Magnetic Sensing through the Abdomen of the Honey bee.

Chao-Hung Liang,Joe-Air Jiang,Cheng-Long Chuang,En-Cheng Yang

doi:10.1038/srep23657

Abstract

Honey bees have the ability to detect the Earth’s magnetic field, and the suspected magnetoreceptors are the iron granules in the abdomens of the bees. To identify the sensing route of honey bee magnetoreception, we conducted a classical conditioning experiment in which the responses of the proboscis extension reflex (PER) were monitored. Honey bees were successfully trained to associate the magnetic stimulus with a sucrose reward after two days of training. When the neural connection of the ventral nerve cord (VNC) between the abdomen and the thorax was cut, the honey bees no longer associated the magnetic stimulus with the sucrose reward but still responded to an olfactory PER task. The neural responses elicited in response to the change of magnetic field were also recorded at the VNC. Our results suggest that the honey bee is a new model animal for the investigation of magnetite-based magnetoreception.

Highlights

Honey bees have the ability to detect the Earth’s magnetic field, and the suspected magnetoreceptors are the iron granules in the abdomens of the bees
To verify that honey bee behaviour is influenced by a change in the magnetic azimuth, the body turns of bees during the experimental period were recorded
The honey bees made 2.02 ± 0.21 body turns during the stimulus period (1:30 to 3:00), whereas there were only 1.40 ± 0.18 turns made before the stimulus (0:00 to 1:30) and 1.27 ± 0.19 during the after stimulus period (3:00 to 4:30)

Summary

Introduction

Honey bees have the ability to detect the Earth’s magnetic field, and the suspected magnetoreceptors are the iron granules in the abdomens of the bees. The chemical magnetoreception system is known as the light-dependent magnetic sense and is mediated by the ultraviolet (UV)-A/blue light photoreceptor cryptochrome[24] This model proposes that the signals are transmitted to the neural system through the light-induced product of radical pair reactions[22,25]. Some animals, such as migratory birds[26,27] and the blowfly[28], American cockroach[29,30], monarch butterfly[31], and fruit fly[24], have been suggested to use the chemical magnetoreception system. We recorded the neural signals in the honey bee when an extra magnetic field was applied, providing the first report of this kind in insects or even in invertebrates

Methods

Results

Conclusion