The mechanism of the avian magnetic compass
- 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.
Author: | Wolfgang WiltschkoGND, Roswitha WiltschkoORCiDGND, Thorsten RitzORCiDGND |
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URN: | urn:nbn:de:hebis:30:3-765573 |
DOI: | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.proche.2011.08.035 |
ISSN: | 1876-6196 |
Parent Title (English): | Procedia Chemistry |
Publisher: | Elsevier |
Place of publication: | Amsterdam |
Document Type: | Article |
Language: | English |
Date of Publication (online): | 2011/09/16 |
Date of first Publication: | 2011/09/16 |
Publishing Institution: | Universitätsbibliothek Johann Christian Senckenberg |
Contributing Corporation: | Solvay Conference on Chemistry (22. : 2010 : Brüssel) |
Release Date: | 2023/12/07 |
Tag: | Larmor frequency; Magnetic compass; Radical Pair model; cryptochrome; inclination compass |
Volume: | 3 |
Issue: | 1 |
Page Number: | 9 |
First Page: | 276 |
Last Page: | 284 |
HeBIS-PPN: | 516365509 |
Institutes: | Biowissenschaften |
Dewey Decimal Classification: | 5 Naturwissenschaften und Mathematik / 53 Physik / 530 Physik |
5 Naturwissenschaften und Mathematik / 54 Chemie / 540 Chemie und zugeordnete Wissenschaften | |
5 Naturwissenschaften und Mathematik / 59 Tiere (Zoologie) / 590 Tiere (Zoologie) | |
Sammlungen: | Universitätspublikationen |
Licence (German): | Creative Commons - CC BY-NC-ND - Namensnennung - Nicht kommerziell - Keine Bearbeitungen 4.0 International |