image: A population of landlocked Atlantic salmon, translocated from Maine, USA to Oregon, USA, adaptively orient to magnetic fields that exist in the North Pacific. view more
Credit: PNAS
Researchers report that nonmigratory salmon can extract navigational data from Earth's magnetic field. The migratory journeys of animals such as Pacific salmon, which return to their birthplace to spawn, demonstrate remarkable navigational acumen. This skill partly arises from an ability to extract positional information from Earth's magnetic field. Michelle Scanlan, Nathan Putman, and colleagues explored whether nonmigratory Atlantic salmon possess the same magnetic map. Using a population of Atlantic salmon that had been translocated to Hosmer Lake in central Oregon around 60 years ago, the authors exposed year-old salmon to five different magnetic field conditions, representing different geographic locations within both Pacific and Atlantic salmon ranges. The information present in the magnetic field included magnetic strength and inclination, indicators that change with distance from the magnetic poles. The authors observed that the Atlantic salmon displayed different head orientations in each of the magnetic field conditions, suggesting that the fish were responding to the magnetic field and orienting themselves appropriately. According to the authors, the results suggest that the magnetic map present in migratory salmon is shared by nonmigratory salmon, and that salmon escaping from the proliferation of salmon aquaculture may be able to better navigate and invade habitats than previously thought.
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Article #18-07705: "Magnetic map in nonanadromous Atlantic salmon," by Michelle M. Scanlan, Nathan F. Putman, Amanda M. Pollock, and David L.G. Noakes.
MEDIA CONTACTS: Michelle M. Scanlan, Oregon State University; tel: 541-944-3680; e-mail: scanlanmi@gmail.com; Nathan F. Putman, LGL Ecological Research Associates, Bryan, TX; tel: 205-218-5276; e-mail: nathan.putman@gmail.com
Journal
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences