Avian orientation: the pulse effect is mediated by the magnetite receptors in the upper beak

作者：Wiltschko Wolfgang; Munro Ursula; Ford Hugh; Wiltschko Roswitha^*

来源：Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 2009, 276(1665): 2227-2232.

DOI：10.1098/rspb.2009.0050

• migratory orientation
• magnetoreception
• magnetite
• magnetic pulse
• magnetite-containing structures
• Australian Silvereyes

Migratory silvereyes treated with a strong magnetic pulse shift their headings by approximately 908, indicating an involvement of magnetite-based receptors in the orientation process. Structures containing superparamagnetic magnetite have been described in the inner skin at the edges of the upper beak of birds, while single-domain magnetite particles are indicated in the nasal cavity. To test which of these structures mediate the pulse effect, we subjected migratory silvereyes, Zosterops l. lateralis, to a strong pulse, and then tested their orientation, while the skin of their upper beak was anaesthetized with a local anaesthetic to temporarily deactivate the magnetite-containing structures there. After the pulse, birds without anaesthesia showed the typical shift, whereas when their beak was anaesthetized, they maintained their original headings. This indicates that the superparamagnetic magnetite-containing structures in the skin of the upper beak are most likely the magnetoreceptors that cause the change in headings observed after pulse treatment.

• 出版日期2009-6-22