The sun compass of the sandhopper Talitrus saltator: the speed of the chronometric mechanism depends on the hours of light

Year: 2002

Authors: Ugolini A., Tiribilli B., Boddi V.

Autors Affiliation: Dipartimento Biologia Animale e Genetica, Univ. di Firenze, Italy;
Istituto Nazionale di Ottica Applicata, Largo E. Fermi 6, 50125 Firenze, Italy; Dipartimento Sanita Pubblica, Univ. di Firenze, Italy;

Abstract: Experiments on solar orientation were conducted with adult amphipods (Talitrus saltator) subjected to a reduction and/or phase shift of the hours of light (L) or dark (D) with respect to the natural photoperiod: 15h:9h L:D (controls), 15 h:9 h inverted (i.e. phase-shifted by 12 h and tested with the sun during the subjective night), 4 h:20 h, 20 h:4 h inverted. The sandhoppers were released in a confined environment, and individual orientation angles were recorded. The results confirm the continuous operation, through the entire 24-h period, of a chronometric mechanism of compensation for apparent solar motion. They show excellent agreement with a recently proposed model of compensation for the sun at constant (not differential) speed and they demonstrate a dependence of the speed of the chronometric mechanism on the L:D ratio in the 24-h period.

Journal/Review: JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY

Volume: 205 (20)      Pages from: 3225  to: 3230

KeyWords: orientation; sun compass; chronometric mechanism; sandhopper; Talitrus saltator

ImpactFactor: 2.418
Citations: 18
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