Magnetoreception in migratory insects: the magnetic compass and the magnetic map in European migratory Lepidoptera

研究表明，动物可以感知到地球的磁场(EMF)，并将其用于迁徙和导航。然而，磁感的潜在机制仍然知之甚少。虽然已经有证据间接支持几种潜在的机制，但初级磁敏细胞(磁感受器)及其超细胞结构、感知原理和功能特征仍然难以捉摸。鸟类是该地区研究最多的模型，但由于高昂的维护成本、寻找大样本、进行基因编辑和侵入性干预的复杂性，它们很难找到磁感受器。更简单的迁徙生物，如昆虫，可能是很好的模型，因为它们的中枢神经系统不那么复杂，有机会在实验室繁殖，创造击倒动物，并在小机构中进行行为实验。最近在北美和澳大利亚的迁徙鳞翅目昆虫(蝴蝶和飞蛾)中显示了利用磁感来确定方向的能力，但在欧洲物种中从未出现过。迁徙的鳞翅目昆虫是否可以使用电磁场进行导航(定位)也是未知的。该项目的目的是：更好地了解欧洲迁徙蝴蝶如何利用电磁场进行定位和导航。目的1：考察昼夜迁徙的红军上将(Vanessa Atalanta)是否具有利用电动势寻找迁徙方向的能力。目的：探讨夜间迁徙的红翼夜蛾能否利用电磁场进行导航。该项目将通过使用在欧洲(奥地利和东波罗的海)的两个既定实地地点捕获和测试的这两个物种的迁徙个体的非侵入性行为实验来实施。对改变磁场的行为反应将用飞行模拟器来测试，这是一个装置，测试昆虫在受控导航信号(太阳、恒星和电动势)作用下被拴住的动物的迁移方向。

Studies demonstrated that animals can perceive the Earth's magnetic field (EMF) and use it for migration and navigation. Yet, the magnetic sense's underlying mechanism remains poorly understood. Although there exists evidence indirectly supporting several potential mechanisms, the primary magnetosensory cells (magnetoreceptors), their ultracellular structure, perceptive principle, and functional characteristics remain elusive. Birds are the most studied models in the area but they are difficult for finding magnetoreceptors due to high maintenance costs, the complexity of sourcing large samples, doing genetic editing and invasive interventions. Simpler migratory organisms, e.g., insects, might be good models due to their less complicated central nervous system, an opportunity to breed in a laboratory, create knockout animals and perform behavioural experiments in small setups. The ability to use magnetic sense for finding direction has been recently shown in North American and Australian migratory Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths) but never in European species. It also remains unknown whether migratory Lepidoptera can use EMF for navigation (position finding). The project's aim: to better understand how European migratory butterflies use EMF for orientation and navigation. Objective 1: to examine whether Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta), a diurnal migrant, possesses an ability to find migratory direction by EMF. Objective 2: to test whether Red Underwing (Catocala nupta), a nocturnal migratory moth, can use EMF for navigation. The project will be delivered through non-invasive behavioural experiments using migratory individuals of both species captured and tested at 2 established field sites in Europe (Austria and East Baltic). Behavioural responses to a changed magnetic field will be tested with Flight Simulator, a setup testing insect's migratory orientation of a tethered animals while it is exposed to controlled navigational cues (sun, stars and EMF).