American cockroaches prefer four cardinal geomagnetic positions at rest.

VÁCHA, Martin, Markéta KVÍČALOVÁ and Tereza VÁLKOVÁ. American cockroaches prefer four cardinal geomagnetic positions at rest. Behaviour. 2010, vol. 147, No 4, p. 425-440. ISSN 0005-7959.

Basic information

• Original name: American cockroaches prefer four cardinal geomagnetic positions at rest.
• Name in Czech: American cockroaches prefer four cardinal geomagnetic positions at rest.
• Authors: VÁCHA, Martin (203 Czech Republic, guarantor), Markéta KVÍČALOVÁ (203 Czech Republic) and Tereza VÁLKOVÁ (203 Czech Republic).
• Edition: Behaviour, 2010, 0005-7959.

Other information

• Original language: English
• Type of outcome: Article in a journal
• Field of Study: 30105 Physiology
• Country of publisher: Czech Republic
• Confidentiality degree: is not subject to a state or trade secret
• Impact factor: Impact factor: 1.480
• RIV identification code: RIV/00216224:14310/10:00042861
• Organization unit: Faculty of Science
• UT WoS: 000277127600001
• Keywords (in Czech): Alignment cockroach insects magnetoreception positions quadrimodal resting
• Keywords in English: Alignment cockroach insects magnetoreception positions quadrimodal resting
• Tags: International impact, Reviewed

Abstract

A specific behavior based on the ability to perceive the magnetic field has been described in several species: when resting or grazing animals take up a position placing their main body axis parallel with the North-South or East-West geomagnetic axes, which is referred to as magnetic alignment. The adaptive significance of this behavior remains an enigma. No experiments have been made to date to demonstrate conclusively whether that orientation will adequately change in response to an experimental rotation of geomagnetic axes which is a key step to prove the use of exclusively magnetic cues for orientation. In our study, we identified a preference regarding the four cardinal magnetic axes, i.e. a quadrimodal alignment both in natural and in 60deg rotated fields. The study gives the original evidence that quadrimodal alignment is a type of animal behavior specifically related to the cardinal magnetic axes of the Earth.

Abstract (in Czech)

A specific behavior based on the ability to perceive the magnetic field has been described in several species: when resting or grazing animals take up a position placing their main body axis parallel with the North-South or East-West geomagnetic axes, which is referred to as magnetic alignment. The adaptive significance of this behavior remains an enigma. No experiments have been made to date to demonstrate conclusively whether that orientation will adequately change in response to an experimental rotation of geomagnetic axes which is a key step to prove the use of exclusively magnetic cues for orientation. In our study, we identified a preference regarding the four cardinal magnetic axes, i.e. a quadrimodal alignment both in natural and in 60deg rotated fields. The study gives the original evidence that quadrimodal alignment is a type of animal behavior specifically related to the cardinal magnetic axes of the Earth.

Links

• GC206/07/J041, research and development project: Name: Neurální podstata magnetorecepce hmyzu.

Investor: Czech Science Foundation, Towards the neuronal basis of insect magnetoreception

• MSM0021622416, plan (intention): Name: Diverzita biotických společenstev a populací: kauzální analýza variability v prostoru a čase

Investor: Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the CR, Diversity of Biotic Communities and Populations: Causal Analysis of variation in space and time