Night-time neuronal activation of Cluster N in a day- and night-migrating songbird

Summary, in English

Magnetic compass orientation in a night-migratory songbird requires that Cluster N, a cluster of forebrain regions, is functional. Cluster N, which receives input from the eyes via the thalamofugal pathway, shows high neuronal activity in night-migrants performing magnetic compass-guided behaviour at night, whereas no activation is observed during the day, and covering up the birds' eyes strongly reduces neuronal activation. These findings suggest that Cluster N processes light-dependent magnetic compass information in night-migrating songbirds. The aim of this study was to test if Cluster N is active during daytime migration. We used behavioural molecular mapping based on ZENK activation to investigate if Cluster N is active in the meadow pipit (Anthus pratensis), a day- and night-migratory species. We found that Cluster N of meadow pipits shows high neuronal activity under dim-light at night, but not under full room-light conditions during the day. These data suggest that, in day- and night-migratory meadow pipits, the light-dependent magnetic compass, which requires an active Cluster N, may only be used during night-time, whereas another magnetosensory mechanism and/or other reference system(s), like the sun or polarized light, may be used as primary orientation cues during the day.

• Author: Manuela Zapka; Dominik Heyers; Miriam Liedvogel; Erich D. Jarvis; Henrik Mouritsen
• Department/s: MEMEG; Evolutionary ecology
• Publishing year: 2010
• Language: English
• Pages: 619-624
• Publication/Series: European Journal of Neuroscience
• Volume: 32
• Issue: 4
• Links: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1460-9568.2010.07311.x
• Document type: Journal article
• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell
• Topic: Neurosciences
• Keywords: navigation; meadow pipit; magnetoperception; bird migration; magnetic sense
• Status: Published
• ISBN/ISSN/Other: ISSN: 1460-9568