Learned magnetic map cues and two mechanisms of magnetoreception in turtles
Authors not listed · 2025
Loggerhead turtles learned to distinguish magnetic fields where they encountered food from other fields, and this magnetic map sense was unaffected by radiofrequency fields that disrupted their magnetic compass.
Plain English Summary
Researchers fed juvenile loggerhead turtles repeatedly in magnetic fields replicating particular oceanic locations. The turtles learned to distinguish magnetic fields where they encountered food from fields that exist elsewhere. Conditioned responses in the magnetic map assay were unaffected by radiofrequency oscillating magnetic fields, while orientation behavior requiring the magnetic compass was disrupted by such fields.
Why This Matters
The learned magnetic discrimination might underlie foraging site fidelity in loggerhead turtles. The results suggest that the magnetic map sense of the turtle does not rely on radical-pair-based chemical magnetoreception. The findings provide evidence that two different mechanisms of magnetoreception underlie the magnetic map and magnetic compass in sea turtles.
Show BibTeX
@article{learned_magnetic_map_cues_and_two_mechanisms_of_magnetoreception_in_turtles_ce4385,
author = {Unknown},
title = {Learned magnetic map cues and two mechanisms of magnetoreception in turtles},
year = {2025},
doi = {10.1038/s41586-024-08554-y},
}