scholarly journals `Fixed-axis' magnetic orientation by an amphibian: non-shoreward-directed compass orientation, misdirected homing or positioning a magnetite-based map detector in a consistent alignment relative to the magnetic field?

2002 ◽  
Vol 205 (24) ◽  
pp. 3903-3914 ◽  
Author(s):  
John B. Phillips ◽  
S. Chris Borland ◽  
Michael J. Freake ◽  
Jacques Brassart ◽  
Joseph L. Kirschvink
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Field ◽  
Magnetic Bearing ◽  
Magnetic Compass ◽  
Compass Orientation ◽  
Full Spectrum ◽  
Directional Information ◽  
Long Wavelength ◽  
Fixed Axis ◽  
The Magnetic Field ◽  
Wavelength Light

SUMMARYExperiments were carried out to investigate the earlier prediction that prolonged exposure to long-wavelength (>500 nm) light would eliminate homing orientation by male Eastern red-spotted newts Notophthalmus viridescens. As in previous experiments, controls held in outdoor tanks under natural lighting conditions and tested in a visually uniform indoor arena under full-spectrum light were homeward oriented. As predicted, however,newts held under long-wavelength light and tested under either full-spectrum or long-wavelength light (>500 nm) failed to show consistent homeward orientation. The newts also did not orient with respect to the shore directions in the outdoor tanks in which they were held prior to testing. Unexpectedly, however, the newts exhibited bimodal orientation along a more-or-less `fixed' north-northeast—south-southwest magnetic axis. The orientation exhibited by newts tested under full-spectrum light was indistinguishable from that of newts tested under long-wavelength light,although these two wavelength conditions have previously been shown to differentially affect both shoreward compass orientation and homing orientation. To investigate the possibility that the `fixed-axis' response of the newts was mediated by a magnetoreception mechanism involving single-domain particles of magnetite, natural remanent magnetism (NRM) was measured from a subset of the newts. The distribution of NRM alignments with respect to the head—body axis of the newts was indistinguishable from random. Furthermore, there was no consistent relationship between the NRM of individual newts and their directional response in the overall sample. However, under full-spectrum, but not long-wavelength, light, the alignment of the NRM when the newts reached the 20 cm radius criterion circle in the indoor testing arena (estimated by adding the NRM alignment measured from each newt to its magnetic bearing) was non-randomly distributed. These findings are consistent with the earlier suggestion that homing newts use the light-dependent magnetic compass to align a magnetite-based `map detector'when obtaining the precise measurements necessary to derive map information from the magnetic field. However, aligning the putative map detector does not explain the fixed-axis response of newts tested under long-wavelength light. Preliminary evidence suggests that, in the absence of reliable directional information from the magnetic compass (caused by the 90° rotation of the response of the magnetic compass under long-wavelength light), newts may resort to a systematic sampling strategy to identify alignment(s) of the map detector that yields reliable magnetic field measurements.

USE OF A SPECIALIZED MAGNETORECEPTION SYSTEM FOR HOMING BY THE EASTERN RED-SPOTTED NEWT NOTOPHTHALMUS VIRIDESCENS

1994 ◽  
Vol 188 (1) ◽  
pp. 275-291 ◽  
Author(s):  
J Phillips ◽  
S Borland
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Field ◽  
Short Wavelength ◽  
Magnetic Compass ◽  
Compass Orientation ◽  
Full Spectrum ◽  
Long Wavelength ◽  
Magnetic Compass Orientation ◽  
Short Wavelength Light ◽  
The Magnetic Field ◽  
Wavelength Light

Laboratory experiments were carried out to investigate the effects of varying the wavelength of light on the use of an earth-strength magnetic field for shoreward orientation and for the compass component of homing. In the earlier shoreward orientation experiments, newts tested under full-spectrum and short-wavelength (i.e. 400 and 450 nm) light exhibited shoreward magnetic compass orientation. Under long-wavelength (i.e. 550 and 600 nm) light, newts exhibited magnetic compass orientation that was rotated 90 ° counterclockwise to the shoreward direction. This wavelength-dependent shift in magnetic compass orientation was shown to be due to a direct effect of light on the underlying magnetoreception mechanism. In homing experiments, newts tested under full-spectrum and short-wavelength light exhibited homeward magnetic compass orientation. Under long-wavelength light, newts were randomly distributed with respect to the magnetic field. The different effects of long-wavelength light on shoreward orientation and homing confirmed earlier evidence that different magnetoreception systems mediate these two forms of orientation behaviour. The properties of the newt's homing response are consistent with the use of a hybrid magnetoreception system receiving inputs from the light-dependent magnetic compass and from a non-light-dependent intensity (or inclination) detector which, unlike the compass, is sensitive to the polarity of the magnetic field.

Lateralisation of magnetic compass orientation in silvereyes, Zosterops lateralis

2003 ◽  
Vol 51 (6) ◽  
pp. 597 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wolfgang Wiltschko ◽  
Ursula Munro ◽  
Hugh Ford ◽  
Roswitha Wiltschko
Keyword(s):  
Geomagnetic Field ◽  
Magnetic Compass ◽  
Compass Orientation ◽  
Directional Information ◽  
Zosterops Lateralis ◽  
Magnetic Compass Orientation ◽  
Directional Preference ◽  
The Right ◽  
The Brain ◽  
The Magnetic Field

The ability of migratory silvereyes to orient was tested in the geomagnetic field with one eye covered. Silvereyes using only their right eye were able to orient in migratory direction just as well as birds using both eyes. Using only their left eye, however, the birds did not show a significant directional preference. These data indicate that directional information from the magnetic field is mediated almost exclusively by the right eye and processed by the left hemisphere of the brain. Together with corresponding findings from European robins and indications for a similar phenomenon in homing pigeons, they suggest that a strong lateralisation of the magnetic compass is widespread among birds.

The case for light-dependent magnetic orientation in animals

1999 ◽  
Vol 202 (8) ◽  
pp. 891-908 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.E. Deutschlander ◽  
J.B. Phillips ◽  
S.C. Borland
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Field ◽  
Physiological Model ◽  
Magnetic Compass ◽  
Magnetic Orientation ◽  
Orientation Behavior ◽  
Long Wavelength ◽  
Alternative Hypotheses ◽  
Magnetite Particles ◽  
The Magnetic Field ◽  
Effect Of Light

Light-dependent models of magnetoreception have been proposed which involve an interaction between the magnetic field and either magnetite particles located within a photoreceptor or excited states of photopigment molecules. Consistent with a photoreceptor-based magnetic compass mechanism, magnetic orientation responses in salamanders, flies and birds have been shown to be affected by the wavelength of light. In birds and flies, it is unclear whether the effects of light on magnetic orientation are due to a direct effect on a magnetoreception system or to a nonspecific (e.g. motivational) effect of light on orientation behavior. Evidence from shoreward-orienting salamanders, however, demonstrates that salamanders perceive a 90 degrees counterclockwise shift in the direction of the magnetic field under long-wavelength (>=500 nm) light. A simple physiological model based on the antagonistic interaction between two magnetically sensitive spectral mechanisms suggests one possible way in which the wavelength-dependent effects of light on the salamander's magnetic compass response might arise. Assuming that the wavelength-dependent characteristics of the avian magnetic response can be attributed to an underlying magnetoreception system, we discuss several hypotheses attempting to resolve the differences observed in the wavelength-dependent effects of light on magnetic orientation in birds and salamanders. By considering the evidence in the context of photoreceptor- and non-photoreceptor-based mechanisms for magnetoreception, we hope to encourage future studies designed to distinguish between alternative hypotheses concerning the influence of light on magnetoreception.

scholarly journals Avian magnetic compass can be tuned to anomalously low magnetic intensities

2013 ◽  
Vol 280 (1763) ◽  
pp. 20130853 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Winklhofer ◽  
Evelyn Dylda ◽  
Peter Thalau ◽  
Wolfgang Wiltschko ◽  
Roswitha Wiltschko
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Field ◽  
Exposure Time ◽  
Geomagnetic Field ◽  
Magnetic Compass ◽  
Radical Pair Mechanism ◽  
Compass Orientation ◽  
Directional Information ◽  
Total Exposure Time ◽  
Magnetic Compass Orientation ◽  
Local Intensity

The avian magnetic compass works in a fairly narrow functional window around the intensity of the local geomagnetic field, but adjusts to intensities outside this range when birds experience these new intensities for a certain time. In the past, the geomagnetic field has often been much weaker than at present. To find out whether birds can obtain directional information from a weak magnetic field, we studied spontaneous orientation preferences of migratory robins in a 4 µT field (i.e. a field of less than 10 per cent of the local intensity of 47 µT). Birds can adjust to this low intensity: they turned out to be disoriented under 4 µT after a pre-exposure time of 8 h to 4 µT, but were able to orient in this field after a total exposure time of 17 h. This demonstrates a considerable plasticity of the avian magnetic compass. Orientation in the 4 µT field was not affected by local anaesthesia of the upper beak, but was disrupted by a radiofrequency magnetic field of 1.315 MHz, 480 nT, suggesting that a radical-pair mechanism still provides the directional information in the low magnetic field. This is in agreement with the idea that the avian magnetic compass may have developed already in the Mesozoic in the common ancestor of modern birds.

Magnetic orientation in birds

1996 ◽  
Vol 199 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-38 ◽  
Author(s):  
W Wiltschko ◽  
R Wiltschko
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Field ◽  
Magnetic Compass ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Directional Information ◽  
Magnetic Parameters ◽  
Reliable Source ◽  
Field Lines ◽  
Navigational System ◽  
Migrating Birds ◽  
The Magnetic Field

The magnetic field of the earth is an omnipresent, reliable source of orientational information. A magnetic compass has been demonstrated in 18 species of migrating birds. In all species studied with regard to its functional properties, it was found to be an 'inclination compass', i.e. the birds derive directional information from the inclination of the field lines, and thus distinguish between 'poleward' and 'equatorward' rather than 'north' and 'south'. Such a mechanism means that birds from the northern and southern hemisphere may rely on the same migratory programme. Long-distance migrants, however, face the problem that their magnetic compass gives bimodal information at the magnetic equator. Transfers of information between the magnetic field and celestial sources of directional information have been demonstrated; the two systems interact in a complex way. The data on the use of magnetic parameters for position finding are less clear. The experiments involve releases of homing pigeons; correlations of their orientation with natural variations in the magnetic field and the effects of magnetic manipulation reveal an enormous variability. The role of magnetic parameters in the multifactorial navigational system is poorly understood.

scholarly journals Polarized light modulates light-dependent magnetic compass orientation in birds

2016 ◽  
Vol 113 (6) ◽  
pp. 1654-1659 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel Muheim ◽  
Sissel Sjöberg ◽  
Atticus Pinzon-Rodriguez
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Field ◽  
Radical Pair ◽  
Polarized Light ◽  
Magnetic Compass ◽  
Radical Pair Mechanism ◽  
Magnetic Field Effects ◽  
Compass Orientation ◽  
Magnetic Compass Orientation ◽  
Avian Retina ◽  
The Magnetic Field

Magnetoreception of the light-dependent magnetic compass in birds is suggested to be mediated by a radical-pair mechanism taking place in the avian retina. Biophysical models on magnetic field effects on radical pairs generally assume that the light activating the magnetoreceptor molecules is nondirectional and unpolarized, and that light absorption is isotropic. However, natural skylight enters the avian retina unidirectionally, through the cornea and the lens, and is often partially polarized. In addition, cryptochromes, the putative magnetoreceptor molecules, absorb light anisotropically, i.e., they preferentially absorb light of a specific direction and polarization, implying that the light-dependent magnetic compass is intrinsically polarization sensitive. To test putative interactions between the avian magnetic compass and polarized light, we developed a spatial orientation assay and trained zebra finches to magnetic and/or overhead polarized light cues in a four-arm “plus” maze. The birds did not use overhead polarized light near the zenith for sky compass orientation. Instead, overhead polarized light modulated light-dependent magnetic compass orientation, i.e., how the birds perceive the magnetic field. Birds were well oriented when tested with the polarized light axis aligned parallel to the magnetic field. When the polarized light axis was aligned perpendicular to the magnetic field, the birds became disoriented. These findings are the first behavioral evidence to our knowledge for a direct interaction between polarized light and the light-dependent magnetic compass in an animal. They reveal a fundamentally new property of the radical pair-based magnetoreceptor with key implications for how birds and other animals perceive the Earth’s magnetic field.

scholarly journals The Magnetic Compass of Birds: The Role of Cryptochrome

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roswitha Wiltschko ◽  
Christine Nießner ◽  
Wolfgang Wiltschko
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Compass ◽  
Radical Pairs ◽  
Directional Information ◽  
Receptor Molecule ◽  
Cryptochrome 2 ◽  
Field Lines ◽  
Short Wavelength Light ◽  
The Magnetic Field ◽  
Wavelength Light

The geomagnetic field provides directional information for birds. The avian magnetic compass is an inclination compass that uses not the polarity of the magnetic field but the axial course of the field lines and their inclination in space. It works in a flexible functional window, and it requires short-wavelength light. These characteristics result from the underlying sensory mechanism based on radical pair processes in the eyes, with cryptochrome suggested as the receptor molecule. The chromophore of cryptochrome, flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD), undergoes a photocycle, where radical pairs are formed during photo-reduction as well as during re-oxidation; behavioral data indicate that the latter is crucial for detecting magnetic directions. Five types of cryptochromes are found in the retina of birds: cryptochrome 1a (Cry1a), cryptochrome 1b, cryptochrome 2, cryptochrome 4a, and cryptochrome 4b. Because of its location in the outer segments of the ultraviolet cones with their clear oil droplets, Cry1a appears to be the most likely receptor molecule for magnetic compass information.

scholarly journals Joint analysis of the magnetic field and Total Gradient Intensity in Central Europe

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maurizio Milano ◽  
Maurizio Fedi ◽  
J. Derek Fairhead
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Field ◽  
Central Europe ◽  
Joint Analysis ◽  
East European ◽  
Long Wavelength ◽  
Low Degree ◽  
Total Gradient ◽  
Synthetic Models ◽  
The Magnetic Field ◽  
Different Altitudes

Abstract. In the European region, the magnetic field at satellite altitudes (~ 350 km) is mainly defined by a long-wavelength magnetic-low called here the Central Europe Magnetic Low (CEML), located to the southwest of the Trans European Suture Zone (TESZ). We studied this area by a joint analysis of the magnetic and total gradient (∇T) anomaly maps, for a range of different altitudes of 5 km, 100 km and 350 km. Tests on synthetic models showed the usefulness of the joint analysis at various altitudes to identify reverse dipolar anomalies and to characterize areas in which magnetization is weak. By this way we identified areas where either reversely or normally magnetized sources are locally dominant. At a European scale these anomalies are sparse, with a low degree of coalescence effect. The ∇T map indeed presents generally small values within the CEML area, indicating that the Palaeozoic Platform is weakly magnetized. At 350 km altitude, the TESZ effect is largely dominant: with intense ∇T highs above the East European Craton (EEC) and very small values above the Palaeozoic Platform, this again denoting a weakly magnetized crust. Small coalescence effects are masked by the trend of the TESZ. Although we identified sparsely located reversely magnetized sources in the Palaeozoic Platform of the CEML, the joint analysis does not support a model of a generally reversely magnetized crust. Instead, our analysis strongly favors the hypothesis that the CEML anomaly is mainly caused by a sharp contrast between the magnetic properties of EEC and Palaeozoic Platform.

scholarly journals Can disordered radical pair systems provide a basis for a magnetic compass in animals?

2009 ◽  
Vol 7 (suppl_2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Erin Hill ◽  
Thorsten Ritz
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Field ◽  
External Magnetic Field ◽  
Radical Pair ◽  
Magnetic Compass ◽  
Magnetic Field Direction ◽  
Chemical Signal ◽  
Radical Pairs ◽  
Directional Information ◽  
Minimum Number ◽  
Signal Production

A proposed mechanism for magnetic compasses in animals is that systems of radical pairs transduce magnetic field information to the nervous system. One can show that perfectly ordered arrays of radical pairs are sensitive to the direction of the external magnetic field and can thus operate, in principle, as a magnetic compass. Here, we investigate how disorder, inherent in biological cells, affects the ability of radical pair systems to provide directional information. We consider biologically inspired geometrical arrangements of ensembles of radical pairs with increasing amounts of disorder and calculate the effect of changing the direction of the external magnetic field on the rate of chemical signal production by radical pair systems. Using a previously established signal transduction model, we estimate the minimum number of receptors necessary to allow for detection of the change in chemical signal owing to changes in magnetic field direction. We quantify the required increase in the number of receptors to compensate for the signal attenuation through increased disorder. We find radical-pair-based compass systems to be relatively robust against disorder, suggesting several scenarios as to how a compass structure can be realized in a biological cell.

Modelling the core magnetic field of the Earth

1982 ◽  
Vol 306 (1492) ◽  
pp. 179-191 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Field ◽  
Spherical Harmonics ◽  
Secular Variation ◽  
Long Wavelength ◽  
Core Field ◽  
The Core ◽  
The Earth ◽  
High Degree ◽  
Current Systems ◽  
The Magnetic Field

The magnetic field generated in the core of the Earth is often represented by spherical harmonics of the magnetic potential. It has been found from looking at the equations of spherical harmonics, and from studying the values of the spherical harmonic coefficients derived from data from Magsat, that this is an unsatisfactory way of representing the core field. Harmonics of high degree are characterized by generally shorter wavelength expressions on the surface of the Earth, but also contain very long wavelength features as well. Thus if it is thought that the higher degree harmonics are produced by magnetizations within the crust of the Earth, these magnetizations have to be capable of producing very long wavelength signals. Since it is impossible to produce very long wavelength signals of sufficient amplitude by using crustal magnetizations of reasonable intensity, the separation of core and crustal sources by using spherical harmonics is not ideal. We suggest that a better way is to use radial off-centre dipoles located within the core of the Earth. These have several advantages. Firstly, they can be thought of as modelling real physical current systems within the core of the Earth. Secondly, it can be shown that off-centred dipoles, if located deep within the core, are more effective at removing long wavelength signals of potential or field than can be achieved by using spherical harmonics. The disadvantage is that it is much more difficult to compute the positions and strengths of the off-centred dipole fields, and much less easy to manipulate their effects (such as upward and downward continuation). But we believe, along with Cox and Alldredge & Hurwitz, that the understanding that we might obtain of the Earth’s magnetic field by using physically reasonable models rather than mathematically convenient models is very important. We discuss some of the radial dipole models that have been proposed for the nondipole portion of the Earth’s field to arrive at a model that agrees with observations of secular variation and excursions.

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