Department of Neurobiology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA.
Curr Opin Neurobiol. 2012 Apr;22(2):353-61. doi: 10.1016/j.conb.2011.11.009. Epub 2011 Dec 9.
Long-distance migration is a strategy some animals use to survive a seasonally changing environment. To reach favorable grounds, migratory animals have evolved sophisticated navigational mechanisms that rely on a map and compasses. In migratory insects, the existence of a map sense (sense of position) remains poorly understood, but recent work has provided new insights into the mechanisms some compasses use for maintaining a constant bearing during long-distance navigation. The best-studied directional strategy relies on a time-compensated sun compass, used by diurnal insects, for which neural circuits have begun to be delineated. Yet, a growing body of evidence suggests that migratory insects may also rely on other compasses that use night sky cues or the Earth's magnetic field. Those mechanisms are ripe for exploration.
长途迁徙是一些动物用来在季节性变化的环境中生存的策略。为了到达有利的地方，迁徙动物进化出了复杂的导航机制，这些机制依赖于地图和指南针。在迁徙昆虫中，位置感（位置感）的存在仍然知之甚少，但最近的工作为一些昆虫在长途导航过程中保持恒定方向所使用的罗盘机制提供了新的见解。研究最多的定向策略依赖于日周期昆虫使用的时间补偿太阳罗盘，用于描绘其神经回路。然而，越来越多的证据表明，迁徙昆虫也可能依赖于其他使用夜空线索或地球磁场的罗盘。这些机制正有待探索。
