Wang Yinan, Pan Yongxin, Parsons Stuart, Walker Michael, Zhang Shuyi
Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100080, China.
Proc Biol Sci. 2007 Nov 22;274(1627):2901-5. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2007.0904.
Bats have been shown to use information from the Earth's magnetic field during orientation. However, the mechanism underlying this ability remains unknown. In this study we investigated whether bats possess a polarity- or inclination-based compass that could be used in orientation. We monitored the hanging position of adult Nyctalus plancyi in the laboratory in the presence of an induced magnetic field of twice Earth-strength. When under the influence of a normally aligned induced field the bats showed a significant preference for hanging at the northern end of their roosting basket. When the vertical component of the field was reversed, the bats remained at the northern end of the basket. However, when the horizontal component of the field was reversed, the bats changed their positions and hung at the southern end of the basket. Based on these results, we conclude that N. plancyi, unlike all other non-mammalian vertebrates tested to date, uses a polarity-based compass during orientation in the roost, and that the same compass is also likely to underlie bats' long-distance navigation abilities.
研究表明，蝙蝠在定向过程中会利用地球磁场的信息。然而，这种能力背后的机制仍然未知。在本研究中，我们调查了蝙蝠是否拥有可用于定向的基于极性或倾斜度的罗盘。我们在实验室中监测了成年普氏伏翼在两倍地球强度的感应磁场存在下的悬挂位置。当处于正常排列的感应磁场影响下时，蝙蝠表现出明显偏好悬挂在栖息篮的北端。当磁场的垂直分量反转时，蝙蝠仍停留在篮子的北端。然而，当磁场的水平分量反转时，蝙蝠改变了它们的位置，悬挂在篮子的南端。基于这些结果，我们得出结论，与迄今为止测试的所有其他非哺乳动物脊椎动物不同，普氏伏翼在栖息处定向时使用基于极性的罗盘，并且相同的罗盘也可能是蝙蝠长途导航能力的基础。
