Orientation and navigation in Bufo bufo: a quest for repeatability of arena experiments
Research on navigation in animals is hampered by conflicting results and failed replications. In order to assess the generality of previous results, male Bufo bufo were collected during their breeding migration and translocated to two testing sites, 2.4 and 2.9 km away, respectively, from their bree...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Pensoft Publishers
2020-08-01
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| Series: | Herpetozoa |
| Online Access: | https://herpetozoa.pensoft.net/article/52854/download/pdf/ |
| _version_ | 1818749146139459584 |
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| author | Markus Pail Lukas Landler Günter Gollmann |
| author_facet | Markus Pail Lukas Landler Günter Gollmann |
| author_sort | Markus Pail |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Research on navigation in animals is hampered by conflicting results and failed replications. In order to assess the generality of previous results, male Bufo bufo were collected during their breeding migration and translocated to two testing sites, 2.4 and 2.9 km away, respectively, from their breeding pond in the north of Vienna (Austria). There each toad was tested twice for orientation responses in a circular arena, on the night of collection and four days later. On the first test day, the toads showed significant axial orientation along their individual former migration direction. On the second test day, no significant homeward orientation was detected. Both results accord with findings of previous experiments with toads from another population. We analysed the potential influence of environmental factors (temperature, cloud cover and lunar cycle) on toad orientations using a MANOVA approach. Although cloud cover and lunar cycle had small effects on the second test day, they could not explain the absence of homeward orientation. The absence of homing responses in these tests may be either caused by the absence of navigational capabilities of toads beyond their home ranges, or by inadequacies of the applied method. To resolve this question, tracking of freely moving toads should have greater potential than the use of arena experiments. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-18T03:59:08Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-3a86998f0c504fef9cc8fff081984258 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2682-955X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-18T03:59:08Z |
| publishDate | 2020-08-01 |
| publisher | Pensoft Publishers |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Herpetozoa |
| spelling | doaj.art-3a86998f0c504fef9cc8fff0819842582022-12-21T21:21:43ZengPensoft PublishersHerpetozoa2682-955X2020-08-013313914710.3897/herpetozoa.33.e5285452854Orientation and navigation in Bufo bufo: a quest for repeatability of arena experimentsMarkus Pail0Lukas Landler1Günter Gollmann2University of ViennaUniversity of Natural Resources and Life SciencesUniversity of ViennaResearch on navigation in animals is hampered by conflicting results and failed replications. In order to assess the generality of previous results, male Bufo bufo were collected during their breeding migration and translocated to two testing sites, 2.4 and 2.9 km away, respectively, from their breeding pond in the north of Vienna (Austria). There each toad was tested twice for orientation responses in a circular arena, on the night of collection and four days later. On the first test day, the toads showed significant axial orientation along their individual former migration direction. On the second test day, no significant homeward orientation was detected. Both results accord with findings of previous experiments with toads from another population. We analysed the potential influence of environmental factors (temperature, cloud cover and lunar cycle) on toad orientations using a MANOVA approach. Although cloud cover and lunar cycle had small effects on the second test day, they could not explain the absence of homeward orientation. The absence of homing responses in these tests may be either caused by the absence of navigational capabilities of toads beyond their home ranges, or by inadequacies of the applied method. To resolve this question, tracking of freely moving toads should have greater potential than the use of arena experiments.https://herpetozoa.pensoft.net/article/52854/download/pdf/ |
| spellingShingle | Markus Pail Lukas Landler Günter Gollmann Orientation and navigation in Bufo bufo: a quest for repeatability of arena experiments Herpetozoa |
| title | Orientation and navigation in Bufo bufo: a quest for repeatability of arena experiments |
| title_full | Orientation and navigation in Bufo bufo: a quest for repeatability of arena experiments |
| title_fullStr | Orientation and navigation in Bufo bufo: a quest for repeatability of arena experiments |
| title_full_unstemmed | Orientation and navigation in Bufo bufo: a quest for repeatability of arena experiments |
| title_short | Orientation and navigation in Bufo bufo: a quest for repeatability of arena experiments |
| title_sort | orientation and navigation in bufo bufo a quest for repeatability of arena experiments |
| url | https://herpetozoa.pensoft.net/article/52854/download/pdf/ |
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