Magnetic Position-Finding and Navigation in Sea Turtles

动物行为学计划非技术摘要提案编号：9816065 PI：Lohmann，论文题目：海龟的磁性定位和导航 几十年来，海龟是如何在看似毫无特色的广阔海洋中航行的一直是个谜。 最近的实验表明，刚孵化的红海龟可以感知地球磁场的两种不同特征，这可能提供关于全球位置的信息。 这些结果表明，海龟导航系统的关键可能是利用磁场特征确定位置的能力。 拟议的研究有三个主要目标。 第一个是调查如何孵化红海龟响应磁功能标志着整个北大西洋的各个位置。 第二个是检查海龟是否能够区分不同的磁性特征，这些磁性特征标志着相邻且相对接近的不同沿海地区，如果它们使用磁性特征导航到它们纳塔尔的海滩附近，成年海龟可能需要这样做。 最后一组实验研究海龟探测到地球磁场的哪些特定特征并做出反应。 研究结果可能揭示以前未被发现的定位和导航机制，这些机制不仅被海龟使用，而且被各种动物使用，如候鸟，商业上重要的鱼类（例如，鲑鱼）和海洋哺乳动物。 此外，了解海龟如何导航，以及它们如何在成年后找到纳塔尔地，可能有助于保护这些受威胁和濒危物种免于灭绝。 研究结果还可能揭示与人类导航系统相关的新导航方法。

Animal Behavior ProgramNontechnical AbstractProposal #: 9816065PI: Lohmann, KennethTitle: MAGNETIC POSITION-FINDING AND NAVIGATION IN SEA TURTLES How sea turtles navigate across vast expanses of seemingly featureless ocean has remained a mystery for decades. Recent experiments have revealed that hatchling loggerhead turtles can sense two different features of the earth's magnetic field that may provide information on global position. These results suggest that the key to the sea turtle navigational system may be an ability to determine location using magnetic field features. The proposed research has three major objectives. The first is to investigate how hatchling loggerheads respond to magnetic features marking various locations throughout the North Atlantic. A second is to examine whether turtles can distinguish between the magnetic features that mark different coastal regions that are contiguous and relatively close together, as adults would presumably need to do if they use magnetic features to navigate into the vicinity of their natal beaches. A final set of experiments investigates what specific feature or features of the earth's field the turtles detect and respond to. Results of the research are likely to reveal previously undiscovered mechanisms of position-finding and navigation that are used not only by sea turtles, but by diverse animals such as migratory birds, commercially important fishes (e.g., salmon), and marine mammals. In addition, understanding how sea turtles navigate, and how they find their natal regions as adults, may benefit conservation efforts to save these threatened and endangered species from extinction. Results may also reveal new navigational methods relevant to human guidance systems.