The Nature of the True Navigation map of Migratory Songbirds

候鸟真正导航地图的性质尽管对候鸟如何在繁殖地和越冬地之间导航进行了50多年的密集研究，但鸟类的导航地图仍然未知。这个项目试图在一个迁徙鸣鸟的模型系统中解决这个问题，白冠麻雀在阿拉斯加繁殖，在加利福尼亚州过冬。先进的无线电跟踪技术将被用于在野外远距离跟踪候鸟。从之前的研究中得知，成年鸟从阿拉斯加向南迁徙时会使用地图信息：从华盛顿州迁徙到新泽西州的成年鸟飞回加利福尼亚州。在新泽西州，面临同样挑战的青少年继续向南迁徙，这表明青少年导航只基于与生俱来的指南针方位。成年候鸟(拥有地图)和幼年候鸟(只有指南针)之间的这种差异提供了一个理想的系统来操纵感官线索，并测试野生候鸟在野外而不是在实验室导航的定向成功。该项目将跟踪24只成年白冠麻雀和24只幼年白冠麻雀在秋季迁徙期间的情况，为期3年。研究人员将把三分之一的鸟置于嗅觉剥夺(测试嗅觉图假说)，三分之一的鸟暴露在磁脉冲(测试磁图假说)下，并将三分之一的鸟作为对照。从成年鸟类的定向成功，将有可能确定哪些线索对于候鸟的导航图是必不可少的。这个项目将能够：i)测试和开发新的小型可移动生物的跟踪方法，允许监测农业害虫物种，如蝗虫和病媒；ii)通过科学伙伴吸引K-12学生学习鸣禽迁徙。网络。

Martin WikelskiIOS-0744704The Nature of the True Navigation Map of Migratory SongbirdsDespite more than 50 years of intensive research on how migratory songbirds navigate between breeding and wintering grounds, the navigational map of birds remains unknown. This project attempts to resolve this question in a model system of migratory songbirds, the White-crowned sparrow, that breeds in Alaska and winters in California. Advanced radio-tracking technology will be employed to follow migratory birds for long distances in the wild. It is known from previous research that adult birds use map information when they migrate south from Alaska: Adults that were translocated during their migration from Washington State to New Jersey flew back towards California. Juveniles exposed to the same challenge continued to migrate south in New Jersey, indicating that juveniles navigate based only on an innate compass bearing. This difference between adults (possessing a map) and juveniles (possessing only a compass) provides an ideal system to manipulate sensory cues and test orientation success in wild migratory birds, navigating in the field, rather than in the laboratory. This project will track 24 adult and 24 juvenile white-crowned sparrows during fall migration every year for 3 years. Researchers will expose 1/3 of the birds to olfactory deprivation (testing the olfactory map hypothesis), 1/3 of the birds to a magnetic pulse (testing the magnetic map hypothesis), and will use 1/3 of the birds as controls. From the orientation success of adult birds it will be possible to determine which cues are essential for the navigational map in migratory birds.This project will be able to i) test and develop new tracking methodologies for small mobile organisms allowing for the monitoring of agricultural pest species such as locusts and disease vectors and ii) attract K-12 students to the study of songbird migration via the ?Science Buddies? network.