Walker M M
Experimental Biology Research Group, School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, New Zealand.
EXS. 1997;84:187-213. doi: 10.1007/978-3-0348-8878-3_7.
The physical properties of the earth's magnetic field are summarized with the aim of emphasizing their significance as cues that can be exploited in orientational tasks. Past work has revealed magnetic orientation in vertebrates as well as invertebrates, including arthropods. The key finding to date has been that, as opposed to many vertebrates, the magnetic compass of arthropods responds to the polarity, rather than to the inclination of the earth's magnetic field. As in the case of vertebrates, the debate over how arthropods detect magnetic fields has yet to be resolved. Currently, evidence has been reported in support of a detection system based on magnetite crystals together with a variety of detection systems based on events occurring at the molecular level. Interactions between the magnetic and other compasses in orientation experiments suggest the existence of an area in the brain where spatial orientation information from magnetic and other stimuli converges. The slow advance of our knowledge on magnetic orientation in arthropods, as opposed to the much better understanding of magnetic orientation in vertebrates, arises from difficulties in identifying the appropriate behavioural contexts in which arthropods respond to magnetic fields in both laboratory and field situations. Arthropods thus present challenges not only in demonstrating magnetic orientation, but also in elucidating the sensory mechanisms involved in the perception of magnetic fields.
总结地球磁场的物理特性，旨在强调其作为可在定向任务中利用的线索的重要性。过去的研究揭示了脊椎动物以及包括节肢动物在内的无脊椎动物中的磁定向现象。迄今为止的关键发现是，与许多脊椎动物不同，节肢动物的磁罗盘对地球磁场的极性而非倾角做出反应。与脊椎动物的情况一样，关于节肢动物如何检测磁场的争论尚未得到解决。目前，已有证据支持基于磁铁矿晶体的检测系统以及基于分子水平发生的各种事件的检测系统。定向实验中磁罗盘与其他罗盘之间的相互作用表明，大脑中存在一个区域，来自磁刺激和其他刺激的空间定向信息在此汇聚。与对脊椎动物磁定向的更好理解相比，我们对节肢动物磁定向的认识进展缓慢，这是因为在确定节肢动物在实验室和野外环境中对磁场做出反应的适当行为背景方面存在困难。因此，节肢动物不仅在证明磁定向方面，而且在阐明磁场感知所涉及的感觉机制方面都提出了挑战。
