Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Research Highlight
  • Published:

Behavioural neuroscience

Lighting up the direction

Nature Reviews Neuroscience volume 6, page 748 (2005)Cite this article

There are two main types of magnetic compass found in certain animals. An 'inclination compass', which is used by birds and sea turtles, defines 'poleward' as the direction along the Earth's surface, in which the angle between the vertical component of the magnetic field and the gravity vector is smallest. By contrast, a 'polarity compass', which is used by lobsters and salmon, determines north using the horizontal component of the magnetic field.

The inclination compass is thought to involve magnet-sensitive chemical reactions triggered by specialized photopigments on the retina on light absorption. Changes in magnetic fields can affect these chemical reactions, which, in turn, alter neuronal activity.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on SpringerLink
  • Instant access to the full article PDF.

USD 39.95

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

References

ORIGINAL RESEARCH PAPERS

  1. Wiltschko, R. et al. Two different types of light-dependent responses to magnetic fields in birds. Curr. Biol. 15, 1518–1523 (2005)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Freire, R. et al. Chickens orient using a magnetic compass. Curr. Biol. 15, R620–R621 (2005)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

FURTHER READING

  1. Johnsen, S. & Lohmann K. J. The physics and neurobiology of magnetoreception. Nature Rev. Neurosci. 6, 703–712 (2005)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Authors
  1. Jane Qiu
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

Related links

Related links

WEB SITE

Wiltschko's laboratory

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Qiu, J. Lighting up the direction. Nat Rev Neurosci 6, 748 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn1771

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn1771

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing