AG Neurosensorik/Animal Navigation, IBU & Research Center for Neurosensory Sciences, Carl-von-Ossietzky-University of Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany.
PLoS One. 2012;7(9):e43271. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0043271. Epub 2012 Sep 12.
Previous studies on European robins, Erithacus rubecula, and Australian silvereyes, Zosterops lateralis, had suggested that magnetic compass information is being processed only in the right eye and left brain hemisphere of migratory birds. However, recently it was demonstrated that both garden warblers, Sylvia borin, and European robins have a magnetic compass in both eyes. These results raise the question if the strong lateralization effect observed in earlier experiments might have arisen from artifacts or from differences in experimental conditions rather than reflecting a true all-or-none lateralization of the magnetic compass in European robins. Here we show that (1) European robins having only their left eye open can orient in their seasonally appropriate direction both during autumn and spring, i.e. there are no strong lateralization differences between the outward journey and the way home, that (2) their directional choices are based on the standard inclination compass as they are turned 180° when the inclination is reversed, and that (3) the capability to use the magnetic compass does not depend on monocular learning or intraocular transfer as it is already present in the first tests of the birds with only one eye open.
先前针对欧洲知更鸟（Erithacus rubecula）和澳大利亚银眼鸟（Zosterops lateralis）的研究表明，鸟类的磁罗盘信息仅在其右眼和左大脑半球中处理。然而，最近的研究表明，园林莺（Sylvia borin）和欧洲知更鸟都在双眼内具有磁罗盘。这些结果提出了一个问题，如果在早期实验中观察到的强烈偏侧化效应可能是由于人为因素或实验条件的差异而不是反映欧洲知更鸟磁罗盘的真实全有或全无偏侧化，那么这种效应是否可能是由于人为因素或实验条件的差异而不是反映欧洲知更鸟磁罗盘的真实全有或全无偏侧化。在这里，我们展示了（1）当仅打开左眼时，欧洲知更鸟在秋季和春季都可以朝向其季节性适宜的方向进行定向，即在外向旅程和回家的路上没有明显的偏侧化差异；（2）它们的定向选择基于标准倾斜罗盘，因为当倾斜方向反转时，它们会旋转 180°；（3）使用磁罗盘的能力不依赖于单眼学习或眼内转移，因为在仅用一只眼睛进行的首次测试中，鸟类就已经具备了这种能力。
