Behavioral evidence for geomagnetic imprinting and transgenerational inheritance in fruit flies

2019 · Unclear · Insufficient evidence

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UnclearInsufficient evidencePaper 1659

Study snapshot

Publicationmanual · 2019

Study typeanimal

Reported directionUnclear

Evidence ratingInsufficient

Abstract

Behavioral evidence for geomagnetic imprinting and transgenerational inheritance in fruit flies Oh IT, Kwon HJ, Kim SC, Kim HJ, Lohmann KJ, Chae K. Behavioral evidence for geomagnetic imprinting and transgenerational inheritance in fruit flies. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2019 Dec 30. pii: 201914106. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1914106117. Abstract Certain long-distance migratory animals, such as salmon and sea turtles, are thought to imprint on the magnetic field of their natal area and to use this information to help them return as adults. Despite a growing body of indirect support for such imprinting, direct experimental evidence thereof remains elusive. Here, using the fruit fly as a magnetoreceptive model organism, we demonstrate that exposure to a specific geographic magnetic field during a critical period of early development affected responses to a matching magnetic field gradient later in life. Specifically, hungry flies that had imprinted on a specific magnetic field from 1 of 3 widely separated geographic locations responded to the imprinted field, but not other magnetic fields, by moving downward, a geotactic behavior associated with foraging. This same behavior occurred spontaneously in the progeny of the next generation: female progeny moved downward in response to the field on which their parents had imprinted, whereas male progeny did so only in the presence of these females. These results represent experimental evidence that organisms can learn and remember a magnetic field to which they were exposed during a critical period of development. Although the function of the behavior is not known, one possibility is that imprinting on the magnetic field of a natal area assists flies and their offspring in recognizing locations likely to be favorable for foraging and reproduction. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Machine Enhanced Logic

AI evidence extraction

Structured fields below were generated from the paper’s abstract and metadata to make the evidence easier to inspect. Automated extraction may be incomplete or incorrect; verify important details against the original paper.

Study typeanimal

Effect directionunclear

Populationfruit flies (Drosophila)

Sample sizeNot supplied

ExposureELF · critical period of early development (timing not further specified)

Evidence strengthInsufficientConfidence: 74% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

Exposure to a specific geographic magnetic field during early development affected later-life responses to a matching magnetic field gradient: hungry flies moved downward in response to the imprinted field but not other fields. A similar response was observed in the next generation, with female progeny responding to the parental imprinted field and male progeny responding only in the presence of these females.

Outcomes measured

behavioral response to magnetic field gradient (geotaxis/downward movement)
evidence of geomagnetic imprinting
transgenerational inheritance of behavioral response (progeny response; sex-dependent)

Limitations

Sample size not reported in the provided abstract/metadata
Exposure parameters (field strength, exact frequencies/characteristics, and exposure duration) not specified beyond being a geographic magnetic field and occurring during early development
Function of the observed behavior is stated as unknown

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "animal",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "ELF",
    "source": "geomagnetic field",
    "frequency_mhz": null,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": "critical period of early development (timing not further specified)"
  },
  "population": "fruit flies (Drosophila)",
  "sample_size": null,
  "outcomes": [
    "behavioral response to magnetic field gradient (geotaxis/downward movement)",
    "evidence of geomagnetic imprinting",
    "transgenerational inheritance of behavioral response (progeny response; sex-dependent)"
  ],
  "main_findings": "Exposure to a specific geographic magnetic field during early development affected later-life responses to a matching magnetic field gradient: hungry flies moved downward in response to the imprinted field but not other fields. A similar response was observed in the next generation, with female progeny responding to the parental imprinted field and male progeny responding only in the presence of these females.",
  "effect_direction": "unclear",
  "limitations": [
    "Sample size not reported in the provided abstract/metadata",
    "Exposure parameters (field strength, exact frequencies/characteristics, and exposure duration) not specified beyond being a geographic magnetic field and occurring during early development",
    "Function of the observed behavior is stated as unknown"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "insufficient",
  "confidence": 0.74,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "geomagnetic imprinting",
    "magnetoreception",
    "geomagnetic field",
    "behavior",
    "geotaxis",
    "foraging",
    "transgenerational inheritance",
    "fruit fly",
    "developmental critical period"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": []
}

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AI-extracted fields are generated from the abstract and metadata and may be incomplete or incorrect. This material is for informational purposes and is not medical advice.

Identifiers and source

DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1914106117
PubMed: Not supplied

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