Orientation in migratory birds: orientation mechanisms and their underlying neurobiological background

This thesis aims to understand the neurobiological and physiological mechanisms underlying the magnetic compass orientation of night-migratory birds. Behavioural observation show that night-migratory garden warblers (Sylvia borin) use stereotype sideways movement of the head (head scans) to detect the reference direction provided by the Earth's magnetic field. The detection of neuronal activity in the brain, visualized by immediate-early genes, lead to the identification of a forebrain area, named cluster N, which is specifically activated at night time in night-migratory birds but not in non-migratory control species during day or night. Further data show that cluster N receives input from the eye, thus it may be an integration area of magnetic compass information involving a light-mediated compass system. By further analyses of the brain neuronal activity I identified movement-related brain areas that form a motor-pathway being parallel to the known vocal pathway.

Level thesis:degree_level

thesis.doctoral

Grantor dc:publisher

Universität Oldenburg

Year

2006

Author dc:creator

• Feenders, Gesa

• [Keine Schlagwörter von Autor/in vergeben.]

Repository record source_url

http://oops.uni-oldenburg.de/69

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:oops.uni-oldenburg.de:69