Pigeon navigation: Some experiments on the importance of olfactory cues at short distances from the loft

1983 ◽  
Vol 150 (4) ◽  
pp. 493-498 ◽  
Author(s):  
Enrico Meschini
1998 ◽  
Vol 201 (6) ◽  
pp. 895-900 ◽  
Author(s):  
T Guilford ◽  
A Gagliardo ◽  
J Chappell ◽  
F Bonadonna ◽  
T Burt de Perera ◽  
...  

Although the use of olfactory cues in pigeon navigation is well established, the generality of olfactory navigation remains uncertain because of apparent variability in results gained by different researchers in different regions. We report the results of the first experiments investigating the effect of anosmia on homing pigeons reared in a previously uninvestigated region, southern England. In series 1, experienced birds showed little effect of anosmia induced with zinc sulphate at unfamiliar sites 30 km and 39 km from the loft, but treated birds were significantly poorer than controls at homing from an unfamiliar site 66 km distant (and in pooled results). In series 2, naive (untrained) birds, both control and zinc-sulphate-treated, showed poor homing abilities and initial orientation from sites 25 km, 36 km and 39 km from the loft. Nevertheless, in pooled results, controls showed significantly better homeward orientation than anosmic birds and were significantly more likely to home on the day of release. The most likely explanation for our results is that pigeons are able to use olfactory navigation in southern England, but that for some reason the olfactory map is relatively weak.


2007 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kelly Gildersleeve ◽  
Marc B. Setterlund
Keyword(s):  

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kota Ezaki ◽  
Takashi Yamashita ◽  
Thomas Carle ◽  
Hidehiro Watanabe ◽  
Fumio Yokohari ◽  
...  

AbstractAlthough praying mantises rely mainly on vision for predatory behaviours, olfaction also plays a critical role in feeding and mating behaviours. However, the receptive processes underlying olfactory signals remain unclear. Here, we identified olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs) that are highly tuned to detect aldehydes in the mantis Tenodera aridifolia. In extracellular recordings from OSNs in basiconic sensilla on the antennae, we observed three different spike shapes, indicating that at least three OSNs are housed in a single basiconic sensillum. Unexpectedly, one of the three OSNs exhibited strong excitatory responses to a set of aldehydes. Based on the similarities of the response spectra to 15 different aldehydes, the aldehyde-specific OSNs were classified into three classes: B, S, and M. Class B broadly responded to most aldehydes used as stimulants; class S responded to short-chain aldehydes (C3–C7); and class M responded to middle-length chain aldehydes (C6–C9). Thus, aldehyde molecules can be finely discriminated based on the activity patterns of a population of OSNs. Because many insects emit aldehydes for pheromonal communication, mantises might use aldehydes as olfactory cues for locating prey habitat.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew Wood ◽  
Simon Chamaillé-Jammes ◽  
Almuth Hammerbacher ◽  
Adrian M. Shrader

2007 ◽  
Vol 121 (2) ◽  
pp. 150
Author(s):  
Vanessa B. Harriman ◽  
Justin A. Pitt ◽  
Serge Larivière

Ground-nesting birds typically experience high predation rates on their nests, often by mammalian predators. As such, researchers and wildlife managers have employed numerous techniques to mitigate nest predation. We investigated the use of scents as repellents to deter predators from both artificial and natural ground nests. Survival rates of artificial nests did not differ among six groups of substances (Wald ?2 df = 5 = 4.53, P < 0.48); however the chronology of predation among groups differed. A commercial Coyote urine based deterrent (DEER-D-TERTM), human hair, and Worcestershire sauce were depredated faster than the control (F4,5 = 40.3, P < 0.001). Nest survival of natural nests differed among those groups tested (Wald ?2 df = 2 = 11.8, P < 0.005); the eight mothball treatment decreased survival (Wald ?2 df = 1 = 11.5, P < 0.005), which indicated that novel smells may attract predators or result in duck nest abandonment when coupled with natural duck scent. Chronologies of predation events among treatment groups were not different for natural nests (F2,3 = 1.9, P = 0.22). These findings indicate an interaction between novel scents and predator olfactory cues.


Cerevisia ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 58-59
Author(s):  
L.T. Lusk ◽  
S.B. Kay ◽  
A. Porubcan ◽  
D.S. Ryder
Keyword(s):  

1974 ◽  
Vol 103 (3) ◽  
pp. 461-465 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. K. Dua ◽  
M. J. Dobson
Keyword(s):  

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