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Light‐Dependent Shift in Bullfrog Tadpole Magnetic Compass Orientation: Evidence for a Common Magnetoreception Mechanism in Anuran and Urodele Amphibians
Author(s) -
Freake Michael J.,
Phillips John B.
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
ethology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.739
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1439-0310
pISSN - 0179-1613
DOI - 10.1111/j.1439-0310.2004.01067.x
Subject(s) - bullfrog , notophthalmus viridescens , magnetoreception , amphibian , rana , biology , compass , tadpole (physics) , toad , anatomy , ecology , earth's magnetic field , physics , microbiology and biotechnology , magnetic field , regeneration (biology) , quantum mechanics , particle physics
Previous studies have demonstrated the presence of a light‐dependent magnetic compass in a urodele amphibian, the eastern red‐spotted newt Notophthalmus viridescens , mediated by extraocular photoreceptors located in or near the pineal organ. Newts tested under long‐wavelength (≥500 nm) light exhibited a 90° shift in the direction of orientation relative to newts tested under full spectrum (white) or short‐wavelength light. Here we report that bullfrog tadpoles Rana catesbeiana (an anuran amphibian) exhibit a 90° shift in the direction of magnetic compass orientation under long‐wavelength (≥500 nm) light similar to that observed in newts, suggesting that a common light‐dependent mechanism mediates these responses. These findings suggest that a light‐dependent magnetic compass may have been the ancestral state in this group of vertebrates.