1
|
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.
Collapse
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
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Magnetic maps in animal navigation. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2022; 208:41-67. [PMID: 34999936 PMCID: PMC8918461 DOI: 10.1007/s00359-021-01529-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2021] [Revised: 11/21/2021] [Accepted: 11/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
In addition to providing animals with a source of directional or ‘compass’ information, Earth’s magnetic field also provides a potential source of positional or ‘map’ information that animals might exploit to assess location. In less than a generation, the idea that animals use Earth’s magnetic field as a kind of map has gone from a contentious hypothesis to a well-established tenet of animal navigation. Diverse animals ranging from lobsters to birds are now known to use magnetic positional information for a variety of purposes, including staying on track along migratory pathways, adjusting food intake at appropriate points in a migration, remaining within a suitable oceanic region, and navigating toward specific goals. Recent findings also indicate that sea turtles, salmon, and at least some birds imprint on the magnetic field of their natal area when young and use this information to facilitate return as adults, a process that may underlie long-distance natal homing (a.k.a. natal philopatry) in many species. Despite recent progress, much remains to be learned about the organization of magnetic maps, how they develop, and how animals use them in navigation.
Collapse
|
3
|
Packmor F, Kishkinev D, Bittermann F, Kofler B, Machowetz C, Zechmeister T, Zawadzki LC, Guilford T, Holland RA. A magnet attached to the forehead disrupts magnetic compass orientation in a migratory songbird. J Exp Biol 2021; 224:jeb243337. [PMID: 34713887 PMCID: PMC8645232 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.243337] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2021] [Accepted: 10/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
For studies on magnetic compass orientation and navigation performance in small bird species, controlled experiments with orientation cages inside an electromagnetic coil system are the most prominent methodological paradigm. These are, however, not applicable when studying larger bird species and/or orientation behaviour during free flight. For this, researchers have followed a very different approach, attaching small magnets to birds, with the intention of depriving them of access to meaningful magnetic information. Unfortunately, results from studies using this approach appear rather inconsistent. As these are based on experiments with birds under free-flight conditions, which usually do not allow exclusion of other potential orientation cues, an assessment of the overall efficacy of this approach is difficult to conduct. Here, we directly tested the efficacy of small magnets for temporarily disrupting magnetic compass orientation in small migratory songbirds using orientation cages under controlled experimental conditions. We found that birds which have access to the Earth's magnetic field as their sole orientation cue show a general orientation towards their seasonally appropriate migratory direction. When carrying magnets on their forehead under these conditions, the same birds become disoriented. However, under changed conditions that allow birds access to other (i.e. celestial) orientation cues, any disruptive effect of the magnets they carry appears obscured. Our results provide clear evidence for the efficacy of the magnet approach for temporarily disrupting magnetic compass orientation in birds, but also reveal its limitations for application in experiments under free-flight conditions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Florian Packmor
- School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor LL57 2UW, UK
- Institute of Avian Research ‘Vogelwarte Helgoland’, Wilhelmshaven 26386, Germany
| | - Dmitry Kishkinev
- School of Life Sciences, Keele University, Newcastle-under-Lyme ST5 5BG, UK
| | - Flora Bittermann
- Biological Station Lake Neusiedl, Illmitz 7142, Austria
- Nationalpark Neusiedler See – Seewinkel, Apetlon 7143, Austria
- Austrian Ornithological Centre, Konrad-Lorenz Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, 1160 Wien, Austria
| | | | - Clara Machowetz
- Biological Station Lake Neusiedl, Illmitz 7142, Austria
- Nationalpark Neusiedler See – Seewinkel, Apetlon 7143, Austria
- Austrian Ornithological Centre, Konrad-Lorenz Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, 1160 Wien, Austria
| | | | | | - Tim Guilford
- Department of Zoology, Oxford University, Oxford OX1 3SZ, UK
| | | |
Collapse
|
4
|
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
| | | |
Collapse
|
5
|
Abstract
Birds can use two kinds of information from the geomagnetic field for navigation: the direction of the field lines as a compass and probably magnetic intensity as a component of the navigational ‘map’. The direction of the magnetic field appears to be sensed via radical pair processes in the eyes, with the crucial radical pairs formed by cryptochrome. It is transmitted by the optic nerve to the brain, where parts of the visual system seem to process the respective information. Magnetic intensity appears to be perceived by magnetite-based receptors in the beak region; the information is transmitted by the ophthalmic branch of the trigeminal nerve to the trigeminal ganglion and the trigeminal brainstem nuclei. Yet in spite of considerable progress in recent years, many details are still unclear, among them details of the radical pair processes and their transformation into a nervous signal, the precise location of the magnetite-based receptors and the centres in the brain where magnetic information is combined with other navigational information for the navigational processes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Roswitha Wiltschko
- FB Biowissenschaften, Goethe-Universität Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Wiltschko
- FB Biowissenschaften, Goethe-Universität Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Bingman VP. Requiem for a heavyweight – can anything more be learned from homing pigeons about the sensory and spatial-representational basis of avian navigation? J Exp Biol 2018; 221:221/20/jeb163089. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.163089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
ABSTRACT
The homing pigeon (Columba livia) has long served as a study species to exhaustively investigate the sensory and spatial (map)-representational mechanisms that guide avian navigation. However, several factors have contributed to recent questioning of whether homing pigeons are as valuable as they once were as a general model for the study of the sensory and map-like, spatial-representational mechanisms of avian navigation. These reservations include: the success of this research program in unveiling navigational mechanisms; the burgeoning of new tracking technologies making navigational experiments on long-distance migratory and other wild birds much more accessible; the almost complete loss of the historically dominant, large-scale pigeon loft/research facilities; and prohibitive university per diem costs as well as animal care and use restrictions. Nevertheless, I propose here that there remain good prospects for homing pigeon research that could still profoundly influence how one understands aspects of avian navigation beyond sensory mechanisms and spatial-representational strategies. Indeed, research into neural mechanisms and brain organization, social/personality influences and genetics of navigation all offer opportunities to take advantage of the rich spatial behavior repertoire and experimental convenience of homing pigeons. Importantly, research in these areas would not necessarily require the large number of birds typically used in the past to study the sensory guidance of navigation. For those of us who have had the opportunity to work with this remarkable animal, one research door may be closing, but a window into exciting future opportunities lies ajar.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Verner P. Bingman
- Department of Psychology and J. P. Scott Center for Neuroscience, Mind and Behavior, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH 43403, USA
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
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]
|
8
|
|
9
|
Kishkinev D, Heyers D, Woodworth BK, Mitchell GW, Hobson KA, Norris DR. Experienced migratory songbirds do not display goal-ward orientation after release following a cross-continental displacement: an automated telemetry study. Sci Rep 2016; 6:37326. [PMID: 27876843 PMCID: PMC5120330 DOI: 10.1038/srep37326] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2016] [Accepted: 10/20/2016] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability to navigate implies that animals have the capability to compensate for geographical displacement and return to their initial goal or target. Although some species are capable of adjusting their direction after displacement, the environmental cues used to achieve this remain elusive. Two possible cues are geomagnetic parameters (magnetic map hypothesis) or atmospheric odour-forming gradients (olfactory map hypothesis). In this study, we examined both of these hypotheses by surgically deactivating either the magnetic or olfactory sensory systems in experienced white-throated sparrows (Zonotrichia albicollis) captured in southern Ontario, Canada, during spring migration. Treated, sham-treated, and intact birds were then displaced 2,200 km west to Saskatchewan, Canada. Tracking their initial post-displacement migration using an array of automated VHF receiving towers, we found no evidence in any of the groups for compensatory directional response towards their expected breeding grounds. Our results suggest that white-throated sparrows may fall back to a simple constant-vector orientation strategy instead of performing true navigation after they have been geographically displaced to an unfamiliar area during spring migration. Such a basic strategy may be more common than currently thought in experienced migratory birds and its occurrence could be determined by habitat preferences or range size.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Dmitry Kishkinev
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, N1G 2W1 Guelph, Ontario, Canada
- School of Biological Sciences, Bangor University, Deiniol Road, LL57 2UW Bangor, Gwynedd, UK
| | - Dominik Heyers
- AG Neurosensorik / Animal Navigation, Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University Oldenburg, D-26111 Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Bradley K. Woodworth
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, N1G 2W1 Guelph, Ontario, Canada
| | - Greg W. Mitchell
- Wildlife Research Division, Environment and Climate Change Canada, National Wildlife Research Centre, 1125 Colonel By Drive, K1H 0H3, Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Keith A. Hobson
- Wildlife Research Division, Environment and Climate Change Canada, 11 Innovation Boulevard, S7N 3H5 Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
- Department of Biology, University of Western Ontario, N6A 5B7, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - D. Ryan Norris
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, N1G 2W1 Guelph, Ontario, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Ilieva M, Bianco G, Åkesson S. Does migratory distance affect fuelling in a medium-distance passerine migrant?: results from direct and step-wise simulated magnetic displacements. Biol Open 2016; 5:272-8. [PMID: 26883627 PMCID: PMC4810738 DOI: 10.1242/bio.014779] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
In birds, fat accumulation before and during migration has been shown to be endogenously controlled and tuned by, among other factors, the Earth's magnetic field. However, our knowledge about the influence of the geomagnetic field on the fuelling in migrating birds is still limited to just a few nocturnally migrating passerine species. In order to study if variations of the magnetic field can also influence the fuelling of both day- and night-migrating passerines, we caught first-year dunnocks (Prunella modularis) and subjected them to three magnetic field conditions simulated by a system of magnetic coils: (1) local geomagnetic field of southern Sweden, (2) magnetic field corresponding to the centre of the expected wintering area, and (3) magnetic field met at the northern limit of the species' breeding distribution. We did not find a difference in mass increase between the birds kept in a local magnetic field and a field resembling their wintering area, irrespectively of the mode of magnetic displacement, i.e. direct or step-wise. However, the dunnocks magnetically displaced north showed a lower rate of fuelling in comparison to the control group, probably due to elevated activity. Compared with previous studies, our results suggest that the fuelling response to magnetic displacements during the migration period is specific to the eco-physiological situation. Future studies need to address if there is an effect of magnetic field manipulation on the level of migratory activity in dunnocks and how widespread the influence of local geomagnetic field parameters is on fuelling decisions in different bird species, which have different migratory strategies, distances and migration history. Summary: Fuelling rate in migrating dunnocks, a predominantly diurnal migratory songbird is influenced by a manipulated magnetic field when the birds are magnetically displaced north, but not south, in autumn.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mihaela Ilieva
- Centre for Animal Movement Research, Department of Biology, Lund University, Ecology Building, Lund SE-223 62, Sweden Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 2 Gagarin str., Sofia 1113, Bulgaria
| | - Giuseppe Bianco
- Centre for Animal Movement Research, Department of Biology, Lund University, Ecology Building, Lund SE-223 62, Sweden
| | - Susanne Åkesson
- Centre for Animal Movement Research, Department of Biology, Lund University, Ecology Building, Lund SE-223 62, Sweden
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Affiliation(s)
- Henrik Mouritsen
- Institut für Biologie und Umweltwissenschaften, Carl-von-Ossietzky-Universität Oldenburg, D-26111 Oldenburg, Germany; ,
- Research Center Neurosensory Sciences, University of Oldenburg, D-26111 Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Dominik Heyers
- Institut für Biologie und Umweltwissenschaften, Carl-von-Ossietzky-Universität Oldenburg, D-26111 Oldenburg, Germany; ,
- Research Center Neurosensory Sciences, University of Oldenburg, D-26111 Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Onur Güntürkün
- Department of Biopsychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr-University Bochum, D-44780 Bochum, Germany;
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Wikelski M, Arriero E, Gagliardo A, Holland RA, Huttunen MJ, Juvaste R, Mueller I, Tertitski G, Thorup K, Wild M, Alanko M, Bairlein F, Cherenkov A, Cameron A, Flatz R, Hannila J, Hüppop O, Kangasniemi M, Kranstauber B, Penttinen ML, Safi K, Semashko V, Schmid H, Wistbacka R. True navigation in migrating gulls requires intact olfactory nerves. Sci Rep 2015; 5:17061. [PMID: 26597351 PMCID: PMC4657012 DOI: 10.1038/srep17061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2015] [Accepted: 10/21/2015] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
During migratory journeys, birds may become displaced from their normal migratory route. Experimental evidence has shown that adult birds can correct for such displacements and return to their goal. However, the nature of the cues used by migratory birds to perform long distance navigation is still debated. In this experiment we subjected adult lesser black-backed gulls migrating from their Finnish/Russian breeding grounds (from >60°N) to Africa (to < 5°N) to sensory manipulation, to determine the sensory systems required for navigation. We translocated birds westward (1080 km) or eastward (885 km) to simulate natural navigational challenges. When translocated westwards and outside their migratory corridor birds with olfactory nerve section kept a clear directional preference (southerly) but were unable to compensate for the displacement, while intact birds and gulls with the ophthalmic branch of the trigeminal nerve sectioned oriented towards their population-specific migratory corridor. Thus, air-borne olfactory information seems to be important for migrating gulls to navigate successfully in some circumstances.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Martin Wikelski
- Department of Migration and ImmunoEcology, Max-Planck Institute of Ornithology, Am Obstberg 1, 78315 Radolfzell, Germany
- Ornithology, Konstanz University, 78457 Konstanz, Germany
| | - Elena Arriero
- Department of Migration and ImmunoEcology, Max-Planck Institute of Ornithology, Am Obstberg 1, 78315 Radolfzell, Germany
| | - Anna Gagliardo
- Department of Biology, Via Volta 6, Pisa University, 56126 Pisa, Italy
| | - Richard A. Holland
- Department of Migration and ImmunoEcology, Max-Planck Institute of Ornithology, Am Obstberg 1, 78315 Radolfzell, Germany
| | - Markku J. Huttunen
- School of Forest Sciences, Faculty of Science and Forestry, University of Eastern Finland, Joensuu campus, P.O. Box 111, FI-80101 Joensuu, Finland
| | - Risto Juvaste
- Karelia University of Applied Sciences, Joensuu, Finland
| | - Inge Mueller
- Department of Migration and ImmunoEcology, Max-Planck Institute of Ornithology, Am Obstberg 1, 78315 Radolfzell, Germany
| | - Grigori Tertitski
- Institute of Geography, Russian Academy of Sciences, Staromonetnystr. 29, Moscow, 119017, Russia
| | - Kasper Thorup
- Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate, Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen 2100, Denmark
| | - Martin Wild
- Department of Anatomy with Radiology, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Auckland. Auckland, New Zealand
| | | | - Franz Bairlein
- Institute of Avian Research, An der Vogelwarte 21, 26386 Wilhelmshaven, Germany
| | - Alexander Cherenkov
- Solovetskiy Branch of White Sea Biological Station of Lomonosov Moscow State University, Zaozernaya str. 17-1-6, Solovetskiy, Arkhangelsk district, 164409, Russia
| | - Alison Cameron
- Department of Migration and ImmunoEcology, Max-Planck Institute of Ornithology, Am Obstberg 1, 78315 Radolfzell, Germany
| | - Reinhard Flatz
- Airport Hohenems, Bahnhofstr. 35, 6923 Lauterach, Austria
| | | | - Ommo Hüppop
- Institute of Avian Research, An der Vogelwarte 21, 26386 Wilhelmshaven, Germany
| | | | - Bart Kranstauber
- Department of Migration and ImmunoEcology, Max-Planck Institute of Ornithology, Am Obstberg 1, 78315 Radolfzell, Germany
| | - Maija-Liisa Penttinen
- Karelia University of Applied Sciences, Joensuu, Finland
- Västäräkintie 7, 80130 Joensuu, Finland
| | - Kamran Safi
- Department of Migration and ImmunoEcology, Max-Planck Institute of Ornithology, Am Obstberg 1, 78315 Radolfzell, Germany
| | - Vladimir Semashko
- Field Educational Centre “Ecosystem”, Festivalnaya st., 22-8-111, Moscow, Russia
| | - Heidi Schmid
- Department of Migration and ImmunoEcology, Max-Planck Institute of Ornithology, Am Obstberg 1, 78315 Radolfzell, Germany
| | | |
Collapse
|
13
|
Shaw J, Boyd A, House M, Woodward R, Mathes F, Cowin G, Saunders M, Baer B. Magnetic particle-mediated magnetoreception. J R Soc Interface 2015; 12:0499. [PMID: 26333810 PMCID: PMC4614459 DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2015.0499] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2015] [Accepted: 08/12/2015] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Behavioural studies underpin the weight of experimental evidence for the existence of a magnetic sense in animals. In contrast, studies aimed at understanding the mechanistic basis of magnetoreception by determining the anatomical location, structure and function of sensory cells have been inconclusive. In this review, studies attempting to demonstrate the existence of a magnetoreceptor based on the principles of the magnetite hypothesis are examined. Specific attention is given to the range of techniques, and main animal model systems that have been used in the search for magnetite particulates. Anatomical location/cell rarity and composition are identified as two key obstacles that must be addressed in order to make progress in locating and characterizing a magnetite-based magnetoreceptor cell. Avenues for further study are suggested, including the need for novel experimental, correlative, multimodal and multidisciplinary approaches. The aim of this review is to inspire new efforts towards understanding the cellular basis of magnetoreception in animals, which will in turn inform a new era of behavioural research based on first principles.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jeremy Shaw
- Centre for Microscopy, Characterisation and Analysis, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia 6009, Australia
| | - Alastair Boyd
- Centre for Microscopy, Characterisation and Analysis, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia 6009, Australia
| | - Michael House
- School of Physics, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia 6009, Australia
| | - Robert Woodward
- School of Physics, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia 6009, Australia
| | - Falko Mathes
- School of Earth and Environment, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia 6009, Australia
| | - Gary Cowin
- Centre for Advanced Imaging, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Martin Saunders
- Centre for Microscopy, Characterisation and Analysis, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia 6009, Australia
| | - Boris Baer
- Centre for Integrative Bee Research (CIBER), The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia 6009, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Kishkinev DA, Chernetsov NS. Magnetoreception systems in birds: A review of current research. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2015. [DOI: 10.1134/s2079086415010041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
|
15
|
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]
|
16
|
Atoji Y, Wild JM. Efferent and afferent connections of the olfactory bulb and prepiriform cortex in the pigeon (Columba livia). J Comp Neurol 2014; 522:1728-52. [PMID: 24222632 DOI: 10.1002/cne.23504] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2013] [Revised: 11/04/2013] [Accepted: 11/07/2013] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Although olfaction in birds is known to be involved in a variety of behaviors, there is comparatively little detailed information on the olfactory brain. In the pigeon brain, the olfactory bulb (OB) is known to project to the prepiriform cortex (CPP), piriform cortex (CPi), and dorsolateral corticoid area (CDL), which together are called the olfactory pallium, but centrifugal pathways to the OB have not been fully explored. Fiber connections of CPi and CDL have been reported, but those of other olfactory pallial nuclei remain unknown. The present study examines the fiber connections of OB and CPP in pigeons to provide a more detailed picture of their connections using tract-tracing methods. When anterograde and retrograde tracers were injected in OB, projections to a more extensive olfactory pallium were revealed, including the anterior olfactory nucleus, CPP, densocellular part of the hyperpallium, tenia tecta, hippocampal continuation, CPi, and CDL. OB projected commissural fibers to the contralateral OB but did not receive afferents from the contralateral olfactory pallium. When tracers were injected in CPP, reciprocal ipsilateral connections with OB and nuclei of the olfactory pallium were observed, and CPP projected to the caudolateral nidopallium and the limbic system, including the hippocampal formation, septum, lateral hypothalamic nucleus, and lateral mammillary nucleus. These results show that the connections of OB have a wider distribution throughout the olfactory pallium than previously thought and that CPP provides a centrifugal projection to the OB and acts as a relay station to the limbic system.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yasuro Atoji
- Laboratory of Veterinary Anatomy, Faculty of Applied Biological Sciences, Gifu University, Gifu, 501-1193, Japan
| | | |
Collapse
|
17
|
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]
|
18
|
Gagliardo A, Bried J, Lambardi P, Luschi P, Wikelski M, Bonadonna F. Oceanic navigation in Cory's shearwaters: evidence for a crucial role of olfactory cues for homing after displacement. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2014; 216:2798-805. [PMID: 23842626 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.085738] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Pelagic birds, which wander in the open sea most of the year and often nest on small remote oceanic islands, are able to pinpoint their breeding colony even within an apparently featureless environment, such as the open ocean. The mechanisms underlying their surprising navigational performance are still unknown. In order to investigate the nature of the cues exploited for oceanic navigation, Cory's shearwaters, Calonectris borealis, nesting in the Azores were displaced and released in open ocean at about 800 km from their colony, after being subjected to sensory manipulation. While magnetically disturbed shearwaters showed unaltered navigational performance and behaved similarly to unmanipulated control birds, the shearwaters deprived of their sense of smell were dramatically impaired in orientation and homing. Our data show that seabirds use olfactory cues not only to find their food but also to navigate over vast distances in the ocean.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anna Gagliardo
- Department of Biology, University of Pisa, Via Volta 6, 56126 Pisa, Italy.
| | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
19
|
Affiliation(s)
- R. A. Holland
- School of Biological Sciences; Queen's University of Belfast; Belfast UK
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Kishkinev D, Chernetsov N, Heyers D, Mouritsen H. Migratory Reed Warblers Need Intact Trigeminal Nerves to Correct for a 1,000 km Eastward Displacement. PLoS One 2013; 8:e65847. [PMID: 23840374 PMCID: PMC3694148 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0065847] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2012] [Accepted: 05/04/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Several studies have shown that experienced night-migratory songbirds can determine their position, but it has remained a mystery which cues and sensory mechanisms they use, in particular, those used to determine longitude (east–west position). One potential solution would be to use a magnetic map or signpost mechanism like the one documented in sea turtles. Night-migratory songbirds have a magnetic compass in their eyes and a second magnetic sense with unknown biological function involving the ophthalmic branch of the trigeminal nerve (V1). Could V1 be involved in determining east–west position? We displaced 57 Eurasian reed warblers (Acrocephalus scirpaceus) with or without sectioned V1. Sham operated birds corrected their orientation towards the breeding area after displacement like the untreated controls did. In contrast, V1-sectioned birds did not correct for the displacement. They oriented in the same direction after the displacement as they had done at the capture site. Thus, an intact ophthalmic branch of the trigeminal nerve is necessary for detecting the 1,000 km eastward displacement in this night-migratory songbird. Our results suggest that V1 carries map-related information used in a large-scale map or signpost sense that the reed warblers needed to determine their approximate geographical position and/or an east–west coordinate.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Dmitry Kishkinev
- Arbeitsgruppe “Neurosensorik/Animal Navigation”, Institut für Biologie und Umweltwissenschaften & Research Centre for Neurosensory Sciences, University of Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany
- * E-mail:
| | - Nikita Chernetsov
- Biological Station Rybachy, Zoological Institute of Russian Academy of Sciences, Rybachy, Kaliningrad Region, Russia
| | - Dominik Heyers
- Arbeitsgruppe “Neurosensorik/Animal Navigation”, Institut für Biologie und Umweltwissenschaften & Research Centre for Neurosensory Sciences, University of Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Henrik Mouritsen
- Arbeitsgruppe “Neurosensorik/Animal Navigation”, Institut für Biologie und Umweltwissenschaften & Research Centre for Neurosensory Sciences, University of Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Abstract
Summary
Forty years ago, Papi and colleagues discovered that anosmic pigeons cannot find their way home when released at unfamiliar locations. They explained this phenomenon by developing the olfactory navigation hypothesis: pigeons at the home loft learn the odours carried by the winds in association with wind direction; once at the release site, they determine the direction of displacement on the basis of the odours perceived locally and orient homeward. In addition to the old classical experiments, new GPS tracking data and observations on the activation of the olfactory system in displaced pigeons have provided further evidence for the specific role of olfactory cues in pigeon navigation. Although it is not known which odours the birds might rely on for navigation, it has been shown that volatile organic compounds in the atmosphere are distributed as fairly stable gradients to allow environmental odour-based navigation. The investigation of the potential role of olfactory cues for navigation in wild birds is still at an early stage; however, the evidence collected so far suggests that olfactory navigation might be a widespread mechanism in avian species.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anna Gagliardo
- Department of Biology, University of Pisa, Via A. Volta 6, I-56126 Pisa, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Schiffner I, Wiltschko R. Development of the navigational system in homing pigeons: increase in complexity of the navigational map. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2013; 216:2675-81. [PMID: 23580726 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.085662] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
In the present study we analysed GPS-recorded tracks from pigeons of different ages from 11 sites between 3.6 and 22.1 km from the home loft, which revealed changes in the navigational system as the birds grew older and became more experienced. The efficiency of juveniles in their first year of life, at only 0.27, was rather low, indicating that the young birds covered more than three times the direct distance home. In the second year, after a standard training programme, the efficiency of the same birds increased to 0.80 and was no longer different from that of older pigeons. The short-term correlation dimension, a variable that reflects the number of factors involved in the navigational process, also increased with age. In juveniles, it was markedly lower than in the other two groups, but even in yearlings it was still significantly lower than that of old pigeons, indicating that the navigational map of yearlings is still developing. Our results indicate that the map system, although functional in the first year of life, continues to become more complex - older pigeons seem to either consider more navigational factors than younger ones or at least weigh the same factors differently.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ingo Schiffner
- Fachbereich Biowissenschaften, Goethe-Universität Frankfurt, Siesmayerstrasse 70, D-60054 Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
| | | |
Collapse
|
23
|
Holland RA, Helm B. A strong magnetic pulse affects the precision of departure direction of naturally migrating adult but not juvenile birds. J R Soc Interface 2013; 10:20121047. [PMID: 23389901 DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2012.1047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The mechanisms by which migratory birds achieve their often spectacular navigational performance are still largely unclear, but perception of cues from the Earth's magnetic field is thought to play a role. Birds that possess migratory experience can use map-based navigation, which may involve a receptor that uses ferrimagnetic material for detecting gradients in the magnetic field. Such a mechanism can be experimentally disrupted by applying a strong magnetic pulse that re-magnetizes ferrimagnetic materials. In captivity, this treatment indeed affected bearings of adult but not of naive juvenile birds. However, field studies, which expose birds to various navigational cues, yielded mixed results. Supportive studies were difficult to interpret because they were conducted in spring when all age groups navigate back to breeding areas. The present study, therefore, applied a magnetic pulse treatment in autumn to naturally migrating, radio-tagged European robins. We found that, although overall bearings were seasonally correct, orientation of adult but not juvenile robins was compromised by a pulse. Pulsed adults that departed within 10 days of treatment failed to show significant orientation and deviated more from mean migration direction than adult controls and juveniles. Thus, our data give field-based support for a possible ferrimagnetic map-sense during bird migration.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Richard A Holland
- Department for Migration and Immune-ecology, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Schlossallee 2, Radolfzell 78315, Germany.
| | | |
Collapse
|
24
|
Holland R, Filannino C, Gagliardo A. A magnetic pulse does not affect homing pigeon navigation: a GPS tracking experiment. J Exp Biol 2013; 216:2192-200. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.083543] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Summary
The cues by which homing pigeons are able to return to a home loft after displacement to unfamiliar release sites remain debated. A number of experiments in which migratory birds have been treated with a magnetic pulse have produced a disruption in their orientation, which argues that a ferrimagnetic sense is used for navigation in birds. One previous experiment has also indicated an effect of magnetic pulses on homing pigeon navigation, although with inconsistent results. Previous studies have shown that some magnetic-related information is transmitted by the trigeminal nerve to the brain in some bird species including the homing pigeon. The function of this information is still unclear. It has been suggested that this information is important for navigation. Previous studies with trigeminal nerve lesioned pigeons have clearly shown that the lack of trigeminally mediated information, even if magnetic, is not crucial for homing performance in homing pigeons. However, this result does not completely exclude the possibility that other ferrimagnetic receptors in the homing pigeon play role in navigation. Additionally, recent studies on homing pigeons suggested the existence of a ferrimagnetic sense in a novel location presumably located in the inner ear (lagena). In the current study, we tested whether any ferrimagnetic magnetoreceptors, irrespective of their location in the bird's head, are involved in pigeons' homing. To do this, we treated homing pigeons with a strong magnetic pulse before release, tracked birds with GPS-loggers and analyzed whether this treatment affected homing performance. In the single previous magnetic pulse experiment on homing pigeons only initial orientation at a release site was considered and the results were inconsistent.We observed no effect of the magnetic pulse at any of the sites used, either in initial orientation, homing performance, tortuosity or track efficiency, which does not support a role for the ferrimagnetic sense in homing pigeon navigation, at least not in this geographic area, where magnetic field variations are in the region of 200 nT intensity and 0.8° inclination.
Collapse
|
25
|
Wiltschko R, Wiltschko W. The magnetite-based receptors in the beak of birds and their role in avian navigation. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2012; 199:89-98. [PMID: 23111859 PMCID: PMC3552369 DOI: 10.1007/s00359-012-0769-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2012] [Revised: 10/11/2012] [Accepted: 10/12/2012] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
Abstract
Iron-rich structures have been described in the beak of homing pigeons, chickens and several species of migratory birds and interpreted as magnetoreceptors. Here, we will briefly review findings associated with these receptors that throw light on their nature, their function and their role in avian navigation. Electrophysiological recordings from the ophthalmic nerve, behavioral studies and a ZENK-study indicate that the trigeminal system, the nerves innervating the beak, mediate information on magnetic changes, with the electrophysiological study suggesting that these are changes in intensity. Behavioral studies support the involvement of magnetite and the trigeminal system in magnetoreception, but clearly show that the inclination compass normally used by birds represents a separate system. However, if this compass is disrupted by certain light conditions, migrating birds show 'fixed direction' responses to the magnetic field, which originate in the receptors in the beak. Together, these findings point out that there are magnetite-based magnetoreceptors located in the upper beak close to the skin. Their natural function appears to be recording magnetic intensity and thus providing one component of the multi-factorial 'navigational map' of birds.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- R Wiltschko
- FB Biowissenschaften, J.W.Goethe-Universität Frankfurt, Siesmayerstraße 70, 60054, Frankfurt a.M, Germany
| | | |
Collapse
|
26
|
Affiliation(s)
- Michael Winklhofer
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Ludwig-Maximilians University, Munich, Germany.
| |
Collapse
|
27
|
Mouritsen H, Hore PJ. The magnetic retina: light-dependent and trigeminal magnetoreception in migratory birds. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2012; 22:343-52. [DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2012.01.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 109] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2011] [Revised: 01/03/2012] [Accepted: 01/17/2012] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
|
28
|
Guilford T, Åkesson S, Gagliardo A, Holland RA, Mouritsen H, Muheim R, Wiltschko R, Wiltschko W, Bingman VP. Migratory navigation in birds: new opportunities in an era of fast-developing tracking technology. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2012; 214:3705-12. [PMID: 22031734 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.051292] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Birds have remained the dominant model for studying the mechanisms of animal navigation for decades, with much of what has been discovered coming from laboratory studies or model systems. The miniaturisation of tracking technology in recent years now promises opportunities for studying navigation during migration itself (migratory navigation) on an unprecedented scale. Even if migration tracking studies are principally being designed for other purposes, we argue that attention to salient environmental variables during the design or analysis of a study may enable a host of navigational questions to be addressed, greatly enriching the field. We explore candidate variables in the form of a series of contrasts (e.g. land vs ocean or night vs day migration), which may vary naturally between migratory species, populations or even within the life span of a migrating individual. We discuss how these contrasts might help address questions of sensory mechanisms, spatiotemporal representational strategies and adaptive variation in navigational ability. We suggest that this comparative approach may help enrich our knowledge about the natural history of migratory navigation in birds.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tim Guilford
- Department of Zoology, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
29
|
Patzke N, Manns M, Güntürkün O. Telencephalic organization of the olfactory system in homing pigeons (Columba livia). Neuroscience 2011; 194:53-61. [PMID: 21846495 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2011.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2011] [Revised: 07/26/2011] [Accepted: 08/01/2011] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
Abstract
Pigeons use olfactory cues to navigate over unfamiliar areas, and any impairment of the olfactory system generates remarkable reduction of homing performance. Lesion and deprivation studies suggest a critical involvement of the right nostril and thus, the right olfactory bulb (OB) and the left piriform cortex (CPi) for initial orientation. This functional pattern suggests that OB and CPi are asymmetrically connected with a stronger projection from the right OB to the left CPi. However, the structural organization of the olfactory system is not unequivocally clarified yet. Thus, we re-analyzed the system by antero- and retrograde tract tracing with biotinylated dextran amine and choleratoxin subunit B, and we especially evaluated quantitative differences in the number of cells in the OB innervating the left and right CPi. Our anterograde tracing data verified a strong bilateral input to the CPi, and the prepiriform cortex (CPP), as well as small projections to the ipsilateral medial septum and the dorsolateral corticoid area and the nucleus taeniae of the amygdala in both hemispheres. Apart from the bilateral bulbar afferents, CPi in turn receives unequivocal input from the ipsilateral CPP, hyperpallium densocellulare, dorsal arcopallium, and from a cluster of cells located within the frontolateral nidopallium. Thus, an indirect connection between OB and CPi is only mediated by the CPP. For quantitative analysis of bulbar input to the CPi, we counted the number of ipsi- and contralaterally projecting neurons located in the OB after injections into the left or right CPi. Retrogradely labeled cells were found bilaterally in the OB with a higher number of ipsilaterally located cells. The bilaterality index did not differ after left- or right-sided CPi injections indicating that the functional lateralization of the olfactory system is not simply based on differences in the number of projecting axons of the major processing stream.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- N Patzke
- Biopsychology, Faculty of Psychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Ruhr-University Bochum, Universitätsstr 150, 44780 Bochum, Germany.
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
30
|
Gagliardo A, Ioalè P, Filannino C, Wikelski M. Homing pigeons only navigate in air with intact environmental odours: a test of the olfactory activation hypothesis with GPS data loggers. PLoS One 2011; 6:e22385. [PMID: 21857925 PMCID: PMC3152288 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0022385] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2011] [Accepted: 06/20/2011] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
A large body of evidence has shown that anosmic pigeons are impaired in their navigation. However, the role of odours in navigation is still subject to debate. While according to the olfactory navigation hypothesis homing pigeons possess a navigational map based on the distribution of environmental odours, the olfactory activation hypothesis proposes that odour perception is only needed to activate a navigational mechanism based on cues of another nature. Here we tested experimentally whether the perception of artificial odours is sufficient to allow pigeons to navigate, as expected from the olfactory activation hypothesis. We transported three groups of pigeons in air-tight containers to release sites 53 and 61 km from home in three different olfactory conditions. The Control group received natural environmental air; both the Pure Air and the Artificial Odour groups received pure air filtered through an active charcoal filter. Only the Artificial Odour group received additional puffs of artificial odours until release. We then released pigeons while recording their tracks with 1 Hz GPS data loggers. We also followed non-homing pigeons using an aerial data readout to a Cessna plane, allowing, for the first time, the tracking of non-homing homing pigeons. Within the first hour after release, the pigeons in both the Artificial Odour and the Pure Air group (receiving no environmental odours) showed impaired navigational performances at each release site. Our data provide evidence against an activation role of odours in navigation, and document that pigeons only navigate well when they perceive environmental odours.
Collapse
|
31
|
Campagna S, Mardon J, Celerier A, Bonadonna F. Potential semiochemical molecules from birds: a practical and comprehensive compilation of the last 20 years studies. Chem Senses 2011; 37:3-25. [PMID: 21798850 DOI: 10.1093/chemse/bjr067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
During the past 2 decades, considerable progress has been made in the study of bird semiochemistry, and our goal was to review and evaluate this literature with particular emphasis on the volatile organic constituents. Indeed, since the importance of social chemosignaling in birds is becoming more and more apparent, the search for molecules involved in chemical communication is of critical interest. These molecules can be found in different sources that include uropygial gland secretions, feather-surface compounds, and molecules from feces and skin. Although many studies have examined the chemical substances secreted by birds, research on bird chemical communication is still at the start, so new strategies for collecting samples and development of new methods of analysis are urgently required. As a first step, we built a database that brings together potential semiochemicals, using a unique chemical nomenclature for comparing different bird species and also for referencing the different classes of substances that can be found in order to adapt future parameters of analysis. The most important patterns of the wax fraction of preen secretions are highlighted and organized in an ordered table. We also draw up a list of various combinations of sampling and analytical techniques, so that each method can be compared at a glance.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sylvie Campagna
- Behavioral Ecology Group, Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive-CNRS UMR 5175, Montpellier, France.
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
32
|
Tracking pigeons in a magnetic anomaly and in magnetically "quiet" terrain. Naturwissenschaften 2011; 98:575-81. [PMID: 21691766 PMCID: PMC3128737 DOI: 10.1007/s00114-011-0802-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2011] [Revised: 04/29/2011] [Accepted: 04/29/2011] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Pigeons were released at two sites of equal distance from the loft, one within a magnetic anomaly, the other in magnetically quiet terrain, and their tracks were recorded with the help of GPS receivers. A comparison of the beginning of the tracks revealed striking differences: within the anomaly, the initial phase lasted longer, and the distance flown was longer, with the pigeons' headings considerably farther from the home direction. During the following departure phase, the birds were well homeward oriented at the magnetically quiet site, whereas they continued to be disoriented within the anomaly. Comparing the tracks in the anomaly with the underlying magnetic contours shows considerable differences between individuals, without a common pattern emerging. The differences in magnetic intensity along the pigeons' path do not differ from a random distribution of intensity differences around the release site, indicating that the magnetic contours do not directly affect the pigeons' routes. Within the anomaly, pigeons take longer until their flights are oriented, but 5 km from the release point, the birds, still within the anomaly, are also significantly oriented in the home direction. These findings support the assumption that magnetically anomalous conditions initially interfere with the pigeons' navigational processes, with birds showing rather individual responses in their attempts to overcome these problems.
Collapse
|
33
|
Rastogi A, Kumari Y, Rani S, Kumar V. Phase inversion of neural activity in the olfactory and visual systems of a night-migratory bird during migration. Eur J Neurosci 2011; 34:99-109. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1460-9568.2011.07737.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
|
34
|
Gagliardo A, Filannino C, Ioalè P, Pecchia T, Wikelski M, Vallortigara G. Olfactory lateralization in homing pigeons: a GPS study on birds released with unilateral olfactory inputs. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2011; 214:593-8. [PMID: 21270307 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.049510] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
A large body of evidence has shown that pigeons rely on an olfactory-based navigational map when homing from unfamiliar locations. Previous studies on pigeons released with one nostril occluded highlighted an asymmetry in favour of the right nostril, particularly concerning the initial orientation performance of naïve birds. Nevertheless, all pigeons experiencing only unilateral olfactory input showed impaired homing, regardless of the side of the occluded nostril. So far this phenomenon has been documented only by observing the birds' vanishing bearings. In the present work we recorded the flight tracks of pigeons with previous homing experience equipped with a GPS data logger and released from an unfamiliar location with the right or the left nostril occluded. The analysis of the tracks revealed that the flight path of the birds with the right nostril occluded was more tortuous than that of unmanipulated controls. Moreover, the pigeons smelling with the left nostril interrupted their journey significantly more frequently and displayed more exploratory activity than the control birds, e.g. during flights around a stopover site. These data suggest a more important involvement of the right olfactory system in processing the olfactory information needed for the operation of the navigational map.
Collapse
|
35
|
Temporal fluctuations of the geomagnetic field affect pigeons’ entire homing flight. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2011; 197:765-72. [DOI: 10.1007/s00359-011-0640-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2011] [Revised: 03/14/2011] [Accepted: 03/15/2011] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
|
36
|
Holland RA. Differential effects of magnetic pulses on the orientation of naturally migrating birds. J R Soc Interface 2010; 7:1617-25. [PMID: 20453067 PMCID: PMC2988258 DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2010.0159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2010] [Accepted: 04/16/2010] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
In migratory passerine birds, strong magnetic pulses are thought to be diagnostic of the remagnetization of iron minerals in a putative sensory system contained in the beak. Previous evidence suggests that while such a magnetic pulse affects the orientation of migratory birds in orientation cages, no effect was present when pulse-treated birds were tested in natural migration. Here we show that two migrating passerine birds treated with a strong magnetic pulse, designed to alter the magnetic sense, migrated in a direction that differed significantly from that of controls when tested in natural conditions. The orientation of treated birds was different depending on the alignment of the pulse with respect to the magnetic field. These results can aid in advancing understanding of how the putative iron-mineral-based receptors found in birds' beaks may be used to detect and signal the intensity and/or direction of the Earth's magnetic field.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Richard A Holland
- Department of Migration and Immunoecology, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Radolfzell, Germany.
| |
Collapse
|
37
|
The Role of the Magnetite-Based Receptors in the Beak in Pigeon Homing. Curr Biol 2010; 20:1534-8. [PMID: 20691593 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2010.06.073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2010] [Revised: 06/25/2010] [Accepted: 06/25/2010] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
|
38
|
Magnetic field changes activate the trigeminal brainstem complex in a migratory bird. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2010; 107:9394-9. [PMID: 20439705 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0907068107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 103] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The upper beak of birds, which contains putative magnetosensory ferro-magnetic structures, is innervated by the ophthalmic branch of the trigeminal nerve (V1). However, because of the absence of replicable neurobiological evidence, a general acceptance of the involvement of the trigeminal nerve in magnetoreception is lacking in birds. Using an antibody to ZENK protein to indicate neuronal activation, we here document reliable magnetic activation of neurons in and near the principal (PrV) and spinal tract (SpV) nuclei of the trigeminal brainstem complex, which represent the two brain regions known to receive primary input from the trigeminal nerve. Significantly more neurons were activated in PrV and in medial SpV when European robins (Erithacus rubecula) experienced a magnetic field changing every 30 seconds for a period of 3 h (CMF) than when robins experienced a compensated, zero magnetic field condition (ZMF). No such differences in numbers of activated neurons were found in comparison structures. Under CMF conditions, sectioning of V1 significantly reduced the number of activated neurons in and near PrV and medial SpV, but not in lateral SpV or in the optic tectum. Tract tracing of V1 showed spatial proximity and regional overlap of V1 nerve endings and ZENK-positive (activated) neurons in SpV, and partly in PrV, under CMF conditions. Together, these results suggest that magnetic field changes activate neurons in and near the trigeminal brainstem complex and that V1 is necessary for this activation. We therefore suggest that V1 transmits magnetic information to the brain in this migratory passerine bird.
Collapse
|