Ways of orientation of animals in space. How animals and insects navigate in space. How do they do it

27.08.2020

The basic principles of the orientation of animals in space are implemented in specific methods of obtaining it.

The main way of obtaining information about space for many representatives of the fauna is optical orientation, which is determined, first of all, by the capabilities of vision of organs: eyes and other light-sensitive receptors.

The latter are usually only able to register the degree of illumination, the spectral composition of light and the degree of its polarization.

So, in the lancelet, a primitive chordate animal living in the sea soil, photosensitive organs - Hesse's eyes, which are located along the entire length of the transparent body, along the neural tube, they register whether the entire body of the animal is immersed in the ground, i.e., protected from predator attacks. Chemoreception is an important method of spatial orientation.

Chemoreception and orientation of animals according to the peculiarities of the chemical composition of the environment are especially widespread among the inhabitants of water and soil. For example, anadromous salmon fish, during spawning migrations, find their "native" rivers by familiar smells, whales during migrations are guided by the peculiarities of the chemical composition of water in different sea currents. Also, land animals are guided by smells when searching for food, migrations and settling.

In the latter case, animals move mainly against the wind and the pattern of their settlement corresponds to the "wind rose". For males of some butterflies (Saturnia, silkworms), the ability to find a female by smell at a distance of up to 10 km has been proven.

All the above examples of chemoreception prove the fact that it can be used to obtain a large amount of detailed information necessary for representatives of narrow systematic groups: species, genera, classes. Another way of orientation in space is acoustic orientation, which is typical for aquatic biotopes and natural communities with dense vegetation.

Many predators find and catch prey by ear. An owl, by rustling, determines the location of a rodent at a distance of 15-20 meters with an accuracy of 1 kHz (passive location). Bats and dolphins use echolocation as a special case of acoustic orientation at frequencies of 20-200 kHz, sending sounding signals and catching their reflection (echo) from a target (prey) or obstacle.

Echolocation allows them to navigate, find and catch prey in the dark. The Guajaro bird nesting in dark caves orients in them, echolocating at audible frequencies (in the audio range).

As for the above methods of orienting animals in space, they are not the only ones. There are alternative ways to gain knowledge about the biosphere, but they are idioadaptic in nature. There are sensory receptors in the muscles of the beetle. They convey information about the position of the insect's body.

Hair, nerve endings, feathers and receptors help to orientate in space. When swimming during the hunt, the water scorpion is guided by six small air-filled spiracles - holes on the abdominal surface. Each hole is tightened with a thin membrane. At a depth where the water pressure rises, the air is compressed and the membrane is pushed inward. If the head of the scorpion is closer to the surface than the tail, the spiracles closer to the head experience less pressure than those closer to the tail, and the anterior membranes are depressed less than the posterior ones. This tells the water scorpion that it is moving towards the surface.

There are also so-called "primitive" ways of orienting animals in space, which include the dead reckoning, because it is not associated with external information. In the context of this method, the animal tracks its movement, and the integral information about the traversed path is apparently provided by correlating this path and the elapsed time.

This method is inaccurate, and precisely because of this, in highly organized animals it is practically impossible to observe it in isolation.

As part of the "dead reckoning", animals also often use landmarks.

This type of orientation is to a large extent close to the formation of connections of the "stimulus-response" type.

The peculiarity of the "work on landmarks" is that the animal uses them strictly one by one, "one at a time."

The path that the animal remembers is a chain of associative links.

Despite the perfection of biological methods of orientation in space, animals often make mistakes.

For example, there are cases when ptarmigan, migrating, fly into the sea, and then on the shore find a huge number of their corpses. There is a known case of a seal being found in a village 13 km away. from the sea. While the goals of bird migrations are mostly clear, mass mammalian migrations are often striking in their seeming senselessness.

This is primarily due to the instability of climatic factors and human influence on the environment.

Thus, methods of orientation in space based on general principles give animals the opportunity to perform their biological functions, both as individuals and members of natural communities, links in food chains, elements of the cycle of substances and the biosphere.

In the animal kingdom, homosexuality is quite common, especially among herd animals. It is believed that about 1,500 species of animals, ranging from mammals to crabs and worms, practice sex with members of the same sex. In fact, this number is much higher, it is just that other animals are not well studied.
Here are 10 representatives of the animal kingdom who are known for their non-traditional sexual orientation.
1. Elephants

An example of non-traditional sexual orientation among elephants was the African elephant Niño, who lived in a Polish zoo. Niño preferred the company of males and ignored, if not terrorized, females, beating them with his trunk.
In the wild, male elephants live separately from the general herd and form relationships that include sexual encounters in which they climb on top of each other, exchange kisses, and intertwine their trunks.
2. Penguins

Homosexual behavior is also common among penguins. For example, spectacled penguins Wendell and Cass lived quietly together for many years at New York's Aquarium in Brooklyn, until genetic tests confirmed in 2002 that they were males. The couple met when they were 3-4 years old, and they lived together for 7 years until Cass died.
Another famous couple were Roy and Sylou, who lived at New York City's Central Zoo. For a long time they wanted to raise offspring and incubated stones until other penguins' eggs were laid on them. For five years of marriage, the couple raised a female penguin, and then Silou left for another.

3. Dolphins

In many species, homosexuality is not only common but also the norm. For example, male dolphins form pairs of members of the same sex and take care of each other. This concern includes sexual intercourse and occasional underwater orgies. They also mate with females, but only during the breeding season.

4. Hyenas

When it comes to matriarchal society in the animal kingdom, the sexual behavior of females often puzzles researchers. So, for example, female hyenas have long misled scientists, since their genitals looked like a penis and they were considered "transsexuals."
In hyenas, those representatives who have been exposed to more testosterone often become more attractive. Often these are female hyenas, which are larger and more aggressive than males. However, they are more likely to demonstrate traditionally masculine features and have sex with each other.

5. Gray whale

Gray whales are one of the largest nomads in the animal kingdom; they travel in small flocks of up to 20 thousand km a year. They also differ in homosexual orientation and can participate in a kind of orgies of 5 males. They roll, splashing water, and rub against each other with their bellies so that their genitals touch.

6. Swans

Swans are birds of the duck family. About 20 percent of swans are in a homosexual couple, and in almost 25 percent of all families, parents are of the same sex. Often homosexual couples drive off their heterosexual counterparts and collect the eggs they have laid.

7. Macaques

Both male and female monkeys engage in homosexual intercourse. Female macaques form strong bonds with each other and are usually monogamous. During the breeding season, they often enter into unconventional relationships. During genital caresses, they express their pleasure with giggling sounds. In males, homosexual intercourse is usually "one night stand".

8. Bonobos

One of our closest relatives, bonobos, is also no stranger to sexual pleasure. Almost all bonobos are bisexual and often resolve conflicts following the principle of "make love, not war." They often mate, while expressing their pleasure with loud screams, and engage in homosexual relationships. About two thirds of females also have sex with members of the same sex.

How do animals navigate in space and time?
Have you ever wondered how the various representatives of the animal kingdom surprisingly accurately determine the time and routes of flights, the way back to the house, spawning grounds, etc. You should, by the way, well know that the "animal kingdom" is a completely scientific term ... And insects, and birds, and fish, and lizards, and aphids - they all belong to the numerous animal kingdom, further subdividing into types, classes, orders and families.
Memory plays a special role in the orientation of animals in space and time. Scientists have found that bees remember the location of food in four different directions from the hive at distances of hundreds of meters and after wintering (that is, after 4-5 months) they confidently fly after it. Or here's another typical example of the properties of memory in orientation in fish. Salmon remember the chemical composition of the water of their "native" areola, and after long months of wandering in the sea, they invariably return home.
However, the ability to memorize is not the only criterion for orientation. Animals determine distance, place and time by the sun, as well as by the moon and stars. For bees, for example, the sun serves as a compass in the truest sense of the word. Or take sea turtles. They lay their eggs on a narrow stretch of coastline. However, released tens of kilometers from the coast, they absolutely accurately move to the place of laying, provided that the sun is not hidden behind clouds. When they were shown the sun reflected in a mirror, they swam in the opposite direction. But the red forest ant, as the researchers found, navigates by the moon.
Animals have the ability to navigate by electric and magnetic fields. For example, May beetles orient themselves in the direction of the earth's magnetic field lines. And even the Hydrometeorological Center can envy bees, since they perceive the change in the atmospheric potential that precedes the change in weather. Many animals have a well-developed ability to orient themselves by smell. Dogs are a prime example.
The sound orientation of animals is well known to scientists. You will be surprised, but it turns out that fish emit strong and, most amazingly, various sounds. And swallows avoid obstacles in the dark, perceiving reflected sound signals. You can see this for yourself if you notice how louder and more often the swallows cry in the evening. There are animals such as bats and dolphins that use ultrasonic signals for orientation. These are real live ultra-precise locators and radiometric stations. Animals also have other types of orientation, for example, by gravity, like many vertebrates and insects, or by pressure, like fish. It is important for you and me to conclude how interesting and far from known the world around us is. There are no insignificant creatures in living nature, for each, even the smallest of them, is unique and keeps many deep secrets of the universe.

ANIMAL ORIENTATION ANIMAL ORIENTATION

(French orientation, lit. - direction to the east), bio-orientation, the ability of animals to determine their position in space, among individuals of the same or other species. O. zh.- a complex process, including obtaining information about the external. the world through different communication channels (receptor systems), its processing, comparison in the central nervous system and the formation of a response. Reception and processing of signals consists of pattern recognition and determination of the position of the signal source in relation to the body. Orientation methods are the result of morphophysiol. adaptation to certain environmental conditions, depending on to-rykh in specific groups of animals, one or another mechanism and system for obtaining information about externally has preferential development. the world. Optical O. is determined primarily by the capabilities of photoreceptors. Mn. insects are guided by polarized light, some perceive ultraviolet rays. Birds and mammals are able to navigate not only by many "earthly" landmarks, but also by the position of the Sun, Moon and stars (astronavigation). "Instinct at home" (homing) is explained by memorizing the characteristic features of the landscape and decomp. bio-navigation mechanisms. Khimich. O. w. based on chemoreception. Mn. animals are guided by smells when searching for food, mating partners, migrations and resettlement. Males of certain butterflies (peacock eyes, silkworms) are able to find a female by smell at a distance of up to 10 km. Acoustic. O. w. has advantages in aquatic environments and biotopes with dense vegetation, where vision is limited. Mn. predators find and catch prey by ear. By rustling, owls determine the location of the rodent at a distance of 15-20 m with an accuracy of 1 ° (passive location). Bats and dolphins use echolocation. Thermoreception - the perception of heat radiation from prey is used by pit snakes hunting in holes for rodents (shytomordniki, boas), which have a special thermoreceptor on the face in the form of a fossa, covered with a film (they are able to perceive fluctuations in air temperature in thousandths of a degree). Mn. lower invertebrates (for example, planarians), as well as insects (flies, beetles, termites) and, apparently, birds and certain aquatic mammals are oriented according to the Earth's magnetic field, fish with the help of the lateral line organs are oriented along the directions of water flow, and with the help of electric. organs by electric. field. O. zh. is always the result of comparing information received through different communication channels, that is, an integral reaction, although the main. depending on the situation, one or the other receptor system can play a role in it. A similar mechanism O. increases its reliability ("noise immunity"), flexibility and significantly increases the adaptive value. The orientational behavior of an individual is corrected by members of the population, herd, flock or colony. This explains the advantage of the group lifestyle during migrations, during reproduction, during the growth of young animals.

.(Source: "Biological Encyclopedic Dictionary." - M .: Sov.Encyclopedia, 1986.)

orientation of animals

The ability of animals to determine their location on the ground, the ability to choose the desired direction of movement. Orientation of animals with a well-organized nervous system is based on orienting reflexes proceeding in 3 stages: primary activation of the receptors of the sense organs by the stimulus; comparison and memorization of the information received; secondary selective adjustment of sensory systems to obtain the most useful information about the source of the stimulus, up to the development of new reflex reactions. Outwardly, this is expressed in turning the head, listening, sniffing, etc.
In the spatial orientation of terrestrial animals, the main role is played by sight, hearing and smell. Aquatic and soil animals are guided by Ch. arr. by smells, electric and magnetic fields, etc. When migrating over long distances, the choice of direction is determined by the sun, moon, bright stars, and the Earth's magnetic field. Numerous studies have proven the existence of a kind of solar, stellar and magnetic compass in migratory birds, which works even when the position of the Sun and stars changes. Some insects, for example. bees and flies can navigate using polarized light and ultraviolet rays. Many insects transmit the necessary information to other individuals using certain forms of behavior, for example. the scout bees with vibrating movements ("dances") indicate to the working bees the direction of flight to the nectar source they discovered. The mechanism of target orientation is not completely clear. For example, carrier pigeons, taken away in closed boxes for hundreds and even thousands of kilometers, invariably return to their native dovecote; somehow they determine the geographic position of their location, and then choose the direction of travel home.
Spatial orientation is closely related to orientation in time, i.e. with the existence in animals of a sense of time (see. Biological rhythms, Biological clock).

.(Source: "Biology. Modern Illustrated Encyclopedia." Ed. A. P. Gorkin; Moscow: Rosmen, 2006.)

See what "ANIMAL ORIENTATION" is in other dictionaries:

Animal orientation - their ability to determine their position in ecosystems, in particular during movement and migration. Complex biological processes carried out with the help of sight, hearing, biolocation (whales, bats), taste and smell (chemoreception of water composition in ... ... Ecological Dictionary

animal orientation - orientacija statusas T sritis ekologija ir aplinkotyra apibrėžtis Gyvūnų gebėjimas rasti buveinę (pvz., lizdą, žiemojimo, veisimosi vietą ir kt.) arba labiau tinkamą maitinimosi viet. atitikmenys: angl. orientation vok.……

animal orientation - orientacija statusas T sritis ekologija ir aplinkotyra apibrėžtis Mokėjimas vietovėje nustatyti pasaulio šalis. atitikmenys: angl. orientation vok. Orientierung, f rus. bio-orientation, f; orientation of animals, f ... Ekologijos terminų aiškinamasis žodynas

The inherent ability of animals to determine their position in space, among individuals of the same or other species, that is, in a population (see Population) and Biocenosis. O. w. a complex process involving obtaining information about the outside world in different ... ... Great Soviet Encyclopedia

ORIENTATION - animals (French orientation, literally eastward direction), bio-orientation, the ability of animals to find a habitat (nest, wintering, breeding, etc.) or the most suitable place for feeding, watering, etc. The ability to orientate ... ... Ecological Dictionary

ORIENTATION (in animals) - (English orientation) determination by animals of their location and direction of movement in time and space. O. is carried out according to certain external landmarks (thermal, optical, acoustic, electrical and other gradients) on ... ...

Subjective localization in the system of temporal and spatial coordinates, which is carried out according to certain signs (temperature, optical, acoustic, electrical) using innate mechanisms. The most ... ... Psychological Dictionary

body orientation - subjective localization in the system of temporal and spatial coordinates, produced according to certain characteristics (temperature, optical, acoustic, electrical) using innate mechanisms. The most ... ... Big psychological encyclopedia

animal orientation - Etymology. Comes from lat. Orientis east. Category. Characteristics of mental reflection. Specificity. Subjective localization in the system of temporal and spatial coordinates. It is carried out according to certain criteria (temperature, ... ... Big psychological encyclopedia

Regular movement of an animal population, during which individuals from one habitat move to another, but then return back. Such a round trip can be seasonal, like a spring or autumn flight ... ... Collier's Encyclopedia

ANIMAL ORIENTATION

(French orientation, lit. - direction to the east), bio-orientation, the ability of animals to determine their position in space, among individuals of the same or other species. O. zh.- a complex process, including obtaining information about the external. the world through different communication channels (receptor systems), its processing, comparison in the central nervous system and the formation of a response. Reception and processing of signals consists of pattern recognition and determination of the position of the signal source in relation to the body. Orientation methods are the result of morphophysiol. adaptation to certain environmental conditions, depending on to-rykh in specific groups of animals, one or another mechanism and system for obtaining information about externally has preferential development. the world. Optical O. is determined primarily by the capabilities of photoreceptors. Mn. insects are guided by polarized light, some perceive ultraviolet rays. Birds and mammals are able to navigate not only by a variety of "terrestrial" landmarks, but also by the position of the Sun, Moon and stars (astronavigation). "Home instinct" (homing) is explained by memorizing the characteristic features of the landscape and decomp. bio-navigation mechanisms. Khimich. O. w. based on chemoreception. Mn. animals are guided by smells when searching for food, mating partners, migrations and settling. Males of certain butterflies (peacock eyes, silkworms) are able to find a female by smell at a distance of up to 10 km. Acoustic. O. w. has advantages in aquatic environments and biotopes with dense vegetation, where vision is limited. Mn. predators find and catch prey by ear. By rustling, owls determine the location of the rodent at a distance of 15-20 m with an accuracy of 1 ° (passive location). Bats and dolphins use echolocation. Thermoreception - the perception of heat radiation from prey is used by pit snakes hunting in holes for rodents (shitomordniki, boas), which have a special thermoreceptor on the face in the form of a fossa, covered with a film (they are able to perceive fluctuations in air temperature in thousandths of a degree). Mn. lower invertebrates (for example, planarians), as well as insects (flies, beetles, termites) and, apparently, birds and certain aquatic mammals are oriented according to the Earth's magnetic field, fish with the help of lateral line organs are oriented along the directions of water flow, and with the help of electric. organs by electric. field. O. zh. Is always the result of comparing information received through different communication channels, that is, an integral reaction, although the main. depending on the situation, one or the other receptor system can play a role in it. A similar mechanism O. increases its reliability ("noise immunity"), flexibility and significantly increases the adaptive value. The orientational behavior of an individual is corrected by members of the population, herd, flock or colony. This explains the advantage of the group lifestyle during migrations, during reproduction, during the growth of young animals.

.(Source: "Biological Encyclopedic Dictionary." - M .: Sov.Encyclopedia, 1986.)

orientation of animals

.(Source: "Biology. Modern Illustrated Encyclopedia." Ed. A. P. Gorkin; Moscow: Rosmen, 2006.)

- formalization and far-reaching generalization of the notion of a bypass direction. The definition of some special classes of spaces is defined. The modern view of O. is given within the framework of generalized cohomology theories ...
Encyclopedia of Mathematics
- generalization of the concept of direction on the straight line and on the geom. figures of a more general structure. For example, a closed curve indicates a direction on it ...
Natural science. encyclopedic Dictionary
- in Christian architecture, the location of the temple along the east-west axis with an altar in the eastern part ...
Architectural vocabulary
- spacecraft - 1) a certain angular position, a cut is attached to the spacecraft relative to celestial bodies, magnetic and gravitational lines of force ...
Big Encyclopedic Polytechnic Dictionary
- in navigation - determining the position of ships, aircraft and spaceships in space ...
Scientific and technical encyclopedic dictionary
- English. orientation; German Orientierung. 1. Determination of the position of a given point in space. 2. The totality of the subject's actions aimed at assessing the problem situation, its examination and planning of behavior. 3 ...
Encyclopedia of Sociology
- 1) direction of activity in any particular direction, for any purpose; from here - to navigate ...
Reference commercial dictionary
- 1) the same as orienteering. 2) Ability to understand the environment, awareness of something. 3) The focus of activity, determined by the interests of someone, something ...
Modern encyclopedia
- orientation -. The centromere's position in relation to the spindle poles during cell division ...
Molecular biology and genetics. Explanatory dictionary
- animals, bio-orientation, the ability of animals to find habitat or the most suitable place for feeding, watering, etc. The ability to orientate is characteristic of all animals, but in different ways ...
Ecological Dictionary
- their ability to determine their position in ecosystems, in particular during movement and migration ...
Ecological Dictionary
- the ability to understand the environment ...
Big Dictionary of Economics
- I Orientation - the ability to understand the environment. Direction of scientific, social, political activity ...
- the ability inherent in animals to determine their position in space, among individuals of the same or other species, that is, in the population and the Biocenosis. O. w. - a complex process, including obtaining information about ...
Great Soviet Encyclopedia
- 1) determining your location on the ground 2)] The ability to understand the environment, awareness of something 3) The focus of activity, determined by the interests of someone, something ...
- generalization of the concept of direction on a straight line to geometric figures of a more general structure. For example, the orientation of a closed curve is indicating a direction on it ...
Big encyclopedic dictionary

"ANIMAL ORIENTATION" in books

Orientation

author Fabri Kurt Ernestovich

Orientation

From the book Fundamentals of Zoopsychology author Fabri Kurt Ernestovich

Orientation We have already seen with the examples of kinetics that gradients of external stimuli appear in protozoa simultaneously as starting and directing stimuli. This is especially evident in the case of klinokinesis. However, changes in the position of the animal in space have not yet

Vii. Russian orientation.

From the book From the travel notes of a refugee. author Trubetskoy Evgeny Nikolaevich

Orientation - disorientation

From the book of Frederick II Hohenstaufen author Vis Ernst V.

Orientation - disorientation If Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa, after his defeat at Legnano in 1176, nevertheless realized that peace with the Pope was inevitable for the empire to flourish, then this process of awareness did not take place in his grandson. True, Frederick also wanted peace with the Pope, but

WRONG ORIENTATION

From the book I would not serve in the navy ... [collection] author Boyko Vladimir Nikolaevich

WRONG ORIENTATION Once three of our officers, one of whom is a military doctor, went to the lake for a fishing trip. Upon arrival at the lake, the first thing they did was to have supper, and at supper they sentenced 4 bottles of vodka. It got dark. One of the warriors wanted out of need. He went into the reeds, began

Orientation

From the book Management Styles - Effective and Ineffective author Adizes Yitzhak Calderon

Orientation The lone hero is absorbed in particulars and does not know how to think globally. Often he gets bogged down in details, losing sight of the overall situation. He is engaged in petty care, not giving people independence. He throws all his strength into solving tactical issues and forgets about

Sleep orientation

From the book Do or Wait? Questions and answers by Carroll Lee

Sleep Orientation Question: Dear Kryon, what direction should the head be in when we sleep? One channel suggests sleeping with your head north. But it does not explain whether this applies to the whole world or only to the northern hemisphere. I definitely felt differently

Self-orientation - collective orientation

From the book History of Philosophy author Skirbekk Gunnar

Self-Orientation - Collective Orientation There is a choice between caring for yourself and caring for others. Does the normative type of action allow the acting person to use the situation for his own purposes, or should he primarily think about the collective? Exchange

Orientation

From the book The Mayan People author Rus Alberto

Orientation The orientation of Maya buildings in the classical era tends to coincide with the cardinal points, but in rough terrain, the location of architectural structures also depended on the relief.

Animal orientation

From the book Great Soviet Encyclopedia (OR) of the author TSB

Orientation

From the book The Maturity Model of Software Development Processes author Paulk Mark

Orientation In some key process groups, there are key practices that describe orientation. The term "orientation" is widely used to refer to the transfer of knowledge or skill at a lower level than learning. Orientation is an overview or,

Orientation

From the book Female Brain and Male Brain author Ginger Serge

Orientation Woman interacts with Time (left brain) Man interacts with Space (right brain): the advantage of men in tests of three-dimensional spatial rotation is enormous since childhood (Kimura, 2000). Woman operates with specific markers: advantage

Orientation

From the book Siberian cat author Belyachenko Andrey

Orientation Our ordinary smooth-haired cats get used to their place of residence: it concerns their "big cage" - the owner's apartment or the area next to the house. And in the mastered, well-trodden personal territory, the first place among the feelings comes out

Orientation

From the book The Jewish Legion author Zhabotinsky Vladimir

Orientation It is an indisputable fact: the influence of England and England became an obstacle to the development of Zionism. This does not mean that 16 years of working in a company with England was a net loss for us. On the contrary, over the course of 15 years we have gained a lot: Zionism has become, as it were, international

1. Bel fell, Nebo fell; their idols are on cattle and beasts of burden; your burden has become a burden to the weary animals. 2. They overthrew, fell together; could not protect the wearers, and themselves went into captivity.

From the book Explanatory Bible. Volume 5 author Lopukhin Alexander

1. Bel fell, Nebo fell; their idols are on cattle and beasts of burden; your burden has become a burden to the weary animals. 2. They overthrew, fell together; could not protect the wearers, and themselves went into captivity. Bel fell, Nebo fell ... Your burden has become a burden for tired animals.