TY - JOUR

T1 - Magnetic compass of garden warblers is not affected by oscillating magnetic fields applied to their eyes

AU - Bojarinova, Julia

AU - Kavokin, Kirill

AU - Pakhomov, Alexander

AU - Cherbunin, Roman

AU - Anashina, Anna

AU - Erokhina, Maria

AU - Ershova, Maria

AU - Chernetsov, Nikita

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2020, The Author(s).

PY - 2020/2/26

Y1 - 2020/2/26

N2 - The magnetic compass is an important element of the avian navigation system, which allows migratory birds to solve complex tasks of moving between distant breeding and wintering locations. The photochemical magnetoreception in the eye is believed to be the primary biophysical mechanism behind the magnetic sense of birds. It was shown previously that birds were disoriented in presence of weak oscillating magnetic fields (OMF) with frequencies in the megahertz range. The OMF effect was considered to be a fingerprint of the photochemical magnetoreception in the eye. In this work, we used miniaturized portable magnetic coils attached to the bird’s head to specifically target the compass receptor. We performed behavioural experiments on orientation of long-distance migrants, garden warblers (Sylvia borin), in round arenas. The OMF with the amplitude of about 5 nT was applied locally to the birds’ eyes. Surprisingly, the birds were not disoriented and showed the seasonally appropriate migratory direction. On the contrary, the same birds placed in a homogeneous 5 nT OMF generated by large stationary coils showed clear disorientation. On the basis of these findings, we suggest that the disruption of magnetic orientation of birds by oscillating magnetic fields is not related to photochemical magnetoreceptors in their eyes.

AB - The magnetic compass is an important element of the avian navigation system, which allows migratory birds to solve complex tasks of moving between distant breeding and wintering locations. The photochemical magnetoreception in the eye is believed to be the primary biophysical mechanism behind the magnetic sense of birds. It was shown previously that birds were disoriented in presence of weak oscillating magnetic fields (OMF) with frequencies in the megahertz range. The OMF effect was considered to be a fingerprint of the photochemical magnetoreception in the eye. In this work, we used miniaturized portable magnetic coils attached to the bird’s head to specifically target the compass receptor. We performed behavioural experiments on orientation of long-distance migrants, garden warblers (Sylvia borin), in round arenas. The OMF with the amplitude of about 5 nT was applied locally to the birds’ eyes. Surprisingly, the birds were not disoriented and showed the seasonally appropriate migratory direction. On the contrary, the same birds placed in a homogeneous 5 nT OMF generated by large stationary coils showed clear disorientation. On the basis of these findings, we suggest that the disruption of magnetic orientation of birds by oscillating magnetic fields is not related to photochemical magnetoreceptors in their eyes.

KW - Animal Migration

KW - Animals

KW - Avian Proteins/metabolism

KW - Eye/radiation effects

KW - Magnetic Fields

KW - Seasons

KW - Songbirds/physiology

KW - Taxis Response/radiation effects

KW - LAGENA

KW - MECHANISM

KW - UPPER BEAK

KW - MAGNETORECEPTION

KW - ORIENTATION

KW - MIGRATORY BIRDS

KW - NAVIGATION

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85080032958&partnerID=8YFLogxK

UR - https://www.mendeley.com/catalogue/de10873d-d6fc-3dae-835e-03dd0b8fd266/

U2 - 10.1038/s41598-020-60383-x

DO - 10.1038/s41598-020-60383-x

M3 - Article

C2 - 32103061

AN - SCOPUS:85080032958

VL - 10

JO - Scientific Reports

JF - Scientific Reports

SN - 2045-2322

IS - 1

M1 - 3473

ER -