Magnetic maps in animal navigation

• Published in: Journal of Comparative Physiology Vol. 208; no. 1; pp. 41 - 67
• Main Authors: Lohmann, Kenneth J., Goforth, Kayla M., Mackiewicz, Alayna G., Lim, Dana S., Lohmann, Catherine M. F.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 2022; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Animal Migration - physiology; Animal Physiology; Animals; Aquatic reptiles; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Birds; Birds - physiology; Food intake; Homing behavior; Life Sciences; Lobsters; Magnetic Fields; Magnetics; Navigation behavior; Neurosciences; Philopatry; Review; Salmon; Sea turtles; Shellfish; Turtles - physiology; Zoology; Philopatry; Navigation; Natal homing; Magnetoreception; Migration
• ISSN: 0340-7594; 1432-1351
• DOI: 10.1007/s00359-021-01529-8

In addition to providing animals with a source of directional or ‘compass’ information, Earth’s magnetic field also provides a potential source of positional or ‘map’ information that animals might exploit to assess location. In less than a generation, the idea that animals use Earth’s magnetic field as a kind of map has gone from a contentious hypothesis to a well-established tenet of animal navigation. Diverse animals ranging from lobsters to birds are now known to use magnetic positional information for a variety of purposes, including staying on track along migratory pathways, adjusting food intake at appropriate points in a migration, remaining within a suitable oceanic region, and navigating toward specific goals. Recent findings also indicate that sea turtles, salmon, and at least some birds imprint on the magnetic field of their natal area when young and use this information to facilitate return as adults, a process that may underlie long-distance natal homing (a.k.a. natal philopatry) in many species. Despite recent progress, much remains to be learned about the organization of magnetic maps, how they develop, and how animals use them in navigation.