Built-in polarizers form part of a compass organ in spiders

Dacke, Marie; Nilsson, David; Warrant, Eric J.; Blest, A. D.; Land, Michael F.; O’Carroll, David C.

doi:10.1038/46773

Cited by 95 publications

(70 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…It was shown that in the field, desert ants choose the sky polarization pattern or even part of it as a primary compass for navigation even when the Sun disc is visible [2]. Other insects, such as spiders [3] and field crickets [4], have also been shown to use sky polarization for navigation. Migratory birds were found to use the sky polarization at sunrise and sunset in the autumn and spring to calibrate their magnetic compass while passing between different latitudes [5][6][7].…”

Section: Introduction (A)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Navigation by light polarization in clear and turbid waters

Lerner

Sabbah

Erlick

et al. 2011

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

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Certain terrestrial animals use sky polarization for navigation. Certain aquatic species have also been shown to orient according to a polarization stimulus, but the correlation between underwater polarization and Sun position and hence the ability to use underwater polarization as a compass for navigation is still under debate. To examine this issue, we use theoretical equations for per cent polarization and electric vector (e-vector) orientation that account for the position of the Sun, refraction at the air -water interface and Rayleigh single scattering. The polarization patterns predicted by these theoretical equations are compared with measurements conducted in clear and semi-turbid coastal sea waters at 2 m and 5 m depth over sea floors of 6 m and 28 m depth. We find that the per cent polarization is correlated with the Sun's elevation only in clear waters. We furthermore find that the maximum value of the e-vector orientation angle equals the angle of refraction only in clear waters, in the horizontal viewing direction, over the deeper sea floor. We conclude that navigation by use of underwater polarization is possible under restricted conditions, i.e. in clear waters, primarily near the horizontal viewing direction, and in locations where the sea floor has limited effects on the light's polarization.

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Section: Introduction (A)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Navigation by light polarization in clear and turbid waters

Lerner

Sabbah

Erlick

et al. 2011

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

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“…Nocturnal bees [26], crickets [24,27], spiders [28], tenebrionid beetles [29] and possibly also birds [30 -32] are possible candidates that might benefit from the ability to orient using the dim polarization pattern formed around the ever-changing disc of the Moon.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

How dim is dim? Precision of the celestial compass in moonlight and sunlight

Dacke

Byrne

Baird

et al. 2011

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

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Prominent in the sky, but not visible to humans, is a pattern of polarized skylight formed around both the Sun and the Moon. Dung beetles are, at present, the only animal group known to use the much dimmer polarization pattern formed around the Moon as a compass cue for maintaining travel direction. However, the Moon is not visible every night and the intensity of the celestial polarization pattern gradually declines as the Moon wanes. Therefore, for nocturnal orientation on all moonlit nights, the absolute sensitivity of the dung beetle's polarization detector may limit the precision of this behaviour. To test this, we studied the straight-line foraging behaviour of the nocturnal ball-rolling dung beetle Scarabaeus satyrus to establish when the Moon is too dim-and the polarization pattern too weak-to provide a reliable cue for orientation. Our results show that celestial orientation is as accurate during crescent Moon as it is during full Moon. Moreover, this orientation accuracy is equal to that measured for diurnal species that orient under the 100 million times brighter polarization pattern formed around the Sun. This indicates that, in nocturnal species, the sensitivity of the optical polarization compass can be greatly increased without any loss of precision.

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“…Arthropods are known to exhibit extraordinary abilities of navigation (Wehner 1992) and use external compass cues in their navigation, such as linearly polarised light, by means of structural specializations of their eyes (e.g. Rossel and Wehner 1986;Dacke et al 1999).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Locomotory activity and orientation ofMesobuthus gibbosus(Scorpiones: Buthidae) in central Aegean Archipelago

Kaltsas

Mylonas

2010

Journal of Natural History

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This study explores the locomotory activity of Mesobuthus gibbosus on Koufonisi Island (central Aegean). We measured orientation of movement, shelter selection and abiotic factors that influence locomotive activity throughout the circadian and lunar cycles. Our results show M. gibbosus is a highly active and negatively phototactic species with sexually dimorphic patterns of movements that are related to maternal protective behaviour. Male scorpions disperse more widely, apparently as a function of mate search, and exhibit much more opportunistic locomotive behaviour. The locomotory activity of the population was influenced by moon phase (negative phototropic) and air temperature, did not differ intersexually, and was directed towards a dry stone-wall where shelter was readily available.

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Built-in polarizers form part of a compass organ in spiders

Cited by 95 publications

References 17 publications

Navigation by light polarization in clear and turbid waters

Navigation by light polarization in clear and turbid waters

How dim is dim? Precision of the celestial compass in moonlight and sunlight

Locomotory activity and orientation ofMesobuthus gibbosus(Scorpiones: Buthidae) in central Aegean Archipelago

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