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Tao Y, Perera A, Teague S, McIntyre T, Warrant E, Chahl J. Computer Vision Techniques Demonstrate Robust Orientation Measurement of the Milky Way Despite Image Motion. Biomimetics (Basel) 2024; 9:375. [PMID: 39056816 PMCID: PMC11274678 DOI: 10.3390/biomimetics9070375] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2024] [Revised: 06/13/2024] [Accepted: 06/19/2024] [Indexed: 07/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Many species rely on celestial cues as a reliable guide for maintaining heading while navigating. In this paper, we propose a method that extracts the Milky Way (MW) shape as an orientation cue in low-light scenarios. We also tested the method on both real and synthetic images and demonstrate that the performance of the method appears to be accurate and reliable to motion blur that might be caused by rotational vibration and stabilisation artefacts. The technique presented achieves an angular accuracy between a minimum of 0.00° and a maximum 0.08° for real night sky images, and between a minimum of 0.22° and a maximum 1.61° for synthetic images. The imaging of the MW is largely unaffected by blur. We speculate that the use of the MW as an orientation cue has evolved because, unlike individual stars, it is resilient to motion blur caused by locomotion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yiting Tao
- School of Engineering, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes, SA 5095, Australia; (S.T.); (T.M.); (J.C.)
| | - Asanka Perera
- School of Engineering, University of Southern Queensland, Springfield, QLD 4300, Australia;
| | - Samuel Teague
- School of Engineering, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes, SA 5095, Australia; (S.T.); (T.M.); (J.C.)
- Defence Science and Technology Group, Platforms Division, Edinburgh, SA 5111, Australia
| | - Timothy McIntyre
- School of Engineering, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes, SA 5095, Australia; (S.T.); (T.M.); (J.C.)
- Defence Science and Technology Group, Platforms Division, Edinburgh, SA 5111, Australia
| | - Eric Warrant
- Lund Vision Group, Department of Biology, University of Lund, SE-221 00 Lund, Sweden;
| | - Javaan Chahl
- School of Engineering, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes, SA 5095, Australia; (S.T.); (T.M.); (J.C.)
- Defence Science and Technology Group, Platforms Division, Edinburgh, SA 5111, Australia
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2
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Oka Y, Inoue K. Time-resolved EPR observation of blue-light-induced radical ion pairs in a flavin-Trp dyad. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2024; 26:16444-16448. [PMID: 38808575 DOI: 10.1039/d3cp06219h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/30/2024]
Abstract
A dyad of flavin and Trp bridged by a p-phenylamide linker was synthesized as an artificial model system to investigate molecular-based magnetic-field sensors relevant to blue-light photoreceptor proteins. The results demonstrated that intramolecular electron transfer generates a radical pair, only the triplet-born one of which has a microsecond lifetime at room temperature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoshimi Oka
- Frontier Research Core for Life Sciences, University of Toyama, 2630 Sugitani, Toyama 930-0194, Japan
- Research Promotion Institute, Oita University, 700 Dannoharu, Oita 870-1192, Japan
- Graduate School of Advanced Science and Engineering, Chirality Research Center (CResCent), and International Institute for Sustainability with Knotted Chiral Meta Matter (WPI-SKCM2), Hiroshima University, 1-3-1 Kagamiyama, Higashihiroshima 739-8526, Japan.
| | - Katsuya Inoue
- Graduate School of Advanced Science and Engineering, Chirality Research Center (CResCent), and International Institute for Sustainability with Knotted Chiral Meta Matter (WPI-SKCM2), Hiroshima University, 1-3-1 Kagamiyama, Higashihiroshima 739-8526, Japan.
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3
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Zaynagutdinova E, Kölzsch A, Sinelshikova A, Vorotkov M, Müskens GJDM, Giljov A, Karenina K. Visual lateralization in the sky: Geese manifest visual lateralization when flying with pair mates. Laterality 2024; 29:313-330. [PMID: 38979561 DOI: 10.1080/1357650x.2024.2368587] [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: 02/13/2024] [Accepted: 06/11/2024] [Indexed: 07/10/2024]
Abstract
The brain's sensory lateralization involves the processing of information from the sensory organs primarily in one hemisphere. This can improve brain efficiency by reducing interference and duplication of neural circuits. For species that rely on successful interaction among family partners, such as geese, lateralization can be advantageous. However, at the group level, one-sided biases in sensory lateralization can make individuals predictable to competitors and predators. We investigated lateral preferences in the positioning of pair mates of Greater white-fronted geese Anser albifrons albifrons. Using GPS-GSM trackers, we monitored individual geese in flight throughout the year. Our findings indicate that geese exhibit individual lateral biases when viewing their mate in flight, but the direction of these biases varies among individuals. We suggest that these patterns of visual lateralization could be an adaptive trait for the species with long-term social monogamy, high levels of interspecies communication and competition, and high levels of predator and hunting pressure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elmira Zaynagutdinova
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Sankt-Peterburgskij gosudarstvennyj universitet (Saint Petersburg University), Saint Petersburg, Russia
| | - Andrea Kölzsch
- Department of Migration, Max-Planck-Institut fur Verhaltensbiologie (Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior), Radolfzell, Germany
| | | | - Michael Vorotkov
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Sankt-Peterburgskij gosudarstvennyj universitet (Saint Petersburg University), Saint Petersburg, Russia
| | | | - Andrey Giljov
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Sankt-Peterburgskij gosudarstvennyj universitet (Saint Petersburg University), Saint Petersburg, Russia
| | - Karina Karenina
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Sankt-Peterburgskij gosudarstvennyj universitet (Saint Petersburg University), Saint Petersburg, Russia
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4
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Rudolf J, Philipello N, Fleihan T, Dickman JD, Delmore KE. Night-time neuronal activation of Cluster N in a North American songbird. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0300479. [PMID: 38512887 PMCID: PMC10956746 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0300479] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2023] [Accepted: 02/13/2024] [Indexed: 03/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Night-migrating songbirds utilize the Earth's magnetic field to help navigate to and from their breeding sites each year. A region of the avian forebrain called Cluster N has been shown to be activated during night migratory behavior and it has been implicated in processing geomagnetic information. Previous studies with night-migratory European songbirds have shown that neuronal activity at Cluster N is higher at night than during the day. Comparable work in North American migrants has only been performed in one species of swallows, so extension of examination for Cluster N in other migratory birds is needed. In addition, it is unclear if Cluster N activation is lateralized and the full extent of its boundaries in the forebrain have yet to be described. We used sensory-driven gene expression based on ZENK and the Swainson's thrush, a night-migratory North American songbird, to fill these knowledge gaps. We found elevated levels of gene expression in night- vs. day-active thrushes and no evidence for lateralization in this region. We further examined the anatomical extent of neural activation in the forebrain using 3D reconstruction topology. Our findings demonstrate that Swainson's thrushes possess an extensive bilateral night-activated Cluster N region in the forebrain similar to other European avian species, suggesting that Cluster N is highly conserved in nocturnal migrants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer Rudolf
- Biology Department, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United States of America
| | - Natalie Philipello
- Biology Department, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United States of America
| | - Tamara Fleihan
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - J. David Dickman
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Kira E. Delmore
- Biology Department, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United States of America
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5
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Gagliardo A, Pollonara E, Casini G, Bingman VP. Unilateral hippocampal lesions and the navigational performance of homing pigeons as revealed by GPS-tracking. ETHOL ECOL EVOL 2022. [DOI: 10.1080/03949370.2022.2152105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Anna Gagliardo
- Department of Biology, University of Pisa, Pisa 56126, Italy
| | | | - Giovanni Casini
- Department of Biology, University of Pisa, Pisa 56126, Italy
| | - Verner P. Bingman
- Department of Psychology, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH 43403, USA
- J.P. Scott Center for Neuroscience, Mind and Behavior, Bowling Green, OH 43403, USA
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6
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Ozturk N. Light-dependent reactions of animal circadian photoreceptor cryptochrome. FEBS J 2021; 289:6622-6639. [PMID: 34750956 DOI: 10.1111/febs.16273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2021] [Revised: 10/21/2021] [Accepted: 11/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Circadian rhythms are endogenous autonomous 24-h oscillations that are generated by a transcription-translation feedback loop (TTFL). In the positive arm of the TTFL, two transcription factors activate the expression of two genes of the negative arm as well as circadian clock-regulated genes. The circadian clocks are reset through photoreceptor proteins by sunlight in the early morning to keep synchrony with the geological clock. Among animal circadian photoreceptors, Drosophila Cryptochrome (DmCRY) has some unique properties because Drosophila has a single cryptochrome (CRY) that appears to have functions which are specific to organs or tissues, or even to a subset of cells. In mammals, CRYs are not photoreceptors but function in the TTFL, while insects have a light-insensitive mammalian-like CRY or a Drosophila-like photoreceptor CRY (or both). Here, we postulate that as being just one CRY in Drosophila, DmCRY might play different roles in different tissues/organs in a context-dependent manner. In addition to being a circadian photoreceptor/protein, attributing also a magnetoreception function to DmCRY has increased its workload. Considering that DmCRY senses photons as a photoreceptor but also can regulate many different events in a light-dependent manner, differential protein-protein interactions (PPIs) of DmCRY might play a critical role in the generation of such diverse outputs. Therefore, we need to add novel approaches in addition to the current ones to study multiple and context-dependent functions of DmCRY by adopting recently developed techniques. Successful identification of transient/fast PPIs on a scale of minutes would enhance our understanding of light-dependent and/or magnetoreception-associated reactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nuri Ozturk
- Molecular Biology and Genetics, Gebze Technical University, Turkey
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7
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Oka Y, Miura T, Ikoma T. Photogenerated Radical Pair between Flavin and a Tryptophan-Containing Transmembrane-Type Peptide in a Large Unilamellar Vesicle. J Phys Chem B 2021; 125:4057-4066. [PMID: 33858138 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.1c01231] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Electron-transfer (ET) reactions in biological systems, such as those with magnetic sensors based on flavoproteins and electron transport at biomembrane interfaces, are interesting and important issues that require understanding. As a model system of flavoproteins in biomimetic environments, we report the dynamics of the radical pair generated by photoinduced ET between riboflavin tetrabutylate (RFTB) and tryptophan (Trp) residues in a transmembrane-type polypeptide, both of which are distributed in a large unilamellar vesicle of 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine. The Trp residues locate near the hydrophilic membrane interface, as confirmed by a dual-fluorescence quenching assay. The fluorescence and transient absorption upon photoexcitation of RFTB indicate that ET from both the singlet and triplet excited states occurs at the hydrophilic interface, whereas the RFTB in the hydrophobic region does not contribute to ET. The ET efficiency and the magnetic field effect (MFE) on the RFTB anion increase significantly above the gel-to-liquid crystal phase transition temperature due to a decrease in microviscosity. The MFE analysis indicates that the radical pair generated from the triplet ET channel exhibits a long lifetime as those in micellar systems due to the strong cage effect of the vesicle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoshimi Oka
- Frontier Research Core for Life Sciences, University of Toyama, 2630 Sugitani, Toyama 930-0194, Japan
| | - Tomoaki Miura
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Niigata University, 2-8050 Ikarashi, Nishi-ku, Niigata 950-2181, Japan
| | - Tadaaki Ikoma
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Niigata University, 2-8050 Ikarashi, Nishi-ku, Niigata 950-2181, Japan
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8
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Adámková J, Benediktová K, Svoboda J, Bartoš L, Vynikalová L, Nováková P, Hart V, Painter MS, Burda H. Turning preference in dogs: North attracts while south repels. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0245940. [PMID: 33507979 PMCID: PMC7842976 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0245940] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2020] [Accepted: 01/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
It was shown earlier that dogs, when selecting between two dishes with snacks placed in front of them, left and right, prefer to turn either clockwise or counterclockwise or randomly in either direction. This preference (or non-preference) is individually consistent in all trials but it is biased in favor of north if they choose between dishes positioned north and east or north and west, a phenomenon denoted as "pull of the north". Here, we replicated these experiments indoors, in magnetic coils, under natural magnetic field and under magnetic field shifted 90° clockwise. We demonstrate that "pull of the north" was present also in an environment without any outdoor cues and that the magnetic (and not topographic) north exerted the effect. The detailed analysis shows that the phenomenon involves also "repulsion of the south". The clockwise turning preference in the right-preferring dogs is more pronounced in the S-W combination, while the counterclockwise turning preference in the left-preferring dogs is pronounced in the S-E combination. In this way, south-placed dishes are less frequently chosen than would be expected, while the north-placed dishes are apparently more preferred. Turning preference did not correlate with the motoric paw laterality (Kong test). Given that the choice of a dish is visually guided, we postulate that the turning preference was determined by the dominant eye, so that a dominant right eye resulted in clockwise, and a dominant left eye in counterclockwise turning. Assuming further that magnetoreception in canines is based on the radical-pair mechanism, a "conflict of interests" may be expected, if the dominant eye guides turning away from north, yet the contralateral eye "sees the north", which generally acts attractive, provoking body alignment along the north-south axis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jana Adámková
- Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Department of Game Management and Wildlife Biology, Czech University of Life Sciences, Praha, Czech Republic
| | - Kateřina Benediktová
- Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Department of Game Management and Wildlife Biology, Czech University of Life Sciences, Praha, Czech Republic
| | - Jan Svoboda
- Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Department of Game Management and Wildlife Biology, Czech University of Life Sciences, Praha, Czech Republic
| | - Luděk Bartoš
- Department of Ethology, Institute of Animal Science, Praha, Czech Republic
- Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Department of Ethology and Companion Animal Science, University of Life Sciences, Praha, Czech Republic
| | - Lucie Vynikalová
- Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Department of Zoology and Fisheries, Czech University of Life Sciences, Praha, Czech Republic
| | - Petra Nováková
- Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Department of Game Management and Wildlife Biology, Czech University of Life Sciences, Praha, Czech Republic
| | - Vlastimil Hart
- Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Department of Game Management and Wildlife Biology, Czech University of Life Sciences, Praha, Czech Republic
| | - Michael S. Painter
- Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Department of Game Management and Wildlife Biology, Czech University of Life Sciences, Praha, Czech Republic
| | - Hynek Burda
- Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Department of Game Management and Wildlife Biology, Czech University of Life Sciences, Praha, Czech Republic
- * E-mail:
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9
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Trudeau VL, Somoza GM. Multimodal hypothalamo-hypophysial communication in the vertebrates. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2020; 293:113475. [PMID: 32240708 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2020.113475] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2019] [Revised: 03/21/2020] [Accepted: 03/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The vertebrate pituitary is arguably one of the most complex endocrine glands from the evolutionary, anatomical and functional perspectives. The pituitary plays a master role in endocrine physiology for the control of growth, metabolism, reproduction, water balance, and the stress response, among many other key processes. The synthesis and secretion of pituitary hormones are under the control of neurohormones produced by the hypothalamus. Under this conceptual framework, the communication between the hypophysiotropic brain and the pituitary gland is at the foundation of our understanding of endocrinology. The anatomy of the connections between the hypothalamus and the pituitary gland has been described in different vertebrate classes, revealing diverse modes of communication together with varying degrees of complexity. In this context, the evolution and variation in the neuronal, neurohemal, endocrine and paracrine modes will be reviewed in light of recent discoveries, and a re-evaluation of earlier observations. There appears to be three main hypothalamo-pituitary communication systems: 1. Diffusion, best exemplified by the agnathans; 2. Direct innervation of the adenohypophysis, which is most developed in teleost fish, and 3. The median eminence/portal blood vessel system, most conspicuously developed in tetrapods, showing also considerable variation between classes. Upon this basic classification, there exists various combinations possible, giving rise to taxon and species-specific, multimodal control over major physiological processes. Intrapituitary paracrine regulation and communication between folliculostellate cells and endocrine cells are additional processes of major importance. Thus, a more complex evolutionary picture of hypothalamo-hypophysial communication is emerging. There is currently little direct evidence to suggest which neuroendocrine genes may control the evolution of one communication system versus another. However, studies at the developmental and intergenerational timescales implicate several genes in the angiogenesis and axonal guidance pathways that may be important.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vance L Trudeau
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario K1N 6N5, Canada.
| | - Gustavo M Somoza
- Instituto Tecnológico de Chascomús (CONICET-UNSAM), Chascomús, Buenos Aires B7130IWA, Argentina.
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10
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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.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roswitha Wiltschko
- FB Biowissenschaften, Goethe-Universität Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Wiltschko
- FB Biowissenschaften, Goethe-Universität Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
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11
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Fitak RR, Schweikert LE, Wheeler BR, Ernst DA, Lohmann KJ, Johnsen S. Near absence of differential gene expression in the retina of rainbow trout after exposure to a magnetic pulse: implications for magnetoreception. Biol Lett 2018; 14:rsbl.2018.0209. [PMID: 29875210 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2018.0209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2018] [Accepted: 05/08/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability to perceive the Earth's magnetic field, or magnetoreception, exists in numerous animals. Although the mechanism underlying magnetoreception has not been clearly established in any species, in salmonid fish, it is hypothesized to occur by means of crystals of magnetite associated with nervous tissue such as the brain, olfactory organ or retina. In this study, rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) were exposed to a brief magnetic pulse known to disrupt magnetic orientation behaviour in several animals. Changes in gene expression induced by the pulse were then examined in the retina. Analyses indicated that the pulse elicited differential expression of only a single gene, gamma-crystallin M3-like (crygm3). The near absence of an effect of the magnetic pulse on gene expression in the retina stands in sharp contrast to a recent study in which 181 genes were differentially expressed in brain tissue of O. mykiss after exposure to the same pulse. Overall, our results suggest either that magnetite-based magnetoreceptors in trout are not located in the retina, or else that they are unaffected by magnetic pulses that can disrupt magnetic orientation behaviour in animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert R Fitak
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | | | | | - David A Ernst
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Kenneth J Lohmann
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Sönke Johnsen
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
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12
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Long-distance navigation and magnetoreception in migratory animals. Nature 2018; 558:50-59. [PMID: 29875486 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-018-0176-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 230] [Impact Index Per Article: 38.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2017] [Accepted: 04/13/2018] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
For centuries, humans have been fascinated by how migratory animals find their way over thousands of kilometres. Here, I review the mechanisms used in animal orientation and navigation with a particular focus on long-distance migrants and magnetoreception. I contend that any long-distance navigational task consists of three phases and that no single cue or mechanism will enable animals to navigate with pinpoint accuracy over thousands of kilometres. Multiscale and multisensory cue integration in the brain is needed. I conclude by raising twenty important mechanistic questions related to long-distance animal navigation that should be solved over the next twenty years.
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13
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Oka Y, Shishino H. Fluorescence Quenching of Alexa Fluor 488-labeled DNA by Complementary Trp-containing PNA Partitioned in Liquid-ordered Domains. CHEM LETT 2017. [DOI: 10.1246/cl.170755] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Yoshimi Oka
- Frontier Research Core for Life Sciences, University of Toyama, 2630 Sugitani, Toyama 930-0194
| | - Hisae Shishino
- Frontier Research Core for Life Sciences, University of Toyama, 2630 Sugitani, Toyama 930-0194
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14
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Ferrari MC, McCormick MI, Mitchell MD, Allan BJ, Gonçalves EJ, Chivers DP. Daily variation in behavioural lateralization is linked to predation stress in a coral reef fish. Anim Behav 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2017.09.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
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15
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Nießner C, Winklhofer M. Radical-pair-based magnetoreception in birds: radio-frequency experiments and the role of cryptochrome. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2017; 203:499-507. [PMID: 28612234 PMCID: PMC5522499 DOI: 10.1007/s00359-017-1189-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2017] [Revised: 05/28/2017] [Accepted: 05/29/2017] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The radical-pair hypothesis of magnetoreception has gained a lot of momentum, since the flavoprotein cryptochrome was postulated as a structural candidate to host magnetically sensitive chemical reactions. Here, we first discuss behavioral tests using radio-frequency magnetic fields (0.1-10 MHz) to specifically disturb a radical-pair-based avian magnetic compass sense. While disorienting effects of broadband RF magnetic fields have been replicated independently in two competing labs, the effects of monochromatic RF magnetic fields administered at the electronic Larmor frequency (~1.3 MHz) are disparate. We give technical recommendations for future RF experiments. We then focus on two candidate magnetoreceptor proteins in birds, Cry1a and Cry1b, two splice variants of the same gene (Cry1). Immunohistochemical studies have identified Cry1a in the outer segments of the ultraviolet/violet-sensitive cone photoreceptors and Cry1b in the cytosol of retinal ganglion cells. The identification of the host neurons of these cryptochromes and their subcellular expression patterns presents an important advance, but much work lies ahead to gain some functional understanding. In particular, interaction partners of cryptochrome Cry1a and Cry1b remain to be identified. A candidate partner for Cry4 was previously suggested, but awaits independent replication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christine Nießner
- Ernst Strüngmann Institute for Neuroscience, Deutschordenstr 46, 60528, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Michael Winklhofer
- Institute for Biology and Environmental Sciences IBU, School of Mathematics and Science, University of Oldenburg, 26111, Oldenburg, Germany.
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16
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Lateralization of the Avian Magnetic Compass: Analysis of Its Early Plasticity. Symmetry (Basel) 2017. [DOI: 10.3390/sym9050077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
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17
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Lateral thinking - Interocular symmetry and asymmetry in neurovascular patterning, in health and disease. Prog Retin Eye Res 2017; 59:131-157. [PMID: 28457789 DOI: 10.1016/j.preteyeres.2017.04.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2016] [Revised: 03/24/2017] [Accepted: 04/24/2017] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
No biological system or structure is likely to be perfectly symmetrical, or have identical right and left forms. This review explores the evidence for eye and visual pathway asymmetry, in health and in disease, and attempts to provide guidance for those studying the structure and function of the visual system, where recognition of symmetry or asymmetry may be essential. The principal question with regards to asymmetry is not 'are the eyes the same?', for some degree of asymmetry is pervasive, but 'when are they importantly different?'. Knowing if right and left eyes are 'importantly different' could have significant consequences for deciding whether right or left eyes are included in an analysis or for examining the association between a phenotype and ocular parameter. The presence of significant asymmetry would also have important implications for the design of normative databases of retinal and optic nerve metrics. In this review, we highlight not only the universal presence of asymmetry, but provide evidence that some elements of the visual system are inherently more asymmetric than others, pointing to the need for improved normative data to explain sources of asymmetry and their impact on determining associations with genetic, environmental or health-related factors and ultimately in clinical practice.
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Spontaneous magnetic alignment behaviour in free-living lizards. THE SCIENCE OF NATURE - NATURWISSENSCHAFTEN 2017; 104:13. [DOI: 10.1007/s00114-017-1439-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2016] [Revised: 01/30/2017] [Accepted: 02/01/2017] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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19
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Jorge PE, Marques PAM, Pinto BV, Phillips JB. Asymmetrical Processing of Olfactory Input in the Piriform Cortex Mediates "Activation" of the Avian Navigation Circuitry. Chem Senses 2016; 41:745-754. [PMID: 27516210 DOI: 10.1093/chemse/bjw084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The role of odors in the long-distance navigation of birds has elicited intense debate for more than half a century. Failure to resolve many of the issues fueling this debate is due at least in part to the absence of controls for a variety of non-specific effects that odors have on the navigational process. The present experiments were carried out to investigate whether the olfactory inputs are involved only in "activation" of neuronal circuitry involved in navigation or are also playing a role in providing directional information. Experienced adult pigeons were exposed to controlled olfactory stimuli during different segments of the journey (release site vs. displacement + release site). Protein levels of IEGs (immediate early genes used to mark synaptic activity) were analyzed in areas within the olfactory/navigation avian circuitry. The results indicate that 1) exposure to natural odors at the release site (and not before) elicit greater activation across brain regions than exposure to filtered air, artificial odors, and natural odors along the entire outward journey (from home to the release site, inclusive); 2) activation of the piriform cortex in terms of odor discrimination is lateralized; 3) activation of the navigation circuitry is achieved by means of lateralized activation of piriform cortex neurons. Altogether, the findings provide the first direct evidence that activation of the avian navigation circuitry is mediated by asymmetrical processing of olfactory input occurring in the right piriform cortex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paulo E Jorge
- MARE - Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre , ISPA - Instituto Universitário , Rua Jardim do Tabaco 34, 1149-041 Lisboa , Portugal
| | - Paulo A M Marques
- MARE - Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre , ISPA - Instituto Universitário , Rua Jardim do Tabaco 34, 1149-041 Lisboa , Portugal
| | - Belmiro V Pinto
- SIM , Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa , Campo Grande,1749-016 Lisboa , Portugal
| | - John B Phillips
- Department of Biological Sciences , Virginia Tech , Blacksburg , 24061-0406 VA , USA
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20
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Jiang X, Feng J, Huang L, Wu Y, Su B, Yang W, Mai L, Jiang L. Bioinspired 1D Superparamagnetic Magnetite Arrays with Magnetic Field Perception. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2016; 28:6952-6958. [PMID: 27229849 DOI: 10.1002/adma.201601609] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2016] [Revised: 04/21/2016] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Superparamagnetic magnetite nanoparticles can be assembled into 1D arrays by a capillary-bridge mediate assembly approach, inspired by the Earth's magnetic field perception in nature. These 1D arrays possess strict alignment, precise position and high aspect ratio, yielding highly anisotropic magnetization characteristic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiangyu Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Supermolecular Structureand Materials, College of Chemistry, Jilin University, Changchun, 130012, P. R. China
| | - Jiangang Feng
- Laboratory of Bioinspired Smart Interfacial Science, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, P. R. China
| | - Lei Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Advanced Technology for Materials, Synthesis and Processing, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Yuchen Wu
- Laboratory of Bioinspired Smart Interfacial Science, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, P. R. China
| | - Bin Su
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, 3800, Australia
| | - Wensheng Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Supermolecular Structureand Materials, College of Chemistry, Jilin University, Changchun, 130012, P. R. China
| | - Liqiang Mai
- State Key Laboratory of Advanced Technology for Materials, Synthesis and Processing, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Lei Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Supermolecular Structureand Materials, College of Chemistry, Jilin University, Changchun, 130012, P. R. China
- Laboratory of Bioinspired Smart Interfacial Science, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, P. R. China
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21
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Affiliation(s)
- P. J. Hore
- Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QZ, United Kingdom;
| | - Henrik Mouritsen
- Institut für Biologie und Umweltwissenschaften, Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg, DE-26111 Oldenburg, Germany;
- Research Centre for Neurosensory Sciences, University of Oldenburg, DE-26111 Oldenburg, Germany
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Malkemper EP, Painter MS, Landler L. Shifted magnetic alignment in vertebrates: Evidence for neural lateralization? J Theor Biol 2016; 399:141-7. [PMID: 27059891 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2016.03.040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2016] [Revised: 03/13/2016] [Accepted: 03/28/2016] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
A wealth of evidence provides support for magnetic alignment (MA) behavior in a variety of disparate species within the animal kingdom, in which an animal, or a group of animals, show a tendency to align the body axis in a consistent orientation relative to the geomagnetic field lines. Interestingly, among vertebrates, MA typically coincides with the north-south magnetic axis, however, the mean directional preferences of an individual or group of organisms is often rotated clockwise from the north-south axis. We hypothesize that this shift is not a coincidence, and future studies of this subtle, yet consistent phenomenon may help to reveal some properties of the underlying sensory or processing mechanisms, that, to date, are not well understood. Furthermore, characterizing the fine structure exhibited in MA behaviors may provide key insights to the biophysical substrates mediating magnetoreception in vertebrates. Therefore, in order to determine if a consistent shift is exhibited in taxonomically diverse vertebrates, we performed a meta-analysis on published MA datasets from 23 vertebrate species that exhibited an axial north-south preference. This analysis revealed a significant clockwise shift from the north-south magnetic axis. We summarize and discuss possible competing hypotheses regarding the proximate mechanisms underlying the clockwise shifted MA and conclude that the most likely cause of such a shift would be a lateralization in central processing of magnetic information.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Pascal Malkemper
- Department of General Zoology, Faculty of Biology, University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstrasse. 2, 45117 Essen, Germany; Department of Game Management and Wildlife Biology, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcká 129, 165 21 Prague 6, Czech Republic
| | - Michael S Painter
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Lukas Landler
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America; Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP), Vienna Biocenter (VBC), 1030 Vienna, Austria.
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Belova NA, Acosta-Avalos D. The Effect of Extremely Low Frequency Alternating Magnetic Field on the Behavior of Animals in the Presence of the Geomagnetic Field. JOURNAL OF BIOPHYSICS (HINDAWI PUBLISHING CORPORATION : ONLINE) 2015; 2015:423838. [PMID: 26823664 PMCID: PMC4707359 DOI: 10.1155/2015/423838] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2015] [Accepted: 12/09/2015] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
It is known that the geomagnetic field can influence animal migration and homing. The magnetic field detection by animals is known as magnetoreception and it is possible due to two different transduction mechanisms: the first one through magnetic nanoparticles able to respond to the geomagnetic field and the second one through chemical reactions influenced by magnetic fields. Another behavior is the magnetic alignment where animals align their bodies to the geomagnetic field. It has been observed that magnetic alignment of cattle can be disrupted near electric power lines around the world. Experimentally, it is known that alternating magnetic fields can influence living beings, but the exact mechanism is unknown. The parametric resonance model proposes a mechanism to explain that effect on living beings and establishes that, in the presence of a constant magnetic field, molecules associated with biochemical reactions inside cells can absorb resonantly alternating magnetic fields with specific frequencies. In the present paper, a review is made about animal magnetoreception and the effects of alternating magnetic fields in living beings. It is suggested how alternating magnetic fields can interfere in the magnetic alignment of animals and a general conclusion is obtained: alternating magnetic field pollution can affect the magnetic sensibility of animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalia A. Belova
- Institute of Theoretical and Experimental Biophysics Russian Academy of Sciences, Institutskaya 3, Pushchino, Moscow 142290, Russia
| | - Daniel Acosta-Avalos
- Centro Brasileiro de Pesquisas Fisicas (CBPF), Rua Xavier Sigaud 150, Urca, 22290-180 Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
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Wiltschko R, Gehring D, Denzau S, Nießner C, Wiltschko W. Magnetoreception in birds: II. Behavioural experiments concerning the cryptochrome cycle. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2015; 217:4225-8. [PMID: 25472973 PMCID: PMC4254397 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.110981] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Behavioural tests of the magnetic compass of birds and corresponding immunohistological studies on the activation of retinal cryptochrome 1a, the putative receptor molecule, showed oriented behaviour and activated Cry1a under 373 nm UV, 424 nm blue, 502 nm turquoise and 565 nm green light, although the last wavelength does not allow the first step of photoreduction of cryptochrome to the semiquinone form. The tested birds had been kept under ‘white’ light before, hence we suggested that there was a supply of semiquinone present at the beginning of the exposure to green light that could be further reduced and then re-oxidized. To test the hypothesis in behavioural experiments, we tested robins, Erithacus rubecula, under various wavelengths (1) after 1 h pre-exposure to total darkness and (2) after 1 h pre-exposure to the same light as used in the test. The birds were oriented under blue and turquoise light, where the full cryptochrome cycle can run, but not under green light. This finding is in agreement with the hypothesis. Orientation under green light appears to be a transient phenomenon until the supply of semiquinone is depleted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roswitha Wiltschko
- Goethe-Universität Frankfurt, FB Biowissenschaften, Max-von-Laue-Straße 13, D-60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Dennis Gehring
- Goethe-Universität Frankfurt, FB Biowissenschaften, Max-von-Laue-Straße 13, D-60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Susanne Denzau
- Goethe-Universität Frankfurt, FB Biowissenschaften, Max-von-Laue-Straße 13, D-60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Christine Nießner
- Goethe-Universität Frankfurt, FB Biowissenschaften, Max-von-Laue-Straße 13, D-60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Wiltschko
- Goethe-Universität Frankfurt, FB Biowissenschaften, Max-von-Laue-Straße 13, D-60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
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25
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Melkikh AV, Khrennikov A. Nontrivial quantum and quantum-like effects in biosystems: Unsolved questions and paradoxes. PROGRESS IN BIOPHYSICS AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2015; 119:137-61. [PMID: 26160644 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbiomolbio.2015.07.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2015] [Revised: 07/02/2015] [Accepted: 07/03/2015] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Non-trivial quantum effects in biological systems are analyzed. Some unresolved issues and paradoxes related to quantum effects (Levinthal's paradox, the paradox of speed, and mechanisms of evolution) are addressed. It is concluded that the existence of non-trivial quantum effects is necessary for the functioning of living systems. In particular, it is demonstrated that classical mechanics cannot explain the stable work of the cell and any over-cell structures. The need for quantum effects is generated also by combinatorial problems of evolution. Their solution requires a priori information about the states of the evolving system, but within the framework of the classical theory it is not possible to explain mechanisms of its storage consistently. We also present essentials of so called quantum-like paradigm: sufficiently complex bio-systems process information by violating the laws of classical probability and information theory. Therefore the mathematical apparatus of quantum theory may have fruitful applications to describe behavior of bio-systems: from cells to brains, ecosystems and social systems. In quantum-like information biology it is not presumed that quantum information bio-processing is resulted from quantum physical processes in living organisms. Special experiments to test the role of quantum mechanics in living systems are suggested. This requires a detailed study of living systems on the level of individual atoms and molecules. Such monitoring of living systems in vivo can allow the identification of the real potentials of interaction between biologically important molecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexey V Melkikh
- Ural Federal University, Mira str. 19, Yekaterinburg, 620002, Russia.
| | - Andrei Khrennikov
- International Center for Mathematical Modelling in Physics and Cognitive Sciences, Linnaeus University, Växjö, S-35195, Sweden.
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26
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Carrillo A, Cornelio MF, de Oliveira MC. Environment-induced anisotropy and sensitivity of the radical pair mechanism in the avian compass. PHYSICAL REVIEW. E, STATISTICAL, NONLINEAR, AND SOFT MATTER PHYSICS 2015; 92:012720. [PMID: 26274215 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.92.012720] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2014] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Several experiments over the years have shown that the earth's magnetic field is essential for orientation in birds' migration. The most promising explanation for this orientation is the photo-stimulated radical pair (RP) mechanism. In order to define a reference frame for the orientation task radicals must have an intrinsic anisotropy. We show that this kind of anisotropy and consequently the entanglement in the model are not necessary for the proper functioning of the compass. Classically correlated initial conditions for the RP, subjected to a fast decoherence process, are able to provide the anisotropy required. Even a dephasing environment can provide the necessary frame for the compass to work and also implies fast decay of any quantum correlation in the system without damaging the orientation ability. This fact significantly expands the range of applicability of the RP mechanism providing more elements for experimental search.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alejandro Carrillo
- Instituto de Física Gleb Wataghin, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, CEP 13083-859, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Marcio F Cornelio
- Instituto de Física, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso, 78068-900, Cuiabá MT, Brazil
| | - Marcos C de Oliveira
- Instituto de Física Gleb Wataghin, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, CEP 13083-859, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
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27
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Ferrari MC, McCormick MI, Allan BJM, Choi RB, Ramasamy RA, Chivers DP. The effects of background risk on behavioural lateralization in a coral reef fish. Funct Ecol 2015. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.12483] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Maud C.O. Ferrari
- Department of Biomedical Sciences WCVM University of Saskatchewan Saskatoon SK S7N 5E4 Canada
| | - Mark I. McCormick
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies and College of Marine & Environmental Sciences James Cook University Townsville Qld 4810 Australia
| | - Bridie J. M. Allan
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies and College of Marine & Environmental Sciences James Cook University Townsville Qld 4810 Australia
| | - Rebecca B. Choi
- Department of Biology Macalester College St. Paul MN 55105 USA
| | - Ryan A. Ramasamy
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies and College of Marine & Environmental Sciences James Cook University Townsville Qld 4810 Australia
| | - Douglas P. Chivers
- Department of Biology University of Saskatchewan Saskatoon SK S7N 5E2 Canada
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28
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Jonckers E, Güntürkün O, De Groof G, Van der Linden A, Bingman VP. Network structure of functional hippocampal lateralization in birds. Hippocampus 2015; 25:1418-28. [DOI: 10.1002/hipo.22462] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/17/2015] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Onur Güntürkün
- Department of Biopsychology; Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr-University Bochum; Bochum Germany
| | - Geert De Groof
- Bio-Imaging Laboratory; University of Antwerp; Antwerp Belgium
| | | | - Verner P. Bingman
- Department of Psychology; Bowling Green State University; Bowling Green Ohio
- J.P. Scott Center for Neuroscience, Mind and Behavior; Bowling Green State University; Bowling Green Ohio
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29
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Wang J, Du X, Pan W, Wang X, Wu W. Photoactivation of the cryptochrome/photolyase superfamily. JOURNAL OF PHOTOCHEMISTRY AND PHOTOBIOLOGY C-PHOTOCHEMISTRY REVIEWS 2015. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jphotochemrev.2014.12.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
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30
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Clausen J, Guerreschi GG, Tiersch M, Briegel HJ. Multiple re-encounter approach to radical pair reactions and the role of nonlinear master equations. J Chem Phys 2014; 141:054107. [DOI: 10.1063/1.4891470] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
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31
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Wiltschko R, Munro U, Ford H, Stapput K, Thalau P, Wiltschko W. Orientation of migratory birds under ultraviolet light. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2014; 200:399-407. [PMID: 24718656 DOI: 10.1007/s00359-014-0898-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2013] [Revised: 03/05/2014] [Accepted: 03/07/2014] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
In view of the finding that cryptochrome 1a, the putative receptor molecule for the avian magnetic compass, is restricted to the ultraviolet single cones in European Robins, we studied the orientation behaviour of robins and Australian Silvereyes under monochromatic ultraviolet (UV) light. At low intensity UV light of 0.3 mW/m(2), birds showed normal migratory orientation by their inclination compass, with the directional information originating in radical pair processes in the eye. At 2.8 mW/m(2), robins showed an axial preference in the east-west axis, whereas silvereyes preferred an easterly direction. At 5.7 mW/m(2), robins changed direction to a north-south axis. When UV light was combined with yellow light, robins showed easterly 'fixed direction' responses, which changed to disorientation when their upper beak was locally anaesthetised with xylocaine, indicating that they were controlled by the magnetite-based receptors in the beak. Orientation under UV light thus appears to be similar to that observed under blue, turquoise and green light, albeit the UV responses occur at lower light levels, probably because of the greater light sensitivity of the UV cones. The orientation under UV light and green light suggests that at least at the level of the retina, magnetoreception and vision are largely independent of each other.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roswitha Wiltschko
- Fachbereich Biowissenschaften der, J.W.Goethe-Universität Frankfurt, Max von Laue Straße 13, 60438, Frankfurt am Main, Germany,
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32
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Affiliation(s)
- R. A. Holland
- School of Biological Sciences; Queen's University of Belfast; Belfast UK
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33
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Portugal SJ, Hubel TY, Fritz J, Heese S, Trobe D, Voelkl B, Hailes S, Wilson AM, Usherwood JR. Upwash exploitation and downwash avoidance by flap phasing in ibis formation flight. Nature 2014; 505:399-402. [DOI: 10.1038/nature12939] [Citation(s) in RCA: 205] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2013] [Accepted: 12/03/2013] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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Nießner C, Denzau S, Stapput K, Ahmad M, Peichl L, Wiltschko W, Wiltschko R. Magnetoreception: activated cryptochrome 1a concurs with magnetic orientation in birds. J R Soc Interface 2013; 10:20130638. [PMID: 23966619 PMCID: PMC3785833 DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2013.0638] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The radical pair model proposes that the avian magnetic compass is based on radical pair processes in the eye, with cryptochrome, a flavoprotein, suggested as receptor molecule. Cryptochrome 1a (Cry1a) is localized at the discs of the outer segments of the UV/violet cones of European robins and chickens. Here, we show the activation characteristics of a bird cryptochrome in vivo under natural conditions. We exposed chickens for 30 min to different light regimes and analysed the amount of Cry1a labelled with an antiserum against an epitope at the C-terminus of this protein. The staining after exposure to sunlight and to darkness indicated that the antiserum labels only an illuminated, activated form of Cry1a. Exposure to narrow-bandwidth lights of various wavelengths revealed activated Cry1a at UV, blue and turquoise light. With green and yellow, the amount of activated Cry1a was reduced, and with red, as in the dark, no activated Cry1a was labelled. Activated Cry1a is thus found at all those wavelengths at which birds can orient using their magnetic inclination compass, supporting the role of Cry1a as receptor molecule. The observation that activated Cry1a and well-oriented behaviour occur at 565 nm green light, a wavelength not absorbed by the fully oxidized form of cryptochrome, suggests that a state other than the previously suggested Trp•/FAD• radical pair formed during photoreduction is crucial for detecting magnetic directions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christine Nießner
- FB Biowissenschaften, J.W. Goethe-Universität Frankfurt, Siesmayerstrasse 70, 60054 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
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35
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Ozarowska A, Ilieva M, Zehtindjiev P, Akesson S, Muś K. A new approach to evaluate multimodal orientation behaviour of migratory passerine birds recorded in circular orientation cages. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2013; 216:4038-46. [PMID: 23868843 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.088757] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Circular orientation cages have been used for several decades to record the migratory orientation of passerine migrants, and have been central to the investigation of the functional characteristics of the biological compasses used for orientation. The use of these cages offers unique possibilities to study the migratory behaviour of songbirds, but suffers from statistical limitations in evaluating the directions of the activity recorded in the cages. The migratory activity has been reported to vary, including complex multimodal orientation of migratory passerines tested in orientation cages irrespective of species studied. The currently applied circular statistical methods fail to describe orientation responses differing from unimodal and axial distributions. We propose for the first time a modelling procedure enabling the analysis of multimodal distributions at either an individual or a group level. In this paper we compare the results of conventional methods and the recommended modelling approach. Migratory routes may be more complex than a simple migratory direction, and multimodal behaviour in migratory species at the individual and population levels can be advantageous. Individuals may select the expected migratory direction, but may also return to safer sites en route, i.e. sites already known, which provide food and/or shelter in reverse directions. In individual birds, several directions may be expressed in the same test hour. At the species level, multimodal orientation may give an opportunity to expand the range or may refer to differential migration route preferences in different populations of birds. A conflicting experimental situation may also result in a different preferential orientation. In this paper we suggest a statistical solution to deal with these types of variations in orientation preference.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agnieszka Ozarowska
- Bird Migration Research Station, University of Gdańsk, Wita Stwosza 59, 80-308 Gdańsk, Poland
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36
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De Groof G, Jonckers E, Güntürkün O, Denolf P, Van Auderkerke J, Van der Linden A. Functional MRI and functional connectivity of the visual system of awake pigeons. Behav Brain Res 2013; 239:43-50. [PMID: 23137696 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2012.10.044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2012] [Revised: 10/23/2012] [Accepted: 10/29/2012] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
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37
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Hasenstein KH, John S, Scherp P, Povinelli D, Mopper S. Analysis of magnetic gradients to study gravitropism. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY 2013; 100:249-55. [PMID: 23174915 DOI: 10.3732/ajb.1200304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
PREMISE OF THE STUDY Gravitropism typically is generated by dense particles that respond to gravity. Experimental stimulation by high-gradient magnetic fields provides a new approach to selectively manipulate the gravisensing system. METHODS The movement of corn, wheat, and potato starch grains in suspension was examined with videomicroscopy during parabolic flights that generated 20 to 25 s of weightlessness. During weightlessness, a magnetic gradient was generated by inserting a wedge into a uniform, external magnetic field that caused repulsion of starch grains. The resultant velocity of movement was compared with the velocity of sedimentation under 1 g conditions. RESULTS The high-gradient magnetic fields repelled the starch grains and generated a force of at least 0.6 g. Different wedge shapes significantly affected starch velocity and directionality of movement. CONCLUSIONS Magnetic gradients are able to move diamagnetic compounds under weightless or microgravity conditions and serve as directional stimulus during seed germination in low-gravity environments. Further work can determine whether gravity sensing is based on force or contact between amyloplasts and statocyte membrane system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karl H Hasenstein
- Biology Department, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Lafayette, Louisiana 70504-2451, USA.
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38
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Suthers RA, Vallet E, Kreutzer M. Bilateral coordination and the motor basis of female preference for sexual signals in canary song. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2012; 215:2950-9. [PMID: 22875764 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.071944] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The preference of female songbirds for particular traits in the songs of courting males has received considerable attention, but the relationship of preferred traits to male quality is poorly understood. Female domestic canaries (Serinus canaria, Linnaeus) preferentially solicit copulation with males that sing special high repetition rate, wide-band, multi-note syllables, called 'sexy' or A-syllables. Syllables are separated by minibreaths but each note is produced by pulsatile expiration, allowing high repetition rates and long duration phrases. The wide bandwidth is achieved by including two notes produced sequentially on opposite sides of the syrinx, in which the left and right sides are specialized for low or high frequencies, respectively. The emphasis of low frequencies is facilitated by a positive relationship between syllable repetition rate and the bandwidth of the fundamental frequency of notes sung by the left syrinx, such that bandwidth increases with increasing syllable repetition rate. The temporal offset between notes prevents cheating by unilaterally singing a note on the left side with a low fundamental frequency and prominent higher harmonics. The syringeal and respiratory motor patterns by which sexy syllables are produced support the hypothesis that these syllables provide a sensitive vocal-auditory indicator of a male's performance limit for the rapid, precisely coordinated interhemispheric switching, which is essential for many sensory and motor processes involving specialized contributions from each cerebral hemisphere.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roderick A Suthers
- Medical Science and Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA.
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Gehring D, Wiltschko W, Güntürkün O, Denzau S, Wiltschko R. Development of lateralization of the magnetic compass in a migratory bird. Proc Biol Sci 2012; 279:4230-5. [PMID: 22933375 PMCID: PMC3441093 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2012.1654] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The magnetic compass of a migratory bird, the European robin (Erithacus rubecula), was shown to be lateralized in favour of the right eye/left brain hemisphere. However, this seems to be a property of the avian magnetic compass that is not present from the beginning, but develops only as the birds grow older. During first migration in autumn, juvenile robins can orient by their magnetic compass with their right as well as with their left eye. In the following spring, however, the magnetic compass is already lateralized, but this lateralization is still flexible: it could be removed by covering the right eye for 6 h. During the following autumn migration, the lateralization becomes more strongly fixed, with a 6 h occlusion of the right eye no longer having an effect. This change from a bilateral to a lateralized magnetic compass appears to be a maturation process, the first such case known so far in birds. Because both eyes mediate identical information about the geomagnetic field, brain asymmetry for the magnetic compass could increase efficiency by setting the other hemisphere free for other processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dennis Gehring
- FB Biowissenschaften, J.W. Goethe-Universität Frankfurt, Siesmayerstr. 70, 60054 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
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Bischof HJ, Nießner C, Peichl L, Wiltschko R, Wiltschko W. Avian ultraviolet/violet cones as magnetoreceptors: The problem of separating visual and magnetic information. Commun Integr Biol 2012; 4:713-6. [PMID: 22446535 DOI: 10.4161/cib.17338] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
In a recent paper, we described the localization of cryptochrome 1a in the retina of domestic chickens, Gallus gallus, and European robins, Erithacus rubecula: Cryptochrome 1a was found exclusively along the membranes of the disks in the outer segments of the ultraviolet/violet single cones. Cryptochrome has been suggested to act as receptor molecule for the avian magnetic compass, which would mean that the UV/V cones have a double function: they mediate vision in the short-wavelength range and, at the same time, magnetic directional information. This has important implications and raises a number of questions, in particular, how the two types of input are separated. Here, we point out several possibilities how this could be achieved.
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Tiersch M, Briegel HJ. Decoherence in the chemical compass: the role of decoherence for avian magnetoreception. PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. SERIES A, MATHEMATICAL, PHYSICAL, AND ENGINEERING SCIENCES 2012; 370:4517-4540. [PMID: 22908340 DOI: 10.1098/rsta.2011.0488] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Contrary to the usual picture that decoherence destroys quantum properties and causes the quantum-to-classical transition, we argue that decoherence can also play a constructive role in driving quantum dynamics and amplifying its results to macroscopic scales. We support this perspective by presenting an example system from spin chemistry, which is also of importance for biological systems, e.g. in avian magnetoreception.
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Affiliation(s)
- Markus Tiersch
- Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of Innsbruck, Technikerstr. 25, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria.
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Night-migratory songbirds possess a magnetic compass in both eyes. PLoS One 2012; 7:e43271. [PMID: 22984416 PMCID: PMC3440406 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0043271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2012] [Accepted: 07/18/2012] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Previous studies on European robins, Erithacus rubecula, and Australian silvereyes, Zosterops lateralis, had suggested that magnetic compass information is being processed only in the right eye and left brain hemisphere of migratory birds. However, recently it was demonstrated that both garden warblers, Sylvia borin, and European robins have a magnetic compass in both eyes. These results raise the question if the strong lateralization effect observed in earlier experiments might have arisen from artifacts or from differences in experimental conditions rather than reflecting a true all-or-none lateralization of the magnetic compass in European robins. Here we show that (1) European robins having only their left eye open can orient in their seasonally appropriate direction both during autumn and spring, i.e. there are no strong lateralization differences between the outward journey and the way home, that (2) their directional choices are based on the standard inclination compass as they are turned 180° when the inclination is reversed, and that (3) the capability to use the magnetic compass does not depend on monocular learning or intraocular transfer as it is already present in the first tests of the birds with only one eye open.
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Cressey D. Pigeons may ‘hear’ magnetic fields. Nature 2012. [DOI: 10.1038/nature.2012.10540] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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Wiltschko R, Dehe L, Gehring D, Thalau P, Wiltschko W. Interactions between the visual and the magnetoreception system: different effects of bichromatic light regimes on the directional behavior of migratory birds. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2012; 107:137-46. [PMID: 22504660 DOI: 10.1016/j.jphysparis.2012.03.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2012] [Revised: 03/29/2012] [Accepted: 03/30/2012] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
When magnetic compass orientation of migratory robins was tested, the birds proved well oriented under low intensity monochromatic light of shorter wavelengths up to 565 nm green; from 583 nm yellow onward, they were disoriented. In the present study, we tested robins under bichromatic lights composed (1) of 424 nm blue and 565 nm green and (2) of 565 nm green and 583 nm yellow at two intensities. Under dim blue-green light with a total quantal flux of ca. 8 × 10(15)quanta/sm(2), the birds were well oriented in their migratory direction by their inclination compass; under blue-green light of twice this intensity, their orientation became axial. In both cases, the magnetic directional information was mediated by the radical pair processes in the eye. When green and yellow light were combined, however, the nature of the behavior changed. Under green-yellow light of the higher intensity, the birds showed a 'fixed direction' response that was polar, no longer controlled by the normal inclination compass; under dim green-yellow light, the response became axial. Under these two light conditions, the respective directional information was mediated by the magnetite-based receptors in the skin of the upper beak. Apparently, yellow light leads to a change from one magnetoreception system to the other. How this change is effected is still unknown; it appears to reflect complex interactions between the visual and the two magnetoreception systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roswitha Wiltschko
- Fachbereich Biowissenschaften der Universität, J.W. Goethe-Frankfurt, Siesmayerstraße 70, D 60054 Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
| | - Lars Dehe
- Fachbereich Biowissenschaften der Universität, J.W. Goethe-Frankfurt, Siesmayerstraße 70, D 60054 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Dennis Gehring
- Fachbereich Biowissenschaften der Universität, J.W. Goethe-Frankfurt, Siesmayerstraße 70, D 60054 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Peter Thalau
- Fachbereich Biowissenschaften der Universität, J.W. Goethe-Frankfurt, Siesmayerstraße 70, D 60054 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Wiltschko
- Fachbereich Biowissenschaften der Universität, J.W. Goethe-Frankfurt, Siesmayerstraße 70, D 60054 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
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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]
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Solov'yov IA, Schulten K. Reaction kinetics and mechanism of magnetic field effects in cryptochrome. J Phys Chem B 2012; 116:1089-99. [PMID: 22171949 PMCID: PMC3266978 DOI: 10.1021/jp209508y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Creatures as varied as mammals, fish, insects, reptiles, and birds have an intriguing sixth sense that allows them to orient themselves in the Earth's magnetic field. Despite decades of study, the physical basis of this magnetic sense remains elusive. A likely mechanism is furnished by magnetically sensitive radical pair reactions occurring in the retina, the light-sensitive part of animal eyes. A photoreceptor, cryptochrome, has been suggested to endow birds with magnetoreceptive abilities as the protein has been shown to exhibit the biophysical properties required for an animal magnetoreceptor to operate properly. Here, we propose a theoretical analysis method for identifying cryptochrome's signaling reactions involving comparison of measured and calculated reaction kinetics in cryptochrome. Application of the method yields an exemplary light-driven reaction cycle, supported through transient absorption and electron-spin-resonance observations together with known facts on avian magnetoreception. The reaction cycle permits one to predict magnetic field effects on cryptochrome activation and deactivation. The suggested analysis method gives insight into structural and dynamic design features required for optimal detection of the geomagnetic field by cryptochrome and suggests further experimental and theoretical studies.
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Descovich KA, Reints Bok TE, Lisle AT, Phillips CJC. Auditory laterality in a nocturnal, fossorial marsupial (Lasiorhinus latifrons) in response to bilateral stimuli. Laterality 2012; 18:32-43. [PMID: 23231543 DOI: 10.1080/1357650x.2011.626562] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
Abstract
Behavioural lateralisation is evident across most animal taxa, although few marsupial and no fossorial species have been studied. Twelve wombats (Lasiorhinus latifrons) were bilaterally presented with eight sounds from different contexts (threat, neutral, food) to test for auditory laterality. Head turns were recorded prior to and immediately following sound presentation. Behaviour was recorded for 150 seconds after presentation. Although sound differentiation was evident by the amount of exploration, vigilance, and grooming performed after different sound types, this did not result in different patterns of head turn direction. Similarly, left-right proportions of head turns, walking events, and food approaches in the post-sound period were comparable across sound types. A comparison of head turns performed before and after sound showed a significant change in turn direction (χ(2) (1)=10.65, p=.001) from a left preference during the pre-sound period (mean 58% left head turns, CI 49-66%) to a right preference in the post-sound (mean 43% left head turns, CI 40-45%). This provides evidence of a right auditory bias in response to the presentation of the sound. This study therefore demonstrates that laterality is evident in southern hairy-nosed wombats in response to a sound stimulus, although side biases were not altered by sounds of varying context.
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Affiliation(s)
- K A Descovich
- School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, University of Queensland, Gatton, QLD, Australia.
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Wiltschko R, Wiltschko W. 'Fixed direction'-responses of birds in the geomagnetic field. Commun Integr Biol 2011; 2:100-3. [PMID: 19704901 DOI: 10.4161/cib.7622] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2008] [Accepted: 12/15/2008] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
IN A RECENT PAPER, WE DESCRIBED THE ORIENTATION BEHAVIOR OF TWO PASSERINE MIGRANTS UNDER DIM RED LIGHT: the birds headed westward in spring as well as in autumn, displaying a 'fixed direction'-response. 'Fixed direction'-responses in other directions were observed under abnormal light regimes. Here, we point out the characteristic features of the 'fixed direction'-responses, in particular their differences to normal compass orientation, and discuss their implications. The conditions under which they are observed suggest complex interactions between magnetoreception and the visual system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roswitha Wiltschko
- FB Biowissenschaften; J.W. Goethe-Universität Frankfurt; Frankfurt a.M., Germany
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Pavlova GA, Glantz RM, Dennis Willows AO. Responses to magnetic stimuli recorded in peripheral nerves in the marine nudibranch mollusk Tritonia diomedea. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2011; 197:979-86. [DOI: 10.1007/s00359-011-0659-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2011] [Revised: 05/12/2011] [Accepted: 06/08/2011] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Niessner C, Denzau S, Gross JC, Peichl L, Bischof HJ, Fleissner G, Wiltschko W, Wiltschko R. Avian ultraviolet/violet cones identified as probable magnetoreceptors. PLoS One 2011; 6:e20091. [PMID: 21647441 PMCID: PMC3102070 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0020091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 140] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2011] [Accepted: 04/24/2011] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The Radical-Pair-Model postulates that the reception of magnetic compass directions in birds is based on spin-chemical reactions in specialized photopigments in the eye, with cryptochromes discussed as candidate molecules. But so far, the exact subcellular characterization of these molecules in the retina remained unknown. Methodology/Principal Findings We here describe the localization of cryptochrome 1a (Cry1a) in the retina of European robins, Erithacus rubecula, and domestic chickens, Gallus gallus, two species that have been shown to use the magnetic field for compass orientation. In both species, Cry1a is present exclusively in the ultraviolet/violet (UV/V) cones that are distributed across the entire retina. Electron microscopy shows Cry1a in ordered bands along the membrane discs of the outer segment, and cell fractionation reveals Cry1a in the membrane fraction, suggesting the possibility that Cry1a is anchored along membranes. Conclusions/Significance We provide first structural evidence that Cry1a occurs within a sensory structure arranged in a way that fulfils essential requirements of the Radical-Pair-Model. Our findings, identifying the UV/V-cones as probable magnetoreceptors, support the assumption that Cry1a is indeed the receptor molecule mediating information on magnetic directions, and thus provide the Radical-Pair-Model with a profound histological background.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christine Niessner
- Fachbereich Biowissenschaften der J.W. Goethe-Universität Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
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