Neural Integration Underlying a Time-Compensated Sun Compass in the Migratory Monarch Butterfly
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Journal ArticlePublication Date
2016-04-13Keywords
Behavioral Neurobiology
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Migrating eastern North American monarch butterflies use a time-compensated sun compass to adjust their flight to the southwest direction. Although the antennal genetic circadian clock and the azimuth of the sun are instrumental for proper function of the compass, it is unclear how these signals are represented on a neuronal level and how they are integrated to produce flight control. To address these questions, we constructed a receptive field model of the compound eye that encodes the solar azimuth. We then derived a neural circuit model that integrates azimuthal and circadian signals to correct flight direction. The model demonstrates an integration mechanism, which produces robust trajectories reaching the southwest regardless of the time of day and includes a configuration for remigration. Comparison of model simulations with flight trajectories of butterflies in a flight simulator shows analogous behaviors and affirms the prediction that midday is the optimal time for migratory flight.Source
Cell Rep. 2016 Apr 13. pii: S2211-1247(16)30328-X. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2016.03.057. Link to article on publisher's siteDOI
10.1016/j.celrep.2016.03.057Permanent Link to this Item
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14038/40059PubMed ID
27149852Related Resources
Link to Article in PubMedDistribution License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.1016/j.celrep.2016.03.057
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Except where otherwise noted, this item's license is described as http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/