IBN: 9724083 PI: PHILLIPS There are many animals believed to use geomagnetic information for orientation and navigation behavior, but the identity of the sensory mechanisms that might be responsible for magnetic detection remain largely unknown. Behavioral and neurophysiological evidence suggest that there may be more than one magnetoreceptive mechanism. This project utilizes salamanders as a model system for studying magnetic homing behavior, to characterize and localize putative magnetosensory mechanisms. Behavioral experiments involving altered magnetic fields and different particular environmental light will be used to determine whether a magnetic effect might act on photoreceptors or instead directly on some magnetically sensitive particles in the body. Results will be important in providing some answers for this very controversial topic in sensory neurobiology.
