Journal article
Weak broadband electromagnetic fields are more disruptive to magnetic compass orientation in a night-migratory songbird (Erithacus rubecula) than strong narrow-band fields
- Abstract:
- Magnetic compass orientation in night-migratory songbirds is embedded in the visual system and seems to be based on a light-dependent radical pair mechanism. Recent findings suggest that both broadband electromagnetic fields ranging from ~2 kHz to ~9 MHz and narrow-band fields at the so-called Larmor frequency for a free electron in the Earth’s magnetic field can disrupt this mechanism. However, due to local magnetic fields generated by nuclear spins, effects specific to the Larmor frequency are difficult to understand considering that the primary sensory molecule should be organic and probably a protein. We therefore constructed a purpose-built laboratory and tested the orientation capabilities of European robins in an electromagnetically silent environment, under the specific influence of four different oscillating narrow-band electromagnetic fields, at the Larmor frequency, double the Larmor frequency, 1.315 MHz or 50 Hz, and in the presence of broadband electromagnetic noise covering the range from ~2 kHz to ~9 MHz. Our results indicated that the magnetic compass orientation of European robins could not be disrupted by any of the relatively strong narrow-band electromagnetic fields employed here, but that the weak broadband field very efficiently disrupted their orientation.
- Publication status:
- Published
- Peer review status:
- Peer reviewed
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(Preview, Version of record, pdf, 2.2MB, Terms of use)
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- Publisher copy:
- 10.3389/fnbeh.2016.00055
Authors
- Publisher:
- Frontiers Media
- Journal:
- Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience More from this journal
- Publication date:
- 2016-03-22
- Acceptance date:
- 2016-03-07
- DOI:
- EISSN:
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1662-5153
- Keywords:
- Pubs id:
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pubs:619125
- UUID:
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uuid:a543909e-2c1e-4137-a6df-bf3a5348b92e
- Local pid:
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pubs:619125
- Source identifiers:
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619125
- Deposit date:
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2016-05-02
Terms of use
- Copyright holder:
- Susanne Schwarze et al
- Copyright date:
- 2016
- Notes:
- This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The use, distribution and reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
- Licence:
- CC Attribution (CC BY)
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