MAGNETIC ORIENTATION IN ANURANS: A CASE STUDY ON Rhinella arenarum (ANURA: BUFONIDAE)

Ana Laura Navas Romero; Mario Andres Herrera Moratta; Lorena Quiroga; Eduardo Sanabria; Consuelo Escudero

doi:10.22201/fc.25942158e.2023.3.681

Authors

Ana Laura Navas Romero Instituto de Ingenieria Quimica-PROBIEN-UNSJ-CONICET
Mario Andres Herrera Moratta Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones en Zonas Áridas-CONICET-Mendoza, Argentina.CP 5500, Argentina.
Lorena Quiroga Instituto de Ciencias Básicas. Facultad de Filosofía, Humanidades y Arte. Universidad Nacional de San Juan. CONICET. San Juan, CP 5400, Argentina.
Eduardo Sanabria Instituto de Ciencias Básicas. Facultad de Filosofía, Humanidades y Arte. Universidad Nacional de San Juan. CONICET. San Juan, CP 5400, Argentina.
Consuelo Escudero Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Fisicas y Naturales. Universidad Nacional de San Juan. San Juan, CP 5400, Argentina.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.22201/fc.25942158e.2023.3.681

Keywords:

Navigation, anuran migration, magnetic perception

Abstract

The Earth’s magnetic field (EMF) is one of the most uniform and accessible sources of directional information that animals can use in behavioral movements. The present study aimed to determine the ability of Rhinella arenarum to perceive the EMF. To assess the influence of the EMF on anurans in situ, we collected forty-four adult specimens of R. arenarum during the breeding season. We recorded the movement of each toad from the center to the periphery of the circular arena utilizing a night vision camera. We repeated the experiment after five minutes, with an additionally induced magnetic field (IMF), which was created by two Helmholtz air coils. The movements of toads under the presence of the EMF and IMF were significantly different. In conclusion, R. arenarum could use the EMF as a navigation mechanism and location system to travel long distances to the spawning ponds year after year.