Polarized skylight does not calibrate the compass system of a migratory bat
Polarized skylight does not calibrate the compass system of a migratory bat
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DOI：
10.1098/rsbl.2015.0525
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发表时间：
2015-09-01
期刊：
影响因子：
3.3
通讯作者：
Holland, Richard A.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Lindecke, Oliver;Voigt, Christian C.;Holland, Richard A.
在最近的一项研究中，Greif等人。(Greif et al.NAT Commun 5,4488。(DOI：10.1038/NComms5488))展示了偏振光对面临归巢任务的蝙蝠物种的功能作用。这些非迁徙蝙蝠似乎在黄昏时使用偏振天光来校准他们的磁罗盘，但目前尚不清楚迁徙蝙蝠是否也使用这些信号进行校准。在秋季迁徙期间，我们为Nathusius的蝙蝠Pipistrellus nathusii配备了无线电发射器，并测试了在黄昏时暴露在90度旋转偏振光带下的实验动物是否会与对照动物朝向不同的方向。放生后，两组蝙蝠继续朝着同一个方向前进。这项观察反对这种迁徙蝙蝠使用偏振校准的磁罗盘，并质疑使用偏振光导航的能力是蝙蝠的一贯特征。这一发现与一些雀形目鸟类的观察结果相吻合，这些鸟类在迁徙前使用偏振光来校准它们的磁罗盘，但在迁徙过程中不使用。
In a recent study, Greif et al. (Greif et al. Nat Commun 5, 4488. (doi:10.1038/ ncomms5488)) demonstrated a functional role of polarized light for a bat species confronted with a homing task. These non-migratory bats appeared to calibrate their magnetic compass by using polarized skylight at dusk, yet it is unknown if migratory bats also use these cues for calibration. During autumn migration, we equipped Nathusius' bats, Pipistrellus nathusii, with radio transmitters and tested if experimental animals exposed during dusk to a 90 degrees rotated band of polarized light would head in a different direction compared with control animals. After release, bats of both groups continued their journey in the same direction. This observation argues against the use of a polarization-calibrated magnetic compass by this migratory bat and questions that the ability of using polarized light for navigation is a consistent feature in bats. This finding matches with observations in some passerine birds that used polarized light for calibration of their magnetic compass before but not during migration.