Animal Navigation and orientation

Question 1

Why do animals feel the need to move about?

Answer 1

Avoid predators
Environment (weather, temperature)
Find food
Protect young
Find a mate

Question 2

Simple response to why animals move about?

Answer 2

Kinesis: random movement
Taxis: directed movement

Question 3

Complex response to why animals move about?

Answer 3

Longer distance movements (note the distance is subjective depending on species under discussion)

Question 4

What strategies are associated with complex responses to need to move about?

Answer 4

Piloting, Compass orientation, True navigation

Question 5

Piloting

Answer 5

complex response to moving about

use familiar landmarks through sensory system; Notable turns and direction change

Question 6

Compass orientation

Answer 6

complex response to need to move about

move simply in compass direction without regard to landmarks

Movement in straight line

Example: monarch butterfly in migration goes south with no regard to landmarks (until closer to destination)

Question 7

True navigation

Answer 7

complex response to moving about

Study movements to determine this; certain turns and movements on the way to destination vs straight line to go home is good example

Question 8

Niko Tinbergen

Answer 8

ethologist, observed behavior of female digger wasp

Question 9

Describe the experiment of the female digger wasp

Answer 9

Nest built underground (that’s terrifying)
Female circles around nest a few times before leaving area, hypothesized female was creating visual landmarks
How it was testing: Tinbergen put pinecones around nest before female came back; waited until she was in nest and left nest again; moved pinecones to another area and female went there instead

Question 10

Describe the travel of Sahara Desert Ant

Answer 10

Note that ants have different roles (go collect outside colony, some stay there forever, etc.)
Example of visual landmarks experiment
Worker ants have internal navigation
Worker ants carry nonworkers ants, hypothesized nonworkers could not navigate themselves to home
However, they were WRONG
Optic flow is the visual information that the nonworker ants were using to navigate home
As being carried, taking in visual info to guage where they are

Question 11

What happened when the eyes of ants got painted over, in terms of navigation?

Answer 11

One experiment painted over the eyes of ants, no longer could navigate to home since they have no access to visual landmarks anymore

Question 12

Single snapshot memory

Answer 12

works best for shorter distance travel, single mental image to get home

Question 13

Serial snapshot memory

Answer 13

works best for longer distance travel, multiple mental images to understand where they are at and how to get “home;” understand to follow mental images in reverse to go home in a general sense, not an exact sense

Linked to higher level of thinking, such as cognitive mapping; extrapolate where they are and go home

Question 14

Describe the use of celestial navigation

Answer 14

sun: rises in the east, sets in the west; moves 15 degrees/hour
Circadian rhythm/internal clock directs them as well

Question 15

Describe the navigation of European Starlings

Answer 15

Magnetic Field: Like many migratory birds, starlings are believed to use the Earth’s magnetic field to help them navigate over long distances.

Celestial Cues: While not as well-documented, some studies suggest that starlings, like other birds, may use the position of the sun and stars for navigation during migration.

Question 16

Describe possible navigation tactics of the Indigo Bunting

Answer 16

Visual Cues: Indigo buntings use visual landmarks during the day to help them navigate their environment. This includes features like trees, rivers, and other prominent objects.

Celestial Cues: Indigo buntings are known for their remarkable ability to navigate using the stars. They migrate at night and use the position of the stars to guide their journey3. Studies have shown that they learn the star patterns from a young age, using constellations like the Big Dipper and the North Star as reference points.

Magnetic Field: Like many migratory birds, indigo buntings are believed to use the Earth’s magnetic field to help them navigate over long distances.

Question 17

Describe the Thalamofugal Pathway

Answer 17

Retina: It starts with the retinal cells in the eye.

Optic Nerve: Signals travel via the optic nerve.

Thalamus: The signals then reach the principal optic thalami (a part of the brain).

Visual Wulst: Finally, the signals are processed in the visual Wulst (a brain region responsible for visual perception).

Use in birds significantly and in mammals

Question 18

Describe how Monarch Butterflies navigate

Answer 18

They rely on a combination of magnetic cues, the position of the sun, and visual landmarks to navigate during their long migrations. Their internal compass allows them to reverse course in the spring and head back to their breeding grounds in the north.

Question 19

Sternarchorhynchus mormyrus and Campylomormyrus phantasticus: describe their navigation abilities and compare

Answer 19

Both species are weakly electric fish, and their electric organ discharges (EODs) play a crucial role in navigation and communication.

Electric Organ Discharge (EOD): These fish generate electric fields to navigate and locate objects in their environment. The frequency and pattern of EODs can vary between species and even individuals, affecting their ability to detect obstacles and prey.

Heart Rate and EOD: The heart rate can influence the EOD frequency. A higher heart rate might lead to a higher EOD frequency, which could affect the fish’s ability to process environmental information and navigate effectively.

S.m. higher rate while C. p. lower rate

Question 20

Describe navigation of bats

Answer 20

Echolocation: Bats emit high-frequency sounds (ultrasonic calls) that bounce off objects in their environment. By interpreting the returning echoes, bats can construct a detailed acoustic map of their surroundings. This allows them to detect prey, avoid obstacles, and navigate effectively.

Acoustic Cognitive Map: Recent studies have shown that bats can create an “acoustic cognitive map” of their home range, enabling them to navigate over long distances using echolocation alone. Even when displaced several kilometers from their roost, bats can find their way back using this map.

Question 21

How could you behaviorally identify that an animal is using piloting as a form of navigation?

Answer 21

animal follows the same route repeatedly, making the same moves at different landmarks

Question 22

What did Tinbergen’s 1930s study in Digger wasps, and a more recent paper in the Sahara Desert ant reveal about an important sensory systems that aid an animal’s navigation?

Answer 22

They relied heavily on the visual landmarks; when these were manipulated or impaired, could no longer navigate properly

Question 23

What is cognitive mapping and why was it controversial when first proposed?

Answer 23

Cognitive mapping refers to the mental representation of spatial information that animals (including humans) use to navigate their environment. When first proposed by Edward Tolman in the 1940s, it was controversial because it challenged the prevailing behaviorist view that animal behavior could only be explained by stimulus-response associations, suggesting instead that animals have internal cognitive processes. Critics doubted the existence of such mental maps, but subsequent research provided evidence supporting the concept, making it a foundational idea in cognitive psychology and animal behavior studies.

Question 24

What hormone is hypothesized to play a role in navigation in salmon?

Answer 24

The hormone cortisol is hypothesized to play a significant role in the navigation of salmon. Cortisol levels increase during the migration of salmon back to their natal streams, and this elevation is thought to enhance their ability to recall the chemical composition of their home stream water, aiding in their navigation.

Question 25

How do single and serial snap-shot memory work? As in, for what circumstances might an animal be expected to use it?

Answer 25

single snapshot used for shorter distances while serial captures memory for longer distances

Question 26

What voltages of electricity are typically used by animals for navigational purposes?

Answer 26

10V

Question 27

In what ways (more than one) can animals detect magnetism?

Answer 27

through nerve cells, through electrical fields, magnetic fields, through chemicals