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Disruption of magnetic orientation in hatchling loggerhead sea turtles by pulsed magnetic fields

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Abstract

Loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) derive both directional and positional information from the Earth’s magnetic field, but the mechanism underlying magnetic field detection in turtles has not been determined. One hypothesis is that crystals of biogenic, single-domain magnetite provide the physical basis of the magnetic sense. As a first step toward determining if magnetite is involved in sea turtle magnetoreception, hatchling loggerheads were exposed to pulsed magnetic fields (40 mT, 4 ms rise time) capable of altering the magnetic dipole moment of biogenic magnetite crystals. A control group of turtles was treated identically but not exposed to the pulsed fields. Both groups of turtles subsequently oriented toward a light source, implying that the pulsed fields did not disrupt the motivation to swim or the ability to maintain a consistent heading. However, when swimming in darkness under conditions in which turtles normally orient magnetically, control turtles oriented significantly toward the offshore migratory direction while those that were exposed to the magnetic pulses did not. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that at least part of the sea turtle magnetoreception system is based on magnetite. In principle, a magnetite-based magnetoreception system might be involved in detecting directional information, positional information, or both.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Mike Salmon and Jeanette Wyneken for helpful discussions, logistical support, and providing laboratory space in Florida. We also thank Lou Fisher, Stefanie Ouellette and the NSU sea turtle hatchery crew for assistance with obtaining hatchlings. Experiments comply with the Principles of animal care publication No. 86–23, revised 1985, of the National Institutes of Health. Experiments were authorized under Florida DEP sea turtle permit#065.

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  1. Department of Biology, CB#3280, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-3280, USA

    William P. Irwin & Kenneth J. Lohmann

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  1. William P. Irwin
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  2. Kenneth J. Lohmann
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Correspondence to William P. Irwin.

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Irwin, W.P., Lohmann, K.J. Disruption of magnetic orientation in hatchling loggerhead sea turtles by pulsed magnetic fields. J Comp Physiol A 191, 475–480 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00359-005-0609-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00359-005-0609-9

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