Cited by 1,176Electromagnetic Fields and Biological EffectsGeomagnetism and Paleomagnetism StudiesElectron Spin Resonance Studies

A Model for Photoreceptor-Based Magnetoreception in Birds

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Ritz, Thorsten, Adem, Salih, Schulten, Klaus·2000·Biophysical Journal

Abstract

A large variety of animals has the ability to sense the geomagnetic field and utilize it as a source of directional (compass) information. It is not known by which biophysical mechanism this magnetoreception is achieved. We investigate the possibility that magnetoreception involves radical-pair processes that are governed by anisotropic hyperfine coupling between (unpaired) electron and nuclear spins. We will show theoretically that fields of geomagnetic field strength and weaker can produce significantly different reaction yields for different alignments of the radical pairs with the magnetic field. As a model for a magnetic sensory organ we propose a system of radical pairs being 1) orientationally ordered in a molecular substrate and 2) exhibiting changes in the reaction yields that affect the visual transduction pathway. We evaluate three-dimensional visual modulation patterns that can arise from the influence of the geomagnetic field on radical-pair systems. The variations of these patterns with orientation and field strength can furnish the magnetic compass ability of birds with the same characteristics as observed in behavioral experiments. We propose that the recently discovered photoreceptor cryptochrome is part of the magnetoreception system and suggest further studies to prove or disprove this hypothesis.

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Crossref · 10.1016/s0006-3495(00)76629-x

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  • Quantum biology has been benefitting from refinement of experimental tools that are beginning to provide direct access to observation of quantum dynamics in biological systems.

    “In recent years, quantum biology too has been benefitting considerably from the refinement of experimental tools that are beginning to provide direct access to the observation of quantum dynamics in biological systems [11-14]”

    From Vibrations, quanta and biology (2013) · cites this paper as [11]

  • There is compelling theoretical and/or experimental evidence that quantum phenomena are essential for understanding environment assisted excitation energy transport in photosynthesis.

    “environment assisted excitation energy transport in photosynthesis [11, 15, 16], magneto-reception of birds [17-19] and the mechanism underlying olfaction [20, 21], for which there is some compelling theoretical and/or experimental evidence that quantum phenomena are essential for their understanding.”

    From Vibrations, quanta and biology (2013) · cites this paper as [11]

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Authors
Ritz, T., Adem, S., & Schulten, K.
Affiliations
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (US)
Corresponding author
Schulten, Klaus
Venue
Biophysical Journal
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2000-02
Volume
78
Issue
2
Pages
707-718
ISSN
0006-3495 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2138668594
Cited by
1,176
References
62
Citations by year
2026: 68 · 2025: 63 · 2024: 49 · 2023: 66 · 2022: 62 · 2021: 71 · 2020: 59 · 2019: 40 · 2018: 58 · 2017: 71 · 2016: 59 · 2015: 46 · 2014: 73 · 2013: 36 · 2012: 42
FWCI
8.03
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Biophysical Journal (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
National Center for Research Resources (P41RR005969)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Biophysics › Electromagnetic Fields and Biological Effects
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Geomagnetism and Paleomagnetism Studies
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Biophysics › Electron Spin Resonance Studies
Keywords
magnetoreception, birds, geomagnetic field, radical pairs, cryptochrome, photoreceptors, hyperfine interaction, magnetic compass, phototransduction, reaction yield
MeSH terms
Animals, Birds, Eye Proteins, Flavoproteins, Homing Behavior, Magnetics, Models, Biological, Visual Perception, Anisotropy, Photoreceptor Cells, Invertebrate, Photoreceptor Cells, Vertebrate, Drosophila Proteins, Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled, Cryptochromes

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