Interactions and Flexibility in the Orientation System of Migratory Birds

脊椎动物的定向和导航行为是 它的复杂性和对多重性的依赖性是显著的， 相互作用的线索 该系统使动物能够灵活地作出反应 各种各样的环境条件 在迁徙途中遇到的。 中的这种灵活性 行为使动物能够在面对 变化性和变化的可用性的线索， 依赖。 只有在鸟类中， 线索被详细地探索了。 一只小鸟怎么会有一套指南针 在第一次迁移时，足以成功确定 往哪个方向飞？ 艾伯博士会雇佣一个 解决这一问题的办法是， 在这种情况下，他们的经验与相关的方向， 线索（地球磁场，太阳，恒星，偏振光 天空中的图案）可以被操纵。 这样一来，艾伯博士 可以描述在执行过程中发生的交互和校准， 青少年罗盘定向能力的培养 动物 正如大多数复杂的行为一样，这种发展涉及到一个 基于遗传的倾向和模板的丰富相互作用 经验和学习。 这项研究将有助于改善 了解复杂行为的发展，并 更好地了解鸟类迁徙， 保护新热带候鸟的努力。

The orientation and navigation behavior of vertebrate animals is remarkable in its complexity and reliance on multiple, interacting cues. The system enables animals to respond flexibly to the variety of environmental conditions that may be encountered during a migratory journey. This flexibility in behavior enables the animal to perform accurately in the face of variability and changing availability of the cues upon which it relies. Only in birds have the relationships among orientation cues been explored in detail. How does a young bird come to possess a suite of compasses sufficient, on its first migration, to successfully determine in which direction to fly? Dr. Able will employ a developmental approach to this problem, hand-raising birds under controlled conditions in which their experiences with relevant orientation cues (earth's magnetic field, sun, stars, polarized-light patterns in the sky) can be manipulated. In this way Dr. Able can delineate the interactions and calibrations that occur during the development of compass-orientation abilities in the young animal. As in most complex behavior, this development involves a rich interplay of genetically-based predispositions and templates with experience and learning. The research will contribute importantly both to improved understanding of the development of complex behavior, and to a greater understanding of bird migration that will be crucial in efforts to conserve neotropical migratory birds.