Ratios among atmospheric trace gases together with winds imply exploitable information for bird navigation: A model elucidating experimental results
Ratios among atmospheric trace gases together with winds imply exploitable information for bird navigation: A model elucidating experimental results
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大气微量气体与风之间的比率意味着鸟类导航的可利用信息：阐明实验结果的模型
DOI：
10.5194/bg-10-6929-2013
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发表时间：
2013
期刊：
影响因子：
4.9
通讯作者：
H. G. Wallraff
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
H. G. Wallraff
描述了一种以鸟类目标为导向的导航模型，该模型基于两个经验发现，建立了从鸟类学到大气化学的桥梁。(1)信鸽要从遥远的陌生地区返回家园，需要长期暴露在家中不受干扰的风中，并能嗅到国内外的环境空气。(2)在德国上空，一些大气痕量气体的比值沿不同方向的空间梯度以及风向而变化。该模型通过利用发现(2)所基于的分析空气样本来模拟发现(1)。从一组46种无所不在的化合物开始，虚拟鸽子在半径为200公里的中心家园周围规则分布的96个地点确定它们之间的相对重量分布，并将该分布与在变化的风条件下在家中确定的相应分布进行比较。根据主风方向的不同，他们试图估计在每个地点，为了接近主风方向，他们应该飞行的罗盘方向。为了使模型起作用，迭代算法通过随机逐步修改对单个化合物的敏感度来模拟进化。在几千个试错步骤的过程中，它通过选择更小的一组最有用和重量最优的物质来逐步改善归航方向，从国内外的比例配置中，它最终获得了与真实鸽子所完成的导航性能相似的导航性能。结论是，动态的化学大气很可能包含足够的空间信息，可以在数百公里的陌生地形上寻找家园。潜在的化学-大气过程仍有待澄清。
A model of avian goal-oriented navigation is described that is based on two empirical findings building a bridge from ornithology to atmospheric chemistry. (1) To orient their courses homeward from distant unfamiliar areas, homing pigeons require long-term exposure to undisturbed winds at the home site and olfactory access to the environmental air at home and abroad. (2) Above Germany, ratios among some atmospheric trace gases vary along differently oriented spatial gradients as well as depending on wind direction. The model emulates finding (1) by utilising the analysed air samples on which finding (2) is based. Starting with an available set of 46 omnipresent compounds, virtual pigeons determine the profile of relative weights among them at each of 96 sites regularly distributed around a central home site within a radius of 200 km and compare this profile with corresponding profiles determined at home under varying wind conditions. Referring to particular similarities and dissimilarities depending on home-wind direction, they try to estimate, at each site, the compass direction they should fly in order to approach home. To make the model work, an iterative algorithm imitates evolution by modifying sensitivity to the individual compounds stepwise at random. In the course of thousands of trial-and-error steps it gradually improves homeward orientation by selecting smaller sets of most useful and optimally weighted substances from whose proportional configurations at home and abroad it finally derives navigational performances similar to those accomplished by real pigeons. It is concluded that the dynamic chemical atmosphere most likely contains sufficient spatial information for home-finding over hundreds of kilometres of unfamiliar terrain. The underlying chemo-atmospheric processes remain to be clarified.