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Magnetic map navigation in a migratory songbird requires trigeminal input

Pakhomov, Alexander; Anashina, Anna; Heyers, Dominik; Kobylkov, Dmitry; Mouritsen, Henrik; Chernetsov, Nikita

Authors

Anna Anashina

Dominik Heyers

Dmitry Kobylkov

Henrik Mouritsen

Nikita Chernetsov



Abstract

Recently, virtual magnetic displacement experiments have shown that magnetic cues are indeed important for determining position in migratory birds; but which sensory system(s) do they use to detect the magnetic map cues? Here, we show that Eurasian reed warblers need trigeminal input to detect that they have been virtually magnetically displaced. Birds with bilaterally ablated ophthalmic branches of the trigeminal nerves were not able to re-orient towards their conspecific breeding grounds after a virtual magnetic displacement, exactly like they were not able to compensate for a real physical displacement. In contrast, sham-operated reed warblers re-oriented after the virtual displacement, like intact controls did in the past. Our results show that trigeminally mediated sensory information is necessary for the correct function of the reed warblers’ magnetic positioning system.

Citation

Pakhomov, A., Anashina, A., Heyers, D., Kobylkov, D., Mouritsen, H., & Chernetsov, N. (2018). Magnetic map navigation in a migratory songbird requires trigeminal input. Scientific reports, 8(1), https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-30477-8

Journal Article Type Article
Online Publication Date Aug 10, 2018
Publication Date 2018
Publicly Available Date Aug 10, 2018
Journal Scientific Reports
Print ISSN 2045-2322
Publisher Nature Publishing Group
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 8
Issue 1
DOI https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-30477-8
Public URL https://keele-repository.worktribe.com/output/1240273
Related Public URLs https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-30477-8
Additional Information Received: 14 December 2017; Accepted: 1 August 2018; First Online: 10 August 2018; : The authors declare no competing interests.

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