Topic
Olfactory navigation
About: Olfactory navigation is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 96 publications have been published within this topic receiving 4294 citations.
Papers published on a yearly basis
Papers
TL;DR: This chapter discusses the orientational and navigational basis of homing in birds, and discusses the recent discoveries concerning possible orientational cues and shortcomings of the homing process.
Abstract: Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the orientational and navigational basis of homing in birds Modern-day homing pigeons that are the products of centuries of intense selection for the sort of behavior are considered Review of the records of hundreds of pigeon races shows that the limitation on the distances from which pigeons can successfully home is primarily a function of the physical hardships involved rather than of orientation capabilities Three different types of orientational ability are discussed Type I, usually called piloting, is steering a course on the basis of familiar landmarks Type II is the ability to head in a given compass direction without reference to landmarks Type III, the most complex, is true navigation, which is the ability to orient toward a goal, regardless of its direction, by means other than recognition of landmarks The possibility that the earth's magnetic field may provides directional information to an orienting bird Yeagley's hypothesis is discussed, which explains that the flying bird could detect the geographic variations in both the vertical component of the magnetic field and the strength of the Coriolis force A hypothesis of complete navigation by the sun alone was suggested by Matthews according to which a displaced bird could determine its latitudinal displacement by observing the sun's movement in arc and extrapolating that arc to its noon position; comparison of the sun's noon altitude at the release site with its noon altitude at home would indicate whether the bird was north or south of home, and how far Kramer's Map-And-Compass Model is discussed, which shows many birds, including pigeons, can use the sun as a compass The chapter also discusses the recent discoveries concerning possible orientational cues and shortcomings of the homing process
243 citations
Book•
6 Dec 2004TL;DR: This work has shown that pigeon homing is a probabilistic process and the role of the Sun, the Chemical Atmosphere, and the Neural Bases of Pigeon Homing in this study and its role in other Birds is still poorly understood.
Abstract: Observation Data Used to Investigate Pigeon Homing.- Basic Features of Pigeon Homing.- Potential Input Signals Exploitable for Home-Finding.- The Role of the Sun.- The Role of the Geomagnetic Field.- The Role of the Chemical Atmosphere.- The Role of the Visual Landscape.- The Neural Bases of Pigeon Homing.- Homing in Other Birds.- Research History: Blind Alleys and an Unexpected Passage.- Overall Synthesis and Perspective.
214 citations
TL;DR: The olfactory spatial hypothesis offers a single functional explanation to account for patterns of Olfactory system scaling in vertebrates, the primacy of olfaction in spatial navigation, even in visual specialists, and proposes an evolutionary scenario to accounts for the convergence in olfactor structure and function across protostomes and deuterostomes.
Abstract: A paradox of vertebrate brain evolution is the unexplained variability in the size of the olfactory bulb (OB), in contrast to other brain regions, which scale predictably with brain size. Such variability appears to be the result of selection for olfactory function, yet there is no obvious concordance that would predict the causal relationship between OB size and behavior. This discordance may derive from assuming the primary function of olfaction is odorant discrimination and acuity. If instead the primary function of olfaction is navigation, i.e., predicting odorant distributions in time and space, variability in absolute OB size could be ascribed and explained by variability in navigational demand. This olfactory spatial hypothesis offers a single functional explanation to account for patterns of olfactory system scaling in vertebrates, the primacy of olfaction in spatial navigation, even in visual specialists, and proposes an evolutionary scenario to account for the convergence in olfactory structure and function across protostomes and deuterostomes. In addition, the unique percepts of olfaction may organize odorant information in a parallel map structure. This could have served as a scaffold for the evolution of the parallel map structure of the mammalian hippocampus, and possibly the arthropod mushroom body, and offers an explanation for similar flexible spatial navigation strategies in arthropods and vertebrates.
205 citations
TL;DR: It is shown that human subjects can learn to navigate in olfactory space and form predictions of to-be-encountered smells, highlighting a unique neural mechanism by which odor information can be assembled into spatially navigable cognitive maps, optimizing orientation, and path finding toward an odor source.
194 citations
TL;DR: The investigation of the potential role of olfactory cues for navigation in wild birds is still at an early stage; however, the evidence collected so far suggests that Olfactory navigation might be a widespread mechanism in avian species.
Abstract: Forty years ago, Papi and colleagues discovered that anosmic pigeons cannot find their way home when released at unfamiliar locations. They explained this phenomenon by developing the olfactory navigation hypothesis: pigeons at the home loft learn the odours carried by the winds in association with wind direction; once at the release site, they determine the direction of displacement on the basis of the odours perceived locally and orient homeward. In addition to the old classical experiments, new GPS tracking data and observations on the activation of the olfactory system in displaced pigeons have provided further evidence for the specific role of olfactory cues in pigeon navigation. Although it is not known which odours the birds might rely on for navigation, it has been shown that volatile organic compounds in the atmosphere are distributed as fairly stable gradients to allow environmental odour-based navigation. The investigation of the potential role of olfactory cues for navigation in wild birds is still at an early stage; however, the evidence collected so far suggests that olfactory navigation might be a widespread mechanism in avian species.
* Anosmic
: Deprived of the sense of smell.
Compass
: A behavioural mechanism allowing the selection of a specific direction in space on the basis of an external reference, such as the sun azimuth and the geomagnetic field.
Macrophage
: A cell of the immune system.
Navigational map
: A behavioural mechanism allowing a subject to establish the current position with respect to the goal on the basis of environmental cues.
Piriform cortex
: The region of the brain, more precisely of the telencephalon, that receives direct input from the olfactory bulb. The piriform cortex is involved in the discrimination and memorization of odour stimuli.
Trigeminal nerve
: The fifth cranial nerve. It has three branches, with sensory (the ophthalmic nerve and the maxillary nerve) or sensory-motor (the mandibular nerve) functions.
True navigation
: The ability of a subject to reach a goal by calculating the goal position on the basis of local cues [the ‘map step’, according to Kramer's definition ([Kramer, 1953][1])] and by determining the goal direction in space (the ‘compass step’, according to Kramer's definition).
Vanishing bearing
: The direction of a released bird when vanishing from the observer's view at the release site.
ZENK
: An immediate early gene rapidly expressed in response to external stimuli. An increased expression of the ZENK protein in certain brain regions can be directly linked to neuronal activity.
[1]: #ref-34
179 citations
Related Topics (5)
Performance Metrics
| Year | Papers |
|---|---|
| 2021 | 5 |
| 2020 | 3 |
| 2019 | 4 |
| 2018 | 7 |
| 2017 | 3 |
| 2016 | 2 |