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Northern magnetic displacements trigger endogenous fuelling responses in a naive bird migrant

Boström, Jannika LU ; Kullberg, Cecilia and Åkesson, Susanne LU (2012) In Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 66(5). p.819-821
Abstract
In a previous study, we found that juvenile northern wheatears (Oenanthe oenanthe) exposed to a magnetic displacement to the west of their natural migration route increased their body mass. The total intensity and inclination used for the western displacement may also have been interpreted as northern compared to the experimental site (stronger total field intensity and steeper inclination angle). In order to investigate whether the fuelling response was a response to an unexpected magnetic field or specific to the northern magnetic field, we conducted a new experiment. Juvenile wheatears from the same study population were magnetically displaced to southwestern magnetic fields, exposing the birds to unexpected magnetic combinations, but... (More)
In a previous study, we found that juvenile northern wheatears (Oenanthe oenanthe) exposed to a magnetic displacement to the west of their natural migration route increased their body mass. The total intensity and inclination used for the western displacement may also have been interpreted as northern compared to the experimental site (stronger total field intensity and steeper inclination angle). In order to investigate whether the fuelling response was a response to an unexpected magnetic field or specific to the northern magnetic field, we conducted a new experiment. Juvenile wheatears from the same study population were magnetically displaced to southwestern magnetic fields, exposing the birds to unexpected magnetic combinations, but eliminating the possible effect of a northern magnetic field. A control group was kept in the local geomagnetic field in Sweden for comparison. There was no difference in body mass increase between treatments, suggesting that the fuelling response previously found was not a simple response to an unexpected magnetic field, but rather a specific response to the northern magnetic field. Juvenile wheatears may have developed a fuelling response to northern magnetic fields in order to enable a successful flight towards the migration goal. (Less)
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author
; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Magnetic field, Fuelling, Migration programs, Northern wheatear
in
Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology
volume
66
issue
5
pages
819 - 821
publisher
Springer
external identifiers
  • wos:000302815300019
  • scopus:84859705346
ISSN
1432-0762
DOI
10.1007/s00265-012-1333-4
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
611fdf14-3be2-4bd8-9aef-fee793dc3c82 (old id 2570875)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 14:01:15
date last changed
2022-01-27 22:22:36
@article{611fdf14-3be2-4bd8-9aef-fee793dc3c82,
  abstract     = {{In a previous study, we found that juvenile northern wheatears (Oenanthe oenanthe) exposed to a magnetic displacement to the west of their natural migration route increased their body mass. The total intensity and inclination used for the western displacement may also have been interpreted as northern compared to the experimental site (stronger total field intensity and steeper inclination angle). In order to investigate whether the fuelling response was a response to an unexpected magnetic field or specific to the northern magnetic field, we conducted a new experiment. Juvenile wheatears from the same study population were magnetically displaced to southwestern magnetic fields, exposing the birds to unexpected magnetic combinations, but eliminating the possible effect of a northern magnetic field. A control group was kept in the local geomagnetic field in Sweden for comparison. There was no difference in body mass increase between treatments, suggesting that the fuelling response previously found was not a simple response to an unexpected magnetic field, but rather a specific response to the northern magnetic field. Juvenile wheatears may have developed a fuelling response to northern magnetic fields in order to enable a successful flight towards the migration goal.}},
  author       = {{Boström, Jannika and Kullberg, Cecilia and Åkesson, Susanne}},
  issn         = {{1432-0762}},
  keywords     = {{Magnetic field; Fuelling; Migration programs; Northern wheatear}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{5}},
  pages        = {{819--821}},
  publisher    = {{Springer}},
  series       = {{Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology}},
  title        = {{Northern magnetic displacements trigger endogenous fuelling responses in a naive bird migrant}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00265-012-1333-4}},
  doi          = {{10.1007/s00265-012-1333-4}},
  volume       = {{66}},
  year         = {{2012}},
}