Mechanisms of body alignment in a diurnal songbird migrant - Cue integration for body alignment during sleep
(2024) BION03 20231Degree Projects in Biology
- Abstract
- Body alignment is a spontaneous response documented in a variety of animals, including songbirds, however the biological significance of this behavior remains elusive for most taxa. Migratory songbirds rely on an endogenous migration program to migrate, and extract navigational information from celestial and magnetic cues. To investigate the body alignment behavior, the resting position of individual dunnocks (Prunella modularis), which were included in different experiments, was repeatedly measured after sunset. Circular statistics and Bayesian circular mixed effects models were implemented to investigate the mechanisms of body alignment and how different cues are integrated. The results of this study suggest that there is individual... (More)
- Body alignment is a spontaneous response documented in a variety of animals, including songbirds, however the biological significance of this behavior remains elusive for most taxa. Migratory songbirds rely on an endogenous migration program to migrate, and extract navigational information from celestial and magnetic cues. To investigate the body alignment behavior, the resting position of individual dunnocks (Prunella modularis), which were included in different experiments, was repeatedly measured after sunset. Circular statistics and Bayesian circular mixed effects models were implemented to investigate the mechanisms of body alignment and how different cues are integrated. The results of this study suggest that there is individual preference for an angular, ‘fixed’ alignment response, and that the alignment position is retained through the resting period. Magnetic noise introduces uncertainty in body alignment, while simulated displacements seem to have a strong effect due to the predictable variation of (Less)
- Popular Abstract
- Many animals, including songbirds, position their body relative to the Earth’s magnetic field, a behavior known as ‘body alignment’. Body alignment often happens during rest, or when animals are engaged in difficult tasks that require their focus and precision. However, in most animal species, the purpose of body alignment is still unknown.
Juvenile songbirds perform their solo migrating journeys without previous experience. To successfully migrate, songbirds use inherited information of distance and direction, which they combine with their internal sense of time. Birds can rely on several internal compasses among other cues; by observing the movement of the sun and stars, as well as the qualities of the Earth’s magnetic field.
But,... (More) - Many animals, including songbirds, position their body relative to the Earth’s magnetic field, a behavior known as ‘body alignment’. Body alignment often happens during rest, or when animals are engaged in difficult tasks that require their focus and precision. However, in most animal species, the purpose of body alignment is still unknown.
Juvenile songbirds perform their solo migrating journeys without previous experience. To successfully migrate, songbirds use inherited information of distance and direction, which they combine with their internal sense of time. Birds can rely on several internal compasses among other cues; by observing the movement of the sun and stars, as well as the qualities of the Earth’s magnetic field.
But, what processes do songbirds follow to align their body? And how do they combine the various cues in their body alignment? To explore these questions, we measured the body position that individual dunnocks chose after sunset. Positions were measured from films of past experiments (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9176986
- author
- Spiliopoulou, Christina
- supervisor
- organization
- course
- BION03 20231
- year
- 2024
- type
- H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
- subject
- language
- English
- id
- 9176986
- date added to LUP
- 2024-10-23 14:34:08
- date last changed
- 2024-10-23 14:34:08
@misc{9176986,
abstract = {{Body alignment is a spontaneous response documented in a variety of animals, including songbirds, however the biological significance of this behavior remains elusive for most taxa. Migratory songbirds rely on an endogenous migration program to migrate, and extract navigational information from celestial and magnetic cues. To investigate the body alignment behavior, the resting position of individual dunnocks (Prunella modularis), which were included in different experiments, was repeatedly measured after sunset. Circular statistics and Bayesian circular mixed effects models were implemented to investigate the mechanisms of body alignment and how different cues are integrated. The results of this study suggest that there is individual preference for an angular, ‘fixed’ alignment response, and that the alignment position is retained through the resting period. Magnetic noise introduces uncertainty in body alignment, while simulated displacements seem to have a strong effect due to the predictable variation of}},
author = {{Spiliopoulou, Christina}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{Mechanisms of body alignment in a diurnal songbird migrant - Cue integration for body alignment during sleep}},
year = {{2024}},
}