期刊
JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY INTERFACE
卷 17, 期 170, 页码 -出版社
ROYAL SOC
DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2020.0513
关键词
magnetic sense; mole-rat; sensory biology; magnetite; animal orientation
资金
- German National Academic Foundation (Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes)
- grant 'EVA4.0' - OP RDE of the European Union [CZ.02.1.01/0.0/0.0/16_019/0000803]
- Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport of the Czech Republic
Several groups of mammals use the Earth's magnetic field for orientation, but their magnetosensory organ remains unknown. The Ansell's mole-rat (Fukomys anselli, Bathyergidae, Rodentia) is a microphthalmic subterranean rodent with innate magnetic orientation behaviour. Previous studies on this species proposed that its magnetoreceptors are located in the eye. To test this hypothesis, we assessed magnetic orientation in mole-rats after the surgical removal of their eyes compared to untreated controls. Initially, we demonstrate that this enucleation does not lead to changes in routine behaviours, including locomotion, feeding and socializing. We then studied magnetic compass orientation by employing a well-established nest-building assay under four magnetic field alignments. In line with previous studies, control animals exhibited a significant preference to build nests in magnetic southeast. By contrast, enucleated mole-rats built nests in random magnetic orientations, suggesting an impairment of their magnetic sense. The results provide robust support for the hypothesis that mole-rats perceive magnetic fields with their minute eyes, probably relying on magnetite-based receptors in the cornea.
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