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Asymmetric visual input and route recapitulation in homing pigeons
Antone Martinho1, Dora Biro2, Tim Guilford1
1Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK.
Proceedings. Biological Sciences
|October 9, 2015
Summary
Pigeon homing routes are learned and influenced by vision. Switching eyes during learning impacts route formation, with initial left-eye learning leading to routes closer to original paths, revealing insights into brain asymmetry.
Area of Science:
- Animal Behavior
- Neuroscience
- Ornithology
Background:
- Pigeons (Columba livia) exhibit remarkable homing abilities, with learned routes being individually specific.
- Visual pathways in pigeons show asymmetric input from each eye to brain hemispheres.
- Understanding how each eye contributes to learned homing routes is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of each eye in establishing learned homing routes in pigeons.
- To explore how visual information is processed and shared between neural systems.
- To examine the behavioral consequences of neuroanatomical asymmetry in homing.
Main Methods:
- Utilized on-board global positioning system (GPS) loggers to track pigeon routes.
- Employed an A-B-A design to test route fidelity across eye switches.
- Trained 12 pigeons, switching visual input (left vs. right eye) during learning and homing phases.
Main Results:
- Pigeons formed new, idiosyncratic routes after switching the eye used for learning.
- Birds initially trained with their left eye established routes closer to their original paths compared to those trained with the right eye first.
- Vision was confirmed as a significant factor in homing from familiar locations.
Conclusions:
- Learned homing routes in pigeons are heavily reliant on visual input.
- Neuroanatomical asymmetries in visual processing have a discernible impact on homing behavior.
- Further research is needed to fully understand the functional significance of this asymmetry in pigeons.
