MAGNETOSENSORY ORIENTATION

有证据表明，某些动物会发现并定位自己 地球的磁场。此容量可在以下情况下使用 例如，寻找住所、寻找配偶和寻找食物来源。虽然 用于转换地磁的生物传感设备的存在可以是 从不同动物的定向反应推断，目前还没有什么 已知将地磁能量转化为 任何多细胞动物的神经系统。 一种动物被发现了，它有两个不寻常的特征， 提供了一个机会来实现对 地磁意义的物理/生物学基础。海军陆战队 裸目软体动物Tritonia Diomedia对地球磁场的响应 当其他提示不可用时，通过适当调整方向来确定字段。 其次，在最近的实验中，一对对称的可重新识别的 已经发现这种动物大脑中的神经元对 通过激发电磁场来确定周围磁场的方向 冲动。 在这项提案中，实验是在行为， 神经生理学和分子水平设计为(1.) 建立正常的行为背景和地磁的使用 信息，(2)建立感觉输入之间的相互作用 关于流变(水流)和地磁线索的信息，以及 (3)细胞/分子实验以确定生理作用 在参与磁敏反应的神经元中发现的独特多肽 整合。 对动物的感觉或其他调节过程知之甚少 与地球磁场的相互作用，或与较强磁场的相互作用 菲尔兹。这些研究可能有助于阐明这些关系。

Evidence indicates that certain animals detect and orient themselves to the earth's magnetic field. This capacity may be used in the context of homing, finding mates, and locating food sources, for instance. Although the existence of biosensory apparatus for transducing geomagnetism can be inferred from the orienting responses of diverse animals, little is yet known of the mechanisms of transduction of geomagnetic energy into the nervous system of any multicellular animal. An animal has been found which has two unusual features and which provides an opportunity to achieve an understanding of the physical/biological basis for the geomagnetic sense. The marine nudibranch mollusc, Tritonia diomedia responds to the earth's magnetic field by orienting appropriately when other cues are unavailable. Secondly, in recent experiments, a symmetrical pair of re-identifiable neurons in the animal's brain have been found which respond to changes in the direction of the ambient magnetic field by firing electrical impulses. In this proposal, experiments are described at the behavioral, neurophysiological and molecular level that are designed to (1.) establish the normal behavioral context and use of geomagnetic information, (2) establish interaction between sensory inputs carrying information about rheotactic (water current) and geomagnetic cues, and (3) cellular/molecular experiments to determine the physiological roles of unique peptides found in neurons involved in magnetosensory integration. Little is know of the sensory or other processes in animals which mediate interactions with the earth's magnetic field, or with stronger magnetic fields. These studies may help elucidate these relationships.