than prey oriented perpendicular to the sun. This result demonstrates the strong orientation dependence of camouflage. Given the dramatic difference in survival of prey with different orientations, we suggest that camouflage should be investigated as an important determinant of the positional behaviour of animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Veronica Mavrovouna
- Department of Biosciences, Swansea University, Singleton Campus, Swansea SA2 8PP, UK
| | - Olivier Penacchio
- School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, South Street, St Andrews, Fife KY16 9JP, UK
| | - William L Allen
- Department of Biosciences, Swansea University, Singleton Campus, Swansea SA2 8PP, UK
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13
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Heinrich T, Lappe A, Hanke FD. Beyond the classic sensory systems: Characteristics of the sense of time of harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) assessed in a visual temporal discrimination and a bisection task. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2021; 305:704-714. [PMID: 34268905 DOI: 10.1002/ar.24715] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2021] [Revised: 04/23/2021] [Accepted: 06/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Beyond the classic sensory systems, the sense of time is most likely involved from foraging to navigation. As a prerequisite for assessing the role time is playing in different behavioral contexts, we further characterized the sense of time of a harbor seal in this study. Supra-second time intervals were presented to the seal in a temporal discrimination and a temporal bisection task. During temporal discrimination, the seal needed to discriminate between a standard time interval (STI) and a longer comparison interval. In the bisection task, the seal learnt to discriminate two STIs. Subsequently, it indicated its subjective perception of test time intervals as resembling either the short or long STI more. The seal, although unexperienced regarding timing experiments, learnt both tasks fast. Depending on task, time interval or duration ratio, it achieved a high temporal sensitivity with Weber fractions ranging from 0.11 to 0.26. In the bisection task, the prerequisites for the Scalar Expectancy Theory including a constant Weber fraction, the bisection point lying close to the geometric mean of the STIs, and no significant influence of the STI pair condition on the probability of a long response were met for STIs with a ratio of 1:2, but not with a ratio of 1:4. In conclusion, the harbor seal's sense of time allows precise and complex judgments of time intervals. Cross-species comparisons suggest that principles commonly found to govern timing performance can also be discerned in harbor seals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tamara Heinrich
- Neuroethology, University of Rostock, Institute for Biosciences, Rostock, Germany
| | - Alexander Lappe
- Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Frederike D Hanke
- Neuroethology, University of Rostock, Institute for Biosciences, Rostock, Germany
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15
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Okubo TS, Patella P, D'Alessandro I, Wilson RI. A Neural Network for Wind-Guided Compass Navigation. Neuron 2020; 107:924-940.e18. [PMID: 32681825 PMCID: PMC7507644 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2020.06.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2019] [Revised: 05/13/2020] [Accepted: 06/22/2020] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Spatial maps in the brain are most accurate when they are linked to external sensory cues. Here, we show that the compass in the Drosophila brain is linked to the direction of the wind. Shifting the wind rightward rotates the compass as if the fly were turning leftward, and vice versa. We describe the mechanisms of several computations that integrate wind information into the compass. First, an intensity-invariant representation of wind direction is computed by comparing left-right mechanosensory signals. Then, signals are reformatted to reduce the coding biases inherent in peripheral mechanics, and wind cues are brought into the same circular coordinate system that represents visual cues and self-motion signals. Because the compass incorporates both mechanosensory and visual cues, it should enable navigation under conditions where no single cue is consistently reliable. These results show how local sensory signals can be transformed into a global, multimodal, abstract representation of space.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatsuo S Okubo
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Paola Patella
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Rachel I Wilson
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
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16
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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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17
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Khaldy L, Tocco C, Byrne M, Baird E, Dacke M. Straight-line orientation in the woodland-living beetle Sisyphus fasciculatus. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2019; 206:327-335. [PMID: 30955076 PMCID: PMC7192865 DOI: 10.1007/s00359-019-01331-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2018] [Revised: 02/06/2019] [Accepted: 03/21/2019] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
To transport their balls of dung along a constant bearing, diurnal savannah-living dung beetles rely primarily on the sun for compass information. However, in more cluttered environments, such as woodlands, this solitary compass cue is frequently hidden from view by surrounding vegetation. In these types of habitats, insects can, instead, rely on surrounding landmarks, the canopy pattern, or wide-field celestial cues, such as polarised skylight, for directional information. Here, we investigate the compass orientation strategy behind straight-line orientation in the diurnal woodland-living beetle Sisyphus fasciculatus. We found that, when manipulating the direction of polarised skylight, Si. fasciculatus responded to this change with a similar change in bearing. However, when the apparent position of the sun was moved, the woodland-living beetle did not change its direction of travel. In contrast, the savannah-living beetle Scarabaeus lamarcki responded to the manipulation of the solar position with a corresponding change in bearing. These results suggest that the dominant compass cue used for straight-line orientation in dung beetles may be determined by the celestial cue that is most prominent in their preferred habitat.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lana Khaldy
- Department of Biology, Lund Vision Group, Lund University, Sölvegatan 35, 223 62, Lund, Sweden.
| | - Claudia Tocco
- School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Marcus Byrne
- School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Emily Baird
- Department of Biology, Lund Vision Group, Lund University, Sölvegatan 35, 223 62, Lund, Sweden.,Department of Zoology, Functional Morphology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Marie Dacke
- Department of Biology, Lund Vision Group, Lund University, Sölvegatan 35, 223 62, Lund, Sweden.,School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
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18
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Lindecke O, Elksne A, Holland RA, Pētersons G, Voigt CC. Experienced Migratory Bats Integrate the Sun's Position at Dusk for Navigation at Night. Curr Biol 2019; 29:1369-1373.e3. [PMID: 30955934 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2019.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2018] [Revised: 01/30/2019] [Accepted: 03/01/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
From bats to whales, millions of mammals migrate every year. However, their navigation capacity for accomplishing long-distance movements remains remarkably understudied and lags behind by five decades compared to other animals [1, 2]-partly because, unlike for other taxa, such as birds and sea turtles, no small-scale orientation assay has so far been developed. Yet recently, bats became a model to investigate which cues mammals use for long-range navigation, and, surprisingly for nocturnal animals, sunset cues, and particularly polarized-light cues, appear to be crucial for calibration of the magnetic-compass system in non-migratory bats [3-5]. This does not appear to hold for a species of migratory bat, however [6], and thus the nature of the information used by migratory bats for navigation remains unclear. Here, we asked whether the position of the solar disk per se is relevant for compass orientation in a migratory bat, Pipistrellus pygmaeus. Using a new experimental assay that measures takeoff orientation, we tested the orientation of bats exposed to a shifted sunset azimuth using a mirror at dusk. Bats exposed to a 180°-rotated azimuth of the setting sun and released after translocation during the same night shifted their heading direction by ∼180° compared to control bats. However, first-year migrants had no clear orientation either as controls or after the same treatment. This suggests that learning the migratory direction is a key component in the navigational system of naive bats in this species. Our study provides rare evidence for the specific cues and mechanisms that migratory mammals use for navigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oliver Lindecke
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Alfred-Kowalke-Straße 17, 10315 Berlin, Germany; AG Verhaltensbiologie, Institute of Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Takustraße 6, 14195 Berlin, Germany.
| | - Alise Elksne
- Institute of Biology, University of Latvia, Miera Street 3, 2169 Salaspils, Latvia
| | - Richard A Holland
- School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, Gwynedd LL57 2UW, UK
| | - Gunārs Pētersons
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies, K. Helmana Street 8, 3004 Jelgava, Latvia
| | - Christian C Voigt
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Alfred-Kowalke-Straße 17, 10315 Berlin, Germany; AG Verhaltensbiologie, Institute of Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Takustraße 6, 14195 Berlin, Germany
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Padget O, Bond SL, Kavelaars MM, van Loon E, Bolton M, Fayet AL, Syposz M, Roberts S, Guilford T. In Situ Clock Shift Reveals that the Sun Compass Contributes to Orientation in a Pelagic Seabird. Curr Biol 2018; 28:275-279.e2. [PMID: 29337074 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2017.11.062] [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] [Received: 01/09/2017] [Revised: 10/30/2017] [Accepted: 11/28/2017] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Compass orientation is central to the control of animal movement from the scale of local food-caching movements around a familiar area in parids [1] and corvids [2, 3] to the first autumn vector navigation of songbirds embarking on long-distance migration [4-6]. In the study of diurnal birds, where the homing pigeon, Columba livia, has been the main model, a time-compensated sun compass [7] is central to the two-step map-and-compass process of navigation from unfamiliar places, as well as guiding movement via a representation of familiar area landmarks [8-12]. However, its use by an actively navigating wild bird is yet to be shown. By phase shifting an animal's endogenous clock, known as clock-shifting [13-15], sun-compass use can be demonstrated when the animal incorrectly consults the sun's azimuthal position while homing after experimental displacement [15-17]. By applying clock-shift techniques at the nest of a wild bird during natural incubation, we show here that an oceanic navigator-the Manx shearwater, Puffinus puffinus-incorporates information from a time-compensated sun compass during homeward guidance to the breeding colony after displacement. Consistently with homing pigeons navigating within their familiar area [8, 9, 11, 18], we find that the effect of clock shift, while statistically robust, is partial in nature, possibly indicating the incorporation of guidance from landmarks into movement decisions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oliver Padget
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Radcliffe Observatory Quarter, Woodstock Road, Oxford OX2 6GG, UK.
| | - Sarah L Bond
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Radcliffe Observatory Quarter, Woodstock Road, Oxford OX2 6GG, UK
| | - Marwa M Kavelaars
- Behavioural Ecology and Ecophysiology Group, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein, Wilrijk, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Emiel van Loon
- Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Sciencepark 904, 1098 XH Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Mark Bolton
- RSPB Centre for Conservation Science, The Lodge, Sandy, Bedfordshire SG19 2DL, UK
| | - Annette L Fayet
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Radcliffe Observatory Quarter, Woodstock Road, Oxford OX2 6GG, UK
| | - Martyna Syposz
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Radcliffe Observatory Quarter, Woodstock Road, Oxford OX2 6GG, UK
| | - Stephen Roberts
- Machine Learning Research Group, Information Engineering Building, Engineering Science, Parks Rd., University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PJ, UK
| | - Tim Guilford
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Radcliffe Observatory Quarter, Woodstock Road, Oxford OX2 6GG, UK.
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20
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Kelly DM, Cheng K, Balda R, Kamil AC. Effects of sun compass error on spatial search by Clark's nutcrackers. Integr Zool 2018; 14:172-181. [PMID: 29316294 DOI: 10.1111/1749-4877.12302] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Animals employ compasses during navigation, but little attention has been paid to how accuracy is maintained in the face of compass error, which is inevitable in biological systems. The use of multiple landmarks may minimize the effect of compass error. We allowed Clark's nutcrackers to cache seeds in an outdoor aviary with either one or four landmarks present, and subsequently subjected them to small clock-shifts mimicking the effects of compass error. As predicted, the results showed a significant decrease in search accuracy following the clock-shift when one landmark was present but not when four landmarks were present. These results support that nutcrackers encode information from the sun as well as terrestrial landmarks, and these spatial cues are used in a flexible manner. Overall, our results are important as they support the hypothesis that multiple landmarks may be used during situations where the sun compass has even a small amount of error.
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Affiliation(s)
- Debbie M Kelly
- Department of Psychology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada
| | - Ken Cheng
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
| | - Russell Balda
- Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, USA
| | - Alan C Kamil
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, USA
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21
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Padget O, Dell'Ariccia G, Gagliardo A, González-Solís J, Guilford T. Anosmia impairs homing orientation but not foraging behaviour in free-ranging shearwaters. Sci Rep 2017; 7:9668. [PMID: 28851985 PMCID: PMC5575321 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-09738-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2017] [Accepted: 07/27/2017] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Shearwaters deprived of their olfactory sense before being displaced to distant sites have impaired homing ability but it is unknown what the role of olfaction is when birds navigate freely without their sense of smell. Furthermore, treatments used to induce anosmia and to disrupt magneto-reception in displacement experiments might influence non-specific factors not directly related to navigation and, as a consequence, the results of displacement experiments can have multiple interpretations. To address this, we GPS-tracked the free-ranging foraging trips of incubating Scopoli's shearwaters within the Mediterranean Sea. As in previous experiments, shearwaters were either made anosmic with 4% zinc sulphate solution, magnetically impaired by attachment of a strong neodymium magnet or were controls. We found that birds from all three treatments embarked on foraging trips, had indistinguishable at-sea schedules of behaviour and returned to the colony having gained mass. However, we found that in the pelagic return stage of their foraging trips, anosmic birds were not oriented towards the colony though coastal navigation was unaffected. These results support the case for zinc sulphate having a specific effect on the navigational ability of shearwaters and thus the view that seabirds consult an olfactory map to guide them across seascapes.
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Affiliation(s)
- O Padget
- Oxford Navigation Group, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3PS, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom.
| | - G Dell'Ariccia
- Biodiversity Research Institute (IRBio) & Department of Animal Biology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - A Gagliardo
- Department of Biology, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - J González-Solís
- Biodiversity Research Institute (IRBio) & Department of Animal Biology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - T Guilford
- Oxford Navigation Group, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3PS, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom.
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22
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Use of the sun as a heading indicator when caching and recovering in a wild rodent. Sci Rep 2016; 6:32570. [PMID: 27580797 PMCID: PMC5007651 DOI: 10.1038/srep32570] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2016] [Accepted: 08/10/2016] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
A number of diurnal species have been shown to use directional information from the sun to orientate. The use of the sun in this way has been suggested to occur in either a time-dependent (relying on specific positional information) or a time-compensated manner (a compass that adjusts itself over time with the shifts in the sun’s position). However, some interplay may occur between the two where a species could also use the sun in a time-limited way, whereby animals acquire certain information about the change of position, but do not show full compensational abilities. We tested whether Cape ground squirrels (Xerus inauris) use the sun as an orientation marker to provide information for caching and recovery. This species is a social sciurid that inhabits arid, sparsely vegetated habitats in Southern Africa, where the sun is nearly always visible during the diurnal period. Due to the lack of obvious landmarks, we predicted that they might use positional cues from the sun in the sky as a reference point when caching and recovering food items. We provide evidence that Cape ground squirrels use information from the sun’s position while caching and reuse this information in a time-limited way when recovering these caches.
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Martinho A, Biro D, Guilford T, Gagliardo A, Kacelnik A. Asymmetric visual input and route recapitulation in homing pigeons. Proc Biol Sci 2016; 282:20151957. [PMID: 26446810 PMCID: PMC4614786 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2015.1957] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Pigeons (Columba livia) display reliable homing behaviour, but their homing routes from familiar release points are individually idiosyncratic and tightly recapitulated, suggesting that learning plays a role in route establishment. In light of the fact that routes are learned, and that both ascending and descending visual pathways share visual inputs from each eye asymmetrically to the brain hemispheres, we investigated how information from each eye contributes to route establishment, and how information input is shared between left and right neural systems. Using on-board global positioning system loggers, we tested 12 pigeons' route fidelity when switching from learning a route with one eye to homing with the other, and back, in an A-B-A design. Two groups of birds, trained first with the left or first with the right eye, formed new idiosyncratic routes after switching eyes, but those that flew first with the left eye formed these routes nearer to their original routes. This confirms that vision plays a major role in homing from familiar sites and exposes a behavioural consequence of neuroanatomical asymmetry whose ontogeny is better understood than its functional significance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antone Martinho
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK
| | - Dora Biro
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK
| | - Tim Guilford
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK
| | - Anna Gagliardo
- Department of Biology, University of Pisa, Via Volta 6, Pisa 56126, Italy
| | - Alex Kacelnik
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK
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Abstract
Studies of the migration of the eastern North American monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) have revealed mechanisms behind its navigation. The main orientation mechanism uses a time-compensated sun compass during both the migration south and the remigration north. Daylight cues, such as the sun itself and polarized light, are processed through both eyes and integrated through intricate circuitry in the brain's central complex, the presumed site of the sun compass. Monarch circadian clocks have a distinct molecular mechanism, and those that reside in the antennae provide time compensation. Recent evidence shows that migrants can also use a light-dependent inclination magnetic compass for orientation in the absence of directional daylight cues. The monarch genome has been sequenced, and genetic strategies using nuclease-based technologies have been developed to edit specific genes. The monarch butterfly has emerged as a model system to study the neural, molecular, and genetic basis of long-distance animal migration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven M Reppert
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts 01605; ,
| | - Patrick A Guerra
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts 01605; ,
| | - Christine Merlin
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843;
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25
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Homberg U. Sky Compass Orientation in Desert Locusts-Evidence from Field and Laboratory Studies. Front Behav Neurosci 2015; 9:346. [PMID: 26733834 PMCID: PMC4679860 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2015.00346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2015] [Accepted: 11/24/2015] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Locusts are long-range migratory insects. At high population density, immature animals form marching hopper bands while adults take off and form huge swarms of millions of animals. At low population densities animals are solitarious, but likewise migrate, mostly during the night. Numerous studies aimed at predicting locust infestations showed that migrations both as hopper bands and as adults are largely downwind following seasonal shifts of the tropical convergence zone taking the animals to areas of rainfall. Only a few studies provided evidence for active orientation mechanisms, including the involvement of a sun compass. This scarcity of evidence stands in contrast to recent neurobiological data showing sophisticated neuronal adaptations suited for sky compass navigation. These include a special dorsal eye region with photoreceptors suited to analyze the polarization pattern of the sky and a system of topographically arranged sky compass neurons in the central complex of the brain. Laboratory experiments, moreover, demonstrated polarotaxis in tethered flying animals. The discrepancy of these findings call for more rigorous field studies on active orientation mechanisms in locusts. It remains to be shown how locusts use their internal sky compass during mass migrations and what role it plays to guide solitarious locusts in their natural habitat.
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Affiliation(s)
- Uwe Homberg
- Faculty of Biology, Animal Physiology, Philipps University Marburg, Germany
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26
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Guerra PA, Reppert SM. Sensory basis of lepidopteran migration: focus on the monarch butterfly. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2015; 34:20-8. [PMID: 25625216 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2015.01.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2014] [Revised: 01/08/2015] [Accepted: 01/09/2015] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
In response to seasonal habitats, migratory lepidopterans, exemplified by the monarch butterfly, have evolved migration to deal with dynamic conditions. During migration, monarchs use orientation mechanisms, exploiting a time-compensated sun compass and a light-sensitive inclination magnetic compass to facilitate fall migration south. The sun compass is bidirectional with overwintering coldness triggering the change in orientation direction for remigration northward in the spring. The timing of the remigration and milkweed emergence in the southern US have co-evolved for propagation of the migration. Current research is uncovering the anatomical and molecular substrates that underlie migratory-relevant sensory mechanisms with the antennae being critical components. Orientation mechanisms may be detrimentally affected by environmental factors such as climate change and sensory interference from human-generated sources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick A Guerra
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 364 Plantation Street, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Steven M Reppert
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 364 Plantation Street, Worcester, MA 01605, USA.
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