TY  - JOUR
A1  - Wiltschko, Wolfgang
A1  - Wiltschko, Roswitha
A1  - Ritz, Thorsten
T1  - The mechanism of the avian magnetic compass
T2  - Procedia Chemistry
N2  - The avian magnetic compass was analyzed by testing migratory birds, using their orientation as an indicator. These tests revealed some remarkable properties of the avian magnetic compass: (1) It is an inclination compass’, (2) it is light-dependent, with (3) receptors located in the right eye. These characteristics are in agreement with the Radical Pair model proposed by Ritz et al. (2000). Using the same experimental set-up, we tested the model by behavioral spectroscopy’, exposing migratory birds to radiofrequency fields of different frequencies and intensities. Such fields affected the orientation only when applied at an angle to the field lines. Tests with different frequencies led to an estimate of the life time of the crucial radical pair between 2-10 μs. We also could identify an extremely sensitive resonance at the Larmor frequency, which implies specific properties of the radical pair. Cryptochromes, a blue-light absorbing photopigment, has been proposed to be the receptor-molecule; it has been found to be present in the retina of birds.
KW  - Magnetic compass
KW  - inclination compass
KW  - Radical Pair model
KW  - Larmor frequency
KW  - cryptochrome
Y1  - 2011
UR  - http://publikationen.ub.uni-frankfurt.de/frontdoor/index/index/docId/76557
UR  - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:hebis:30:3-765573
SN  - 1876-6196
VL  - 3
IS  - 1
SP  - 276
EP  - 284
PB  - Elsevier
CY  - Amsterdam
ER  -