Structure, function, and use of the magnetic sense in animals (invited)

Abstract

The hypothesis that animals navigate magnetically is attractive because the earth’s magnetic field provides consistent information about position and direction in all environments through which animals travel. However, the hypothesis has been difficult to test because (i) the structure and function of the sense could not readily be analyzed in the laboratory and (ii) the effects of experimental treatments on behavior in the laboratory and field could not be reliably predicted. Our research is focused on the structure and function of the sense in rainbow trout and on applying the understanding gained in the laboratory to studies of navigation by homing pigeons. We have found iron-rich crystals (most likely single-domain magnetite) in candidate magnetoreceptor cells located within a discrete layer of sensory tissue in the nose of rainbow trout. The candidate receptor cells are closely associated with a branch of the trigeminal nerve that responds to changes in intensity but not direction of magnetic fields. In parallel work, we have developed a model of magnetic position determination in which pigeons derive magnetic analogues of geographic latitude and longitude from (i) the total intensity and (ii) the direction of the intensity slope of the earth’s magnetic field. Taken together with our other results, the model gives us confidence that a coherent understanding of the structure, function, and use of the magnetic sense in animals is now developing.