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Geomagnetic Field Effects on Living Systems

study did not demonstrate preferential alignment to any geomagnetic orientation which emphasized to

the researchers the need for scientifc replication (Oberbauer et al., 2021). Domestic dogs may live in an

artifcial living environment, in which case they are likely to be afected by anthropogenic and artifcial

EMF felds, which may interfere with their ability to sense the natural GMF (Burda et al., 2009).

Benediktova et al. (2020) equipped 27 hunting dogs with GPS collars and action cams, let them freely

roam in forested areas, and analyzed components of homing in over 600 trials. As a result, the “com­

pass run” was signifcantly oriented along the N-S geomagnetic axis, suggesting that its orientation was

independent of the direction of the dog owner (Benediktova et al., 2020). Noteworthy, scouting dogs in

unfamiliar locations cannot use visual landmarks to recalibrate a path integration system (Benediktova

et al., 2020). Terefore, in the absence of familiar landmarks, the compass run may serve to recalibrate

a path integration system relative to the GMF (Benediktova et al., 2020). Performing such a compass

run signifcantly increased homing efciency. Benediktova et al. (2020) proposed that this run is instru­

mental for bringing the mental map into the register with the magnetic compass and establishing the

heading of the animal.

Interestingly, in the case of magnetic alignment of wild red foxes (Vulpes vulpes), which belong to

the family of Canidae, Červený et al. (2011) found that magnetic alignment to the north enhances the

precision of hunting attacks in high vegetation and under snow cover. It will also be interesting to

examine the relationship between geomagnetic sensing and certain kinds of behaviors in wild canines,

e.g., Australian wild dog Dingoes (Canis lupus dingo), African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus), black-backed

jackals (Canis mesomelas), North American wolves (Canis lupus), coyotes (Canis latrans), and Japanese

raccoon dogs (Nyctereutes procyonoides viverrinus).

More recently, in the case of the Suidae, it was reported that the wild boars (Sus scrofa) in the herds

had a highly signifcant axial preference to align themselves approximately along the magnetic N-S axis,

with a slight shif toward the east (Červený et al., 2017). A similar and equally strong axial N-S prefer­

ence was revealed for the orientation of wild boar beds (Červený et al., 2017). In warthogs (Phacochoerus

africanus), the same axial N-S preference became apparent (Červený et al., 2017). Surprisingly, their

pairs showed antiparallel body orientation and the antiparallel orientation of pairs can be interpreted as

an antipredator strategy (Červený et al., 2017).

In the case of the avian magnetic compass, it is conceivable that an efcient magnetic compass was

an important precondition for some species to adapt to a migratory lifestyle (Wiltschko and Wiltschko,

2021). Te most important function of the avian magnetic compass is to provide a “directional reference

system”: it acts as a reference for recording the direction of the outward journey to obtain the home

direction in inexperienced young birds (Wiltschko and Wiltschko, 1978) and also provides the reference

for the innate migratory direction in frst-time migrants (e.g., Wiltschko and Gwinner, 1974; Beck and

Wiltschko, 1988).

A recent advanced study on head-mountable microstimulators coupled with a digital geomagnetic

compass demonstrated that blind rats were able to fnd food in a maze using food-associated geomag­

netic information from a head-mounted magnetic compass (Norimoto and Ikegaya, 2015). Furthermore,

a recent interesting study suggested that using the fruit fy, Drosophila melanogaster as a model organ­

ism, which has a geomagnetic declination compass for horizontal orientation (Lee et al., 2018), prenatal

exposure to a specifc geographic MF during development afected adult responses to the matching feld

gradient through downward movements associated with foraging (Oh et al., 2020). Tis same behavior

occurred spontaneously in the progeny of the next generation (Oh et al., 2020). Tese fndings impli­

cated that imprinting on the MF of a natal area assists magnetoreceptive organisms and their ofspring

in recognizing locations suitable for foraging and reproduction (Oh et al., 2020).

Inexperienced sea turtle migrants cannot have a detailed map of their migration route but could have

inherited simple cue values for the goal and/or a few “signposts” and associated these with adaptive

behaviors, such as the responses of hatchling sea turtles to magnetic parameters (Lohmann et al., 2001,

2007, 2013). Inexperienced bird migrants usually follow experienced companions or rely on a simple

clock-and-compass strategy (vector navigation) using only an innate circannual clock and compass