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Hagbi Z, Segev E, Eilam D. Tactile cues compensate for unbalanced vestibular cues during progression on inclined surfaces. Behav Processes 2024; 218:105041. [PMID: 38692460 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2024.105041] [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: 12/18/2023] [Revised: 04/02/2024] [Accepted: 04/25/2024] [Indexed: 05/03/2024]
Abstract
A previous study demonstrated that rodents on an inclined square platform traveled straight vertically or horizontally and avoided diagonal travel. Through behavior they aligned their head with the horizontal plane, acquiring similar bilateral vestibular cues - a basic requirement for spatial orientation and a salient feature of animals in motion. This behavior had previously been shown to be conspicuous in Tristram's jirds. Here, therefore jirds were challenged by testing their travel behavior on a circular arena inclined at 0°-75°. Our hypothesis was that if, as typical to rodents, the jirds would follow the curved arena wall, they would need to display a compensating mechanism to enable traveling in such a path shape, which involves a tilted frontal head axis and unbalanced bilateral vestibular cues. We found that with the increase in inclination, the jirds remained more in the lower section of the arena (geotaxis). When tested on the steep inclinations, however, their travel away from the arena wall was strictly straight up or down, in contrast to the curved paths that followed the circular arena wall. We suggest that traveling along a circular path while maintaining contact with the wall (thigmotaxis), provided tactile information that compensated for the unbalanced bilateral vestibular cues present when traveling along such curved inclined paths. In the latter case, the frontal plane of the head was in a diagonal posture in relation to gravity, a posture that was avoided when traveling away from the wall.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zohar Hagbi
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA; School of Zoology, George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel-Aviv University, Israel.
| | - Elad Segev
- Department of Applied Mathematics, Holon Institute of Technology, Holon, Israel
| | - David Eilam
- School of Zoology, George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel-Aviv University, Israel
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Fang K, Guo X, Tang Y, Wang W, Wang Z, Dai Z. High-Frequency Local Field Potential Oscillations for Pigeons in Effective Turning. Animals (Basel) 2024; 14:509. [PMID: 38338152 PMCID: PMC10854807 DOI: 10.3390/ani14030509] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2023] [Revised: 01/31/2024] [Accepted: 02/01/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Flexible turning behavior endows Homing Pigeons (Columba livia domestica) with high adaptability and intelligence in long-distance flight, foraging, hazard avoidance, and social interactions. The present study recorded the activity pattern of their local field potential (LFP) oscillations and explored the relationship between different bands of oscillations and turning behaviors in the formatio reticularis medialis mesencephali (FRM). The results showed that the C (13-60 Hz) and D (61-130 Hz) bands derived from FRM nuclei oscillated significantly in active turning, while the D and E (131-200 Hz) bands oscillated significantly in passive turning. Additionally, compared with lower-frequency stimulation (40 Hz and 60 Hz), 80 Hz stimulation can effectively activate the turning function of FRM nuclei. Electrical stimulation elicited stronger oscillations of neural activity, which strengthened the pigeons' turning locomotion willingness, showing an enhanced neural activation effect. These findings suggest that different band oscillations play different roles in the turning behavior; in particular, higher-frequency oscillations (D and E bands) enhance the turning behavior. These findings will help us decode the complex relationship between bird brains and behaviors and are expected to facilitate the development of neuromodulation techniques for animal robotics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ke Fang
- Institute of Bio-Inspired Structure and Surface Engineering, College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210001, China; (K.F.); (X.G.); (Y.T.); (W.W.)
| | - Xiaofei Guo
- Institute of Bio-Inspired Structure and Surface Engineering, College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210001, China; (K.F.); (X.G.); (Y.T.); (W.W.)
| | - Yezhong Tang
- Institute of Bio-Inspired Structure and Surface Engineering, College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210001, China; (K.F.); (X.G.); (Y.T.); (W.W.)
- Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 9 Section 4, Renmin Nan Road, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Wenbo Wang
- Institute of Bio-Inspired Structure and Surface Engineering, College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210001, China; (K.F.); (X.G.); (Y.T.); (W.W.)
| | - Zhouyi Wang
- Institute of Bio-Inspired Structure and Surface Engineering, College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210001, China; (K.F.); (X.G.); (Y.T.); (W.W.)
| | - Zhendong Dai
- Institute of Bio-Inspired Structure and Surface Engineering, College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210001, China; (K.F.); (X.G.); (Y.T.); (W.W.)
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Balanoff A, Ferrer E, Saleh L, Gignac PM, Gold MEL, Marugán-Lobón J, Norell M, Ouellette D, Salerno M, Watanabe A, Wei S, Bever G, Vaska P. Quantitative functional imaging of the pigeon brain: implications for the evolution of avian powered flight. Proc Biol Sci 2024; 291:20232172. [PMID: 38290541 PMCID: PMC10827418 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.2172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2023] [Accepted: 01/03/2024] [Indexed: 02/01/2024] Open
Abstract
The evolution of flight is a rare event in vertebrate history, and one that demands functional integration across multiple anatomical/physiological systems. The neuroanatomical basis for such integration and the role that brain evolution assumes in behavioural transformations remain poorly understood. We make progress by (i) generating a positron emission tomography (PET)-based map of brain activity for pigeons during rest and flight, (ii) using these maps in a functional analysis of the brain during flight, and (iii) interpreting these data within a macroevolutionary context shaped by non-avian dinosaurs. Although neural activity is generally conserved from rest to flight, we found significant increases in the cerebellum as a whole and optic flow pathways. Conserved activity suggests processing of self-movement and image stabilization are critical when a bird takes to the air, while increased visual and cerebellar activity reflects the importance of integrating multimodal sensory information for flight-related movements. A derived cerebellar capability likely arose at the base of maniraptoran dinosaurs, where volumetric expansion and possible folding directly preceded paravian flight. These data represent an important step toward establishing how the brain of modern birds supports their unique behavioural repertoire and provide novel insights into the neurobiology of the bird-like dinosaurs that first achieved powered flight.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy Balanoff
- Center for Functional Anatomy and Evolution, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
- Division of Paleontology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY 10024, USA
| | - Elizabeth Ferrer
- Division of Paleontology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY 10024, USA
- Samuel Merritt University, Oakland, CA 94609, USA
| | - Lemise Saleh
- Department of Biomedical Engineering and Radiology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
| | - Paul M. Gignac
- Division of Paleontology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY 10024, USA
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Arizona College of Medicine, Tucson, AZ 85724, USA
| | - M. Eugenia L. Gold
- Division of Paleontology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY 10024, USA
- Department of Biology, Suffolk University, Boston, MA 02108, USA
| | - Jesús Marugán-Lobón
- Unidad de Paleontología, Departamento Biología, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049 Cantoblanco (Madrid), Spain
| | - Mark Norell
- Division of Paleontology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY 10024, USA
| | | | - Michael Salerno
- Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Akinobu Watanabe
- Division of Paleontology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY 10024, USA
- Department of Anatomy, New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine, Old Westbury, NY 11568, USA
- Life Sciences Department, Vertebrates Division, Natural History Museum, London SW7 5BD, UK
| | - Shouyi Wei
- Department of Physics, New York Proton Center, New York, NY 10035, USA
| | - Gabriel Bever
- Center for Functional Anatomy and Evolution, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
- Division of Paleontology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY 10024, USA
| | - Paul Vaska
- Department of Biomedical Engineering and Radiology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
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Through Hawks’ Eyes: Synthetically Reconstructing the Visual Field of a Bird in Flight. Int J Comput Vis 2023; 131:1497-1531. [PMID: 37089199 PMCID: PMC10110700 DOI: 10.1007/s11263-022-01733-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2022] [Accepted: 12/05/2022] [Indexed: 03/06/2023]
Abstract
AbstractBirds of prey rely on vision to execute flight manoeuvres that are key to their survival, such as intercepting fast-moving targets or navigating through clutter. A better understanding of the role played by vision during these manoeuvres is not only relevant within the field of animal behaviour, but could also have applications for autonomous drones. In this paper, we present a novel method that uses computer vision tools to analyse the role of active vision in bird flight, and demonstrate its use to answer behavioural questions. Combining motion capture data from Harris’ hawks with a hybrid 3D model of the environment, we render RGB images, semantic maps, depth information and optic flow outputs that characterise the visual experience of the bird in flight. In contrast with previous approaches, our method allows us to consider different camera models and alternative gaze strategies for the purposes of hypothesis testing, allows us to consider visual input over the complete visual field of the bird, and is not limited by the technical specifications and performance of a head-mounted camera light enough to attach to a bird’s head in flight. We present pilot data from three sample flights: a pursuit flight, in which a hawk intercepts a moving target, and two obstacle avoidance flights. With this approach, we provide a reproducible method that facilitates the collection of large volumes of data across many individuals, opening up new avenues for data-driven models of animal behaviour.
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Pérez-Campanero Antolín N, Taylor GK. Gap selection and steering during obstacle avoidance in pigeons. J Exp Biol 2023; 226:jeb244215. [PMID: 36576032 PMCID: PMC10086542 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.244215] [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: 03/02/2022] [Accepted: 12/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
The ability of birds to fly through cluttered environments has inspired biologists interested in understanding its underlying mechanisms, and engineers interested in applying its underpinning principles. To analyse this problem empirically, we break it down into two distinct, but related, questions: How do birds select which gaps to aim for? And how do they steer through them? We answered these questions using a combined experimental and modelling approach, in which we released pigeons (Columbia livia domestica) inside a large hall with an open exit separated from the release point by a curtain creating two vertical gaps - one of which was obstructed by an obstacle. We tracked the birds using a high-speed motion capture system, and found that their gap choice seemed to be biased by their intrinsic handedness, rather than determined by extrinsic cues such as the size of the gap or its alignment with the destination. We modelled the pigeons' steering behaviour algorithmically by simulating their flight trajectories under a set of six candidate guidance laws, including those used previously to model target-oriented flight behaviours in birds. We found that their flights were best modelled by delayed proportional navigation commanding turning in proportion to the angular rate of the line-of-sight from the pigeon to the midpoint of the gap. Our results are consistent with this being a two-phase behaviour, in which the pigeon heads forward from the release point before steering towards the midpoint of whichever gap it chooses to aim for under closed-loop guidance. Our findings have implications for the sensorimotor mechanisms that underlie clutter negotiation in birds, uniting this with other kinds of target-oriented behaviours including aerial pursuit.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Graham K. Taylor
- Department of Biology, University of Oxford, 11A Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3SZ, UK
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Fang K, Mei H, Tang Y, Wang W, Wang H, Wang Z, Dai Z. Grade-control outdoor turning flight of robo-pigeon with quantitative stimulus parameters. Front Neurorobot 2023; 17:1143601. [PMID: 37139263 PMCID: PMC10149694 DOI: 10.3389/fnbot.2023.1143601] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2023] [Accepted: 03/29/2023] [Indexed: 05/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction The robo-pigeon using homing pigeons as a motion carrier has great potential in search and rescue operations due to its superior weight-bearing capacity and sustained flight capabilities. However, before deploying such robo-pigeons, it is necessary to establish a safe, stable, and long-term effective neuro-electrical stimulation interface and quantify the motion responses to various stimuli. Methods In this study, we investigated the effects of stimulation variables such as stimulation frequency (SF), stimulation duration (SD), and inter-stimulus interval (ISI) on the turning flight control of robo-pigeons outdoors, and evaluated the efficiency and accuracy of turning flight behavior accordingly. Results The results showed that the turning angle can be significantly controlled by appropriately increasing SF and SD. Increasing ISI can significantly control the turning radius of robotic pigeons. The success rate of turning flight control decreases significantly when the stimulation parameters exceed SF > 100 Hz or SD > 5 s. Thus, the robo-pigeon's turning angle from 15 to 55° and turning radius from 25 to 135 m could be controlled in a graded manner by selecting varying stimulus variables. Discussion These findings can be used to optimize the stimulation strategy of robo-pigeons to achieve precise control of their turning flight behavior outdoors. The results also suggest that robo-pigeons have potential for use in search and rescue operations where precise control of flight behavior is required.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ke Fang
- Institute of Bio-Inspired Structure and Surface Engineering, College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Hao Mei
- Institute of Bio-Inspired Structure and Surface Engineering, College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Yezhong Tang
- Institute of Bio-Inspired Structure and Surface Engineering, College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
- Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Wenbo Wang
- Institute of Bio-Inspired Structure and Surface Engineering, College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Hao Wang
- Institute of Bio-Inspired Structure and Surface Engineering, College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
- Hao Wang
| | - Zhouyi Wang
- Institute of Bio-Inspired Structure and Surface Engineering, College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
- *Correspondence: Zhouyi Wang
| | - Zhendong Dai
- Institute of Bio-Inspired Structure and Surface Engineering, College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
- Zhendong Dai
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Krongauz DL, Lazebnik T. Collective evolution learning model for vision-based collective motion with collision avoidance. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0270318. [PMID: 37163523 PMCID: PMC10171646 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0270318] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2022] [Accepted: 03/09/2023] [Indexed: 05/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Collective motion (CM) takes many forms in nature; schools of fish, flocks of birds, and swarms of locusts to name a few. Commonly, during CM the individuals of the group avoid collisions. These CM and collision avoidance (CA) behaviors are based on input from the environment such as smell, air pressure, and vision, all of which are processed by the individual and defined action. In this work, a novel vision-based CM with CA model (i.e., VCMCA) simulating the collective evolution learning process is proposed. In this setting, a learning agent obtains a visual signal about its environment, and throughout trial-and-error over multiple attempts, the individual learns to perform a local CM with CA which emerges into a global CM with CA dynamics. The proposed algorithm was evaluated in the case of locusts' swarms, showing the evolution of these behaviors in a swarm from the learning process of the individual in the swarm. Thus, this work proposes a biologically-inspired learning process to obtain multi-agent multi-objective dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- David L Krongauz
- Department of Computer Science, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel
| | - Teddy Lazebnik
- Department of Cancer Biology, Cancer Institute, University College London, London, United Kingdom
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Hagbi Z, Segev E, Eilam D. Keep a level head to know the way ahead: How rodents travel on inclined surfaces? iScience 2022; 25:104424. [PMID: 35663016 PMCID: PMC9157226 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.104424] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2022] [Revised: 04/13/2022] [Accepted: 05/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Animals traveling on a horizontal surface stabilize their head in relation to the substrate in order to gather spatial information and orient. What, however, do they do when traveling on an incline? We examined how three rodent species differing in motor abilities and habitats explore a platform tilted at 0–90°, hypothesizing that they would attempt to maintain bilateral vestibular cues. We found that traveling up or down was mainly straight vertically rather than diagonally, which results in identical bilateral vestibular cues. This was also achieved when traveling horizontally through rotating the head to parallel the horizontal plane. Traveling diagonally up or down was avoided, perhaps due to different bilateral vestibular cues that could hinder orientation. Accordingly, we suggest that maintaining identical bilateral cues is an orientational necessity that overrides differences in motor abilities and habitats, and that this necessity is a general characteristic of animals in motion. Three rodent species were tested on a platform inclined at 0°–90° Increased inclination results in traveling straight vertically or horizontally Both these shapes of trajectories feature a horizontal leveled head We suggest that such posture is required for spatial orientation when in motion
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Affiliation(s)
- Zohar Hagbi
- School of Zoology, George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel-Aviv University, Israel
| | - Elad Segev
- Department of Applied Mathematics, Holon Institute of Technology, Holon, Israel
| | - David Eilam
- School of Zoology, George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel-Aviv University, Israel
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Gutiérrez-Ibáñez C, Pilon MC, Wylie DR. Pretecto- and ponto-cerebellar pathways to the pigeon oculomotor cerebellum follow a zonal organization. J Comp Neurol 2021; 530:817-833. [PMID: 34587295 DOI: 10.1002/cne.25247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2021] [Revised: 08/27/2021] [Accepted: 09/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Both birds and mammals have relatively large forebrains and cerebella. In mammals, there are extensive sensory-motor projections to the cerebellum through the pontine nuclei originating from several parts of the cerebral cortex. Similar forebrain-to-cerebellum pathways exist in birds, but the organization of this circuitry has not been studied extensively. Birds have two nuclei at the base of the brainstem that are thought to be homologous to the pontine nuclei of mammals, the medial and lateral pontine nuclei (PM, PL). Additionally, birds are unique in that they have a pretectal nucleus called the medial spiriform nucleus (SpM) that, like the pontine nuclei, also receives projections from the forebrain and projects to the oculomotor cerebellum (OCb; folia VI to VIII). The OCb also receives input from the pretectal nucleus lentiformis mesencephali (LM), which analyzes visual optic flow information resulting from self-movement. In this study, we used single or double injections of fluorescent tracers to study the organization of these inputs from PM, PL, SpM and LM to the OCb in pigeons. We found that these inputs follow a zonal organization. The most medial zone in the OCb, zone A1, receives bilateral inputs from the lateral SpM, PL and LM. Zones A2 and C receive a bilateral projection from the medial SpM, and a mostly contralateral projection from PM and LM. We discuss how the pathway to zone A1 processes mainly visuo-motor information to spinal premotor areas, whereas the pathways to zone A2/C processes somato-motor and visuo-motor information and may have a feedback/modulatory role.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Madison C Pilon
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Douglas R Wylie
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
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Doussot C, Bertrand OJN, Egelhaaf M. The Critical Role of Head Movements for Spatial Representation During Bumblebees Learning Flight. Front Behav Neurosci 2021; 14:606590. [PMID: 33542681 PMCID: PMC7852487 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2020.606590] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2020] [Accepted: 11/23/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Bumblebees perform complex flight maneuvers around the barely visible entrance of their nest upon their first departures. During these flights bees learn visual information about the surroundings, possibly including its spatial layout. They rely on this information to return home. Depth information can be derived from the apparent motion of the scenery on the bees' retina. This motion is shaped by the animal's flight and orientation: Bees employ a saccadic flight and gaze strategy, where rapid turns of the head (saccades) alternate with flight segments of apparently constant gaze direction (intersaccades). When during intersaccades the gaze direction is kept relatively constant, the apparent motion contains information about the distance of the animal to environmental objects, and thus, in an egocentric reference frame. Alternatively, when the gaze direction rotates around a fixed point in space, the animal perceives the depth structure relative to this pivot point, i.e., in an allocentric reference frame. If the pivot point is at the nest-hole, the information is nest-centric. Here, we investigate in which reference frames bumblebees perceive depth information during their learning flights. By precisely tracking the head orientation, we found that half of the time, the head appears to pivot actively. However, only few of the corresponding pivot points are close to the nest entrance. Our results indicate that bumblebees perceive visual information in several reference frames when they learn about the surroundings of a behaviorally relevant location.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlotte Doussot
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Bielefeld, Bielefeld, Germany
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Abstract
Visual attention plays a fundamental role in avian flight but attention is likely limited whenever birds blink. Because blinks are necessary to maintaining proper vision, this study tested the hypothesis that birds strategically inhibit their blinks in flight. The blinks of captive great-tailed grackles (Quiscalus mexicanus) were recorded before, during and after they flew a short distance in an open environment. The grackles spent the least amount of time blinking in flight (take-off, during flight and landing) and the most amount of time blinking at impact. Their blinking behaviour was similar before and after flight. These results suggest that grackles strategically inhibit their blinking behaviour in flight, potentially because blinks impose costs to avian flight.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica L Yorzinski
- Department of Ecology and Conservation Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-2258, USA
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Lapsansky AB, Tobalske BW. Upstroke-based acceleration and head stabilization are the norm for the wing-propelled swimming of alcid seabirds. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2019; 222:jeb.201285. [PMID: 31160426 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.201285] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2019] [Accepted: 05/28/2019] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Alcids, a family of seabirds including murres, guillemots and puffins, exhibit the greatest mass-specific dive depths and durations of any birds or mammals. These impressive diving capabilities have motivated numerous studies on the biomechanics of alcid swimming and diving, with one objective being to compare stroke-acceleration patterns of swimming alcids with those of penguins, where upstroke and downstroke are used for horizontal acceleration. Studies of free-ranging, descending alcids have found that alcids accelerate in the direction of travel during both their upstroke and downstroke, but only at depths <20 m, whereas studies of alcids swimming horizontally report upstroke-based acceleration to be rare (≤16% of upstrokes). We hypothesized that swimming trajectory, via its interaction with buoyancy, determines the magnitude of acceleration produced during the upstroke. Thus, we studied the stroke-acceleration relationships of five species of alcid swimming freely at the Alaska SeaLife Center using videography and kinematic analysis. Contrary to our prediction, we found that upstroke-based acceleration is very common (87% of upstrokes) during both descending and horizontal swimming. We reveal that head-damping - wherein an animal extends and retracts its head to offset periodic accelerations - is common in swimming alcids, underscoring the importance of head stabilization during avian locomotion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony B Lapsansky
- Field Research Station at Fort Missoula, Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, 32 Campus Drive, Missoula, MT 59812, USA
| | - Bret W Tobalske
- Field Research Station at Fort Missoula, Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, 32 Campus Drive, Missoula, MT 59812, USA
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Kano F, Walker J, Sasaki T, Biro D. Head-mounted sensors reveal visual attention of free-flying homing pigeons. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2018; 221:221/17/jeb183475. [PMID: 30190414 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.183475] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2018] [Accepted: 06/19/2018] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Gaze behavior offers valuable insights into attention and cognition. However, technological limitations have prevented the examination of animals' gaze behavior in natural, information-rich contexts; for example, during navigation through complex environments. Therefore, we developed a lightweight custom-made logger equipped with an inertial measurement unit (IMU) and GPS to simultaneously track the head movements and flight trajectories of free-flying homing pigeons. Pigeons have a limited range of eye movement, and their eye moves in coordination with their head in a saccadic manner (similar to primate eye saccades). This allows head movement to act as a proxy for visual scanning behavior. Our IMU sensor recorded the 3D movement of the birds' heads in high resolution, allowing us to reliably detect distinct saccade signals. The birds moved their head far more than necessary for maneuvering flight, suggesting that they actively scanned the environment. This movement was predominantly horizontal (yaw) and sideways (roll), allowing them to scan the environment with their lateral visual field. They decreased their head movement when they flew solo over prominent landmarks (major roads and a railway line) and also when they flew in pairs (especially when flying side by side, with the partner maintained in their lateral visual field). Thus, a decrease in head movement indicates a change in birds' focus of attention. We conclude that pigeons use their head gaze in a task-related manner and that tracking flying birds' head movement is a promising method for examining their visual attention during natural tasks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fumihiro Kano
- Kumamoto Sanctuary, Wildlife Research Center, Kyoto University, Uki, Kumamoto, Japan .,Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK
| | - James Walker
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK
| | - Takao Sasaki
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK
| | - Dora Biro
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK
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Clifton GT, Biewener AA. Foot-propelled swimming kinematics and turning strategies in common loons. J Exp Biol 2018; 221:jeb.168831. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.168831] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2017] [Accepted: 08/09/2018] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Loons (Gaviiformes) are arguably one of the most successful groups of swimming birds. As specialist foot-propelled swimmers, loons are capable of diving up to 70 meters, remaining underwater for several minutes, and capturing fish. Despite the swimming prowess of loons, their undomesticated nature has prevented prior quantitative analysis. Our study used high-speed underwater cameras to film healthy common loons (Gavia immer) at the Tufts Wildlife Clinic in order to analyze their swimming and turning strategies. Loons swim by synchronously paddling their feet laterally at an average of 1.8 Hz. Combining flexion-extension of the ankle with rotation at the knee, loon swimming resembles grebe swimming and likely generates lift forces for propulsion. Loons modulate swimming speed by altering power stroke duration and use head-bobbing to enhance underwater vision. We observed that loons execute tight but slow turns compared to other aquatic swimmers, potentially associated with hunting by flushing fish from refuges at short range. To execute turns, loons use several strategies. Loons increase the force produced on the outside of the turn by increasing the speed of the outboard foot, which also begins its power stroke before the inboard foot. During turns, loons bank their body away from the turn and alter the motion of the feet to maintain the turn. Our findings demonstrate that foot-propelled swimming has evolved convergently in loon and grebes, but divergently from cormorants. The swimming and turning strategies used by loons that allow them to capture fish could inspire robotic designs or novel paddling techniques.
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Affiliation(s)
- Glenna T. Clifton
- Concord Field Station, Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Bedford, MA 01730, USA
| | - Andrew A Biewener
- Concord Field Station, Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Bedford, MA 01730, USA
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