Lukas Landler

Rapid Learning of Magnetic Compass Direction by C57BL/6 Mice in a 4-Armed 'Plus' Water Maze

Magnetoreception has been demonstrated in all five vertebrate classes. In rodents, nest building experiments have shown the use of magnetic cues by two families of molerats, Siberian hamsters and C57BL/6 mice. However, assays widely used to study rodent spatial cognition (e.g. water maze, radial arm maze) have failed to provide evidence for the use of magnetic cues. Here we show that C57BL/6 mice can learn the magnetic direction of a submerged platform in a 4-armed (plus) water maze. Naïve mice were given two brief training trials. In each trial, a mouse was confined to one arm of the maze with the submerged platform at the outer end in a predetermined alignment relative to magnetic north. Between trials, the training arm and magnetic field were rotated by 180° so that the mouse had to swim in the same magnetic direction to reach the submerged platform. The directional preference of each mouse was tested once in one of four magnetic field alignments by releasing it at the center of the maze with access to all four arms. Equal numbers of responses were obtained from mice tested in the four symmetrical magnetic field alignments. Findings show that two training trials are sufficient for mice to learn the magnetic direction of the submerged platform in a plus water maze. The success of these experiments may be explained by: (1) absence of alternative directional cues (2), rotation of magnetic field alignment, and (3) electromagnetic shielding to minimize radio frequency interference that has been shown to interfere with magnetic compass orientation of birds. These findings confirm that mice have a well-developed magnetic compass, and give further impetus to the question of whether epigeic rodents (e.g., mice and rats) have a photoreceptor-based magnetic compass similar to that found in amphibians and migratory birds.

Spontaneous Magnetic Alignment by Yearling Snapping Turtles: Rapid Association of Radio Frequency Dependent Pattern of Magnetic Input with Novel Surroundings

We investigated spontaneous magnetic alignment (SMA) by juvenile snapping turtles using exposure to low-level radio frequency (RF) fields at the Larmor frequency to help characterize the underlying sensory mechanism. Turtles, first introduced to the testing environment without the presence of RF aligned consistently towards magnetic north when subsequent magnetic testing conditions were also free of RF (‘RF off → RF off’), but were disoriented when subsequently exposed to RF (‘RF off → RF on’). In contrast, animals initially introduced to the testing environment with RF present were disoriented when tested without RF (‘RF on → RF off’), but aligned towards magnetic south when tested with RF (‘RF on → RF on’). Sensitivity of the SMA response of yearling turtles to RF is consistent with the involvement of a radical pair mechanism. Furthermore, the effect of RF appears to result from a change in the pattern of magnetic input, rather than elimination of magnetic input altogether, as proposed to explain similar effects in other systems/organisms. The findings show that turtles first exposed to a novel environment form a lasting association between the pattern of magnetic input and their surroundings. However, under natural conditions turtles would never experience a change in the pattern of magnetic input. Therefore, if turtles form a similar association of magnetic cues with the surroundings each time they encounter unfamiliar habitat, as seems likely, the same pattern of magnetic input would be associated with multiple sites/localities. This would be expected from a sensory input that functions as a global reference frame, helping to place multiple locales (i.e., multiple local landmark arrays) into register to form a global map of familiar space.

Magnetic orientation of the Common Toad: establishing an arena approach for adult anurans

BackgroundMagnetic orientation is a taxonomically widespread phenomenon in the animal kingdom, but has been little studied in anuran amphibians. We collected Common Toads (Bufo bufo) during their migration towards their spawning pond and tested them shortly after displacement for possible magnetic orientation in arena experiments. Animals were tested in two different set-ups, in the geomagnetic field and in a reversed magnetic field. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study testing orientation of adult anurans with a controlled magnetic field of a known strength and alignment.ResultsAfter displacement, toads oriented themselves unimodally under the geomagnetic field, following their former migration direction (d-axis). When the magnetic field was reversed, the distribution of bearings changed from a unimodal to a bimodal pattern, but still along the d-axis. The clustering of bearings was only significant after the toads reached the outer circle, 60.5 cm from their starting point. At a virtual inner circle (diameter 39 cm) and at the start of the experiment, orientation of toads did not show any significant pattern.ConclusionsThe experimental set-up used in our study is suitable to test orientation behaviour of the Common Toad. We speculate that toads had not enough time to relocate their position on an internal map. Hence, they followed their former migration direction. Bimodality in orientation when exposed to the reversed magnetic field could be the result of a cue conflict, between magnetic and possibly celestial cues. For maintaining their migration direction toads use, at least partly, the geomagnetic field as a reference system.

Shifted magnetic alignment in vertebrates: Evidence for neural lateralization?

A wealth of evidence provides support for magnetic alignment (MA) behavior in a variety of disparate species within the animal kingdom, in which an animal, or a group of animals, show a tendency to align the body axis in a consistent orientation relative to the geomagnetic field lines. Interestingly, among vertebrates, MA typically coincides with the north-south magnetic axis, however, the mean directional preferences of an individual or group of organisms is often rotated clockwise from the north-south axis. We hypothesize that this shift is not a coincidence, and future studies of this subtle, yet consistent phenomenon may help to reveal some properties of the underlying sensory or processing mechanisms, that, to date, are not well understood. Furthermore, characterizing the fine structure exhibited in MA behaviors may provide key insights to the biophysical substrates mediating magnetoreception in vertebrates. Therefore, in order to determine if a consistent shift is exhibited in taxonomically diverse vertebrates, we performed a meta-analysis on published MA datasets from 23 vertebrate species that exhibited an axial north-south preference. This analysis revealed a significant clockwise shift from the north-south magnetic axis. We summarize and discuss possible competing hypotheses regarding the proximate mechanisms underlying the clockwise shifted MA and conclude that the most likely cause of such a shift would be a lateralization in central processing of magnetic information.

Global Trends in Woodpecker Cavity Entrance Orientation: Latitudinal and Continental Effects Suggest Regional Climate Influence

Abstract. Animal constructions represent an extension of the individual phenotype upon which selection may act to create discernable population level patterns. Here we explore global patterns in woodpecker cavity entrance orientation to infer underlying selective forces that shape cavity construction. We performed a comprehensive systematic meta-analysis of woodpecker cavity entrance orientation from 80 populations of 23 species of woodpeckers and other picids throughout the Northern Hemisphere. We show that woodpecker cavity entrance orientation is typically nonrandom, suggesting that selection acts on cavity entrance orientation. The proportion of studies in which significant results were found increased significantly with sample size, and we estimated that more than half of the studies with a sample size of at least 100 showed non-random cavity entrance orientation. Populations occurring at higher latitudes preferred a more southerly orientation, indicating that temperature or something related thereto may be driving cavity entrance orientation. Differences between Eurasia and North America in orientation are consistent with this hypothesis. Taxonomic relationships were not a significant predictor of the strength of orientation and thus unrelated woodpecker populations respond similarly to regional environmental drivers. Our results demonstrate latitudinal and continental patterns that strongly suggest regional climate as a selective force on cavity entrance orientation. Further work utilizing available long-term data sets throughout the world promises to uncover possible fitness consequences of cavity orientation on woodpeckers.

High levels of maternally transferred mercury disrupt magnetic responses of snapping turtle hatchlings (Chelydra serpentina)

The Earths magnetic field is involved in spatial behaviours ranging from long-distance migration to non-goal directed behaviours, such as spontaneous magnetic alignment (SMA). Mercury is a harmful pollutant most often generated from anthropogenic sources that can bio-accumulate in animal tissue over a lifetime. We compared SMA of hatchling snapping turtles from mothers captured at reference (i.e., low mercury) and mercury contaminated sites. Reference turtles showed radio frequency-dependent SMA along the north-south axis, consistent with previous studies of SMA, while turtles with high levels of maternally inherited mercury failed to show consistent magnetic alignment. In contrast, there was no difference between reference and mercury exposed turtles on standard performance measures. The magnetic field plays an important role in animal orientation behaviour and may also help to integrate spatial information from a variety of sensory modalities. As a consequence, mercury may compromise the performance of turtles in a wide variety of spatial tasks. Future research is needed to determine the threshold for mercury effects on snapping turtles, whether mercury exposure compromises spatial behaviour of adult turtles, and whether mercury has a direct effect on the magnetoreception mechanism(s) that mediate SMA or a more general effect on the nervous system.

Cold Snails in Hot Springs: Observations from Patagonia and the Tibetan Plateau

ABSTRACT Patagonia and the Tibetan Plateau both harbor various freshwaters with relatively low temperatures. Pulmonate freshwater gastropods are widely distributed in these water bodies. Both regions, however, also possess a number of geothermal hot springs. Such springs might have served as refugia for freshwater taxa during the Pleistocene. In the present study, two hot spring systems, one in Patagonia and one at the Tibetan Plateau, were examined. Individuals of Chilina patagonica (in Patagonia) as well as Radix cf. auricularia and Gyraulus sp. (at the Tibetan Plateau) were found living in the warm water. These taxa typically live at much lower water temperatures. At the Patagonian hot spring system, gastropods occurred continuously from warm to cold water. Analyses of mitochondrial DNA sequence data revealed very close relationships of Tibetan Plateau hot spring gastropods to cold water populations. Acclimatization and not adaptation is thus probably the main thermal adjustment process involved. Given these findings, it is plausible that hot springs have served as glacial refugia for these freshwater gastropods.

Y-axis orientation in the South American freshwater snail species Chilina patagonica (Gastropoda: Chilinidae)

Y-axis orientation, a movement perpendicular to the shore or coastline, enables aquatic animals to stay in a preferred zone in generally unstable habitats. Such behaviour is a widespread phenomenon in many freshwater and intertidal animal taxa. In the present study, an arena approach was used to test the orientation response of pulmonate freshwater snails. Using this experimental design, Y-axis orientation was shown for the first time in a freshwater snail species, the riverine Chilina patagonica. Some cues, potentially mediating Y-axis orientation, appeared to play no role in the shown orientation behaviour, such as chemical, gravity and humidity cues or a sun compass. Magnetic cues, however, could not be excluded. Since no significant differences in orientation were detected between different size classes in C. patagonica, orientation behaviour may not vary substantially throughout the snails life history. In contrast to C. patagonica, no consistent orientation response was seen in the related lacustrine species Chilina llanquihuensis. The adaptation of C. patagonica to exhibit orientation along the Y-axis may be driven by the avoidance of high velocities in deeper water.

Comment on "Magnetosensitive neurons mediate geomagnetic orientation in Caenorhabditis elegans"

A diverse array of species on the planet employ the Earths magnetic field as a navigational aid. As the majority of these animals are migratory, their utility to interrogate the molecular and cellular basis of the magnetic sense is limited. Vidal-Gadea and colleagues recently argued that the worm Caenorhabditis elegans possesses a magnetic sense that guides their vertical movement in soil. In making this claim, they relied on three different behavioral assays that involved magnetic stimuli. Here, we set out to replicate their results employing blinded protocols and double wrapped coils that control for heat generation. We find no evidence supporting the existence of a magnetic sense in C. elegans. We further show that the Vidal-Gadea hypothesis is problematic as the adoption of a correction angle and a fixed trajectory relative to the Earths magnetic inclination does not necessarily result in vertical movement.

Mutations in Vps15 perturb neuronal migration in mice and are associated with neurodevelopmental disease in humans

The formation of the vertebrate brain requires the generation, migration, differentiation and survival of neurons. Genetic mutations that perturb these critical cellular events can result in malformations of the telencephalon, providing a molecular window into brain development. Here we report the identification of an N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea-induced mouse mutant characterized by a fractured hippocampal pyramidal cell layer, attributable to defects in neuronal migration. We show that this is caused by a hypomorphic mutation in Vps15 that perturbs endosomal–lysosomal trafficking and autophagy, resulting in an upregulation of Nischarin, which inhibits Pak1 signaling. The complete ablation of Vps15 results in the accumulation of autophagic substrates, the induction of apoptosis and severe cortical atrophy. Finally, we report that mutations in VPS15 are associated with cortical atrophy and epilepsy in humans. These data highlight the importance of the Vps15–Vps34 complex and the Nischarin–Pak1 signaling hub in the development of the telencephalon.The brain is a complex biological machine that results from the birth, migration and differentiation of neurons. This paper reports that Vps15 enables the migration and survival of neurons, and implicates the gene in neurodevelopmental disease.