Burda Hynek, Begall Sabine, Cervený Jaroslav, Neef Julia, Nemec Pavel
Department of General Zoology, Faculty of Biology and Geography, University of Duisburg-Essen, 45117 Essen, Germany.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2009 Apr 7;106(14):5708-13. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0811194106. Epub 2009 Mar 19.
Resting and grazing cattle and deer tend to align their body axes in the geomagnetic North-South direction. The mechanism(s) that underlie this behavior remain unknown. Here, we show that extremely low-frequency magnetic fields (ELFMFs) generated by high-voltage power lines disrupt alignment of the bodies of these animals with the geomagnetic field. Body orientation of cattle and roe deer was random on pastures under or near power lines. Moreover, cattle exposed to various magnetic fields directly beneath or in the vicinity of power lines trending in various magnetic directions exhibited distinct patterns of alignment. The disturbing effect of the ELFMFs on body alignment diminished with the distance from conductors. These findings constitute evidence for magnetic sensation in large mammals as well as evidence of an overt behavioral reaction to weak ELFMFs in vertebrates. The demonstrated reaction to weak ELFMFs implies effects at the cellular and molecular levels.
休息和吃草的牛和鹿往往会使其身体轴线在地磁南北方向上排列。这种行为背后的机制仍然未知。在这里，我们表明高压电线产生的极低频磁场（ELFMFs）会破坏这些动物身体与地磁场的排列。在电线下方或附近的牧场中，牛和狍的身体方向是随机的。此外，暴露在沿各种磁方向延伸的电线正下方或附近的各种磁场中的牛表现出不同的排列模式。ELFMFs对身体排列的干扰作用随着与导体距离的增加而减弱。这些发现构成了大型哺乳动物具有磁感的证据，以及脊椎动物对弱ELFMFs有明显行为反应的证据。所证明的对弱ELFMFs的反应意味着在细胞和分子水平上的影响。
