Professor Richard Holland
Professor in Animal Behaviour / Director of Research
Overview
Research Interests
My research group focuses on the cognitive processes and sensory mechanisms by which animals navigate and migrate. While my principle focus is at the level of the whole organism I also incorporate aspects of neurobiology, molecular biology, and physics to identify the environmental cues, sensory pathways and mechanisms used by animals to decide how, when and where to move. My work also operates in a comparative framework as I compare and contrast across species, taxa, age class, spatial scale and sensory mechanisms to reveal how natural selection has acted to shape navigation behaviour in different animal groups. I can offer postgraduate and postdoctoral projects (subject to funding) in the following areas:
The navigation map of migratory birds
The answer to the question of how migratory birds return to the same nest every year after journeys of thousands of miles continues to elude scientists. So far, because it is difficult to study migration in the field, most work has been done in laboratory settings using directed migratory restlessness in Emlen funnels as a proxy for migratory behaviour. Our lab addresses this challenge directly however, and we have developed methods to successfully study aspects of migration in the wild. This has resulted in significant breakthroughs in bridging the gap between field and laboratory. We use a range of tracking methods to study behaviour in response to sensory manipulations; from global satellite tracking of complete migration, to radio tracking the departure directions of small songbirds at stop over sites, in addition to calling on the “controlled” environment of the Emlen funnel. We have established model systems for work on migratory passerines at field sites across Europe and have demonstrated a crucial role for olfactory cues in the migration of adult songbirds and gulls, as well as age and location specific reliance on magnetic cues. Additionally, we have demonstrated that juvenile songbirds, previously thought to navigate based purely on an inherited compass direction, are capable of correcting for displacements in some circumstances. A BBSRC responsive mode grant explored how the magnetic field is used to calculate location, building on our discovery that declination (the difference between geographical and magnetic north) is a component in the navigational map (Chernetsov et al. 2017). A new project is exploring the movement of birds of prey tracked with GPS in relation to the magnetic field.
Orientation and Navigation in bats
Bats are remarkably under studied with regard to orientation, navigation and spatial memory, but I have re-launched the study of long distance navigation in this taxa I have demonstrated that bats use the Earth’s magnetic field as a compass, and that this magnetic compass sense is calibrated through an interaction with the sunset. We are now investigating the sensory basis of magnetoreception in these animals. Whilst in birds, it is know that magnetoreception is visually dependent; in bats no such mechanism has been demonstrated, but we have produced evidence of a mechanism based on magnetite: magnetic iron particles in sensory cells. Additionally, through a NERC new investigator grant we demonstrated that bats use polarized light cues as part of their compass system to calibrate the magnetic compass. Work funded by the Leverhulme Trust has investigated the navigation mechanisms of migratory bats, with reference to the impact of electromagnetic pollution on their ability to orient.
The magnetic sense in bees
A collaboration with the National Grid and Queen Mary University of London aims to investigate the function of the magnetic sense in bees, and its vulnerability to electromagnetic pollution.
Sensory systems and spatial memory
In contrast to navigation from unfamiliar areas, in a familiar place, animals learn and remember spatial locations by constructing a “cognitive map” of the relationship between landmarks in their environment. The theory of the cognitive map has been studied extensively by testing rats in mazes and by observing brain scans of humans, but has focused almost exclusively on the visual sense. There are sensory systems other than vision that can tell the animal the location of landmarks in space, for example, electro-location in weakly electric fish. My lab has started to investigate the way these fish build up a picture of their environment using their electric sense, and how this compares and contrasts with the way they learn about space using vision. This has implications for understanding the way the brain integrates information from different sensory modalities.
Ageing and spatial memory
Spatial memory tasks have been used in animals to investigate ageing and understanding the interaction between ageing, sensory systems and memory. We are investigating this using homing pigeons (e.g. Griffiths et al. 2021), a rare example of a model species that allows the investigation of this phenomenon outside the laboratory setting. Using gps trackers we can compare the way pigeons learn and remember routes and how this changes with age. It has the potential to advance our understanding of mental health and wellbeing.
The impact of sensory pollution on animal behaviour
Our lab is starting to explore how electromagnetic noise and artificial light at night disrupt animal's ability to detect the cues they use for navigation. This is relevant across all the areas we study, from migration in birds, to homing in pigeons and spatial cognition in fish and insects, but remarkably little is known about the impact of these pollutants on animal navigation.
Current lab members
Sara Bariselli (PhD student: the magnetic sense in bees). Co-Supervision with Dr Hayley Tripp (National Grid), Dr Paul Cross, Professor Lars Chittka (Queen Mary University of London), .
Noah Church (MScRES student: the role of circadium rhythms in spatial cognition). Co-supervision with Dr Amy Ellison.
Previous lab members
Dr. Will Schneider (Postdoctoral researcher: bat navigation)
Sarah Stachowski (MScRes student: bird navigation)
Jess Hey (PhD student: Bird behaviour and antimicrobial resistence)
Dr. Charlotte Griffiths (PhD student: bird navigation)
James Blane (MScRes student: fish cognition)
Dr. Oliver Lindecke (Marie Skłodowska-Curie research fellow: bat navigation)
Dr. Florian Packmor (Postdoctoral researcher: bird navigation)
Dr. Ingo Schiffner (Marie Skłodowska-Curie research fellow)
Dr. Stefan Greif (Postdoctoral researcher, Queen’s University Belfast)
Dr. Lorrain Chivers (Postdoctoral researcher, Queen’s University Belfast)
Dr. Dmitry Kishkinev (Postdoctoral researcher, Queen’s University Belfast, Bangor University)
Dr. Katherine Snell (Co-supervisor, PhD student Copenhagen University)
Dr. Kyriacos Kareklas (PhD student, Queen’s University Belfast)
Dr. Claire McAroe (PhD Student, Queen’s University Belfast)
Current collaborators
Professor Christian Voigt, IZW Berlin, Germany
Dr. Anna Gagliardo, University of Pisa, Italy
Dr. Chris Hewson, BTO, UK
Dr. Dmitry Kishkinev, Keele University
Dr. Oliver Lindecke, Oldenburg University
Additional Contact Information
Room: 531 Brambell
Email: r.holland@bangor.ac.uk
Phone: +44 (0)1248 382344
Web: Bangor Animal Navigation Group Google Scholar Researchgate
My research and teaching interests fall broadly in the area of animal behaviour and sensory biology. I am the course co-ordinator for the Zoology with Animal Behaviour degree (C3D3) and teach on several animal behaviour focused modules, as well as ornithology. My research questions focus the cognitive processes and sensory mechanisms by which animals navigate and migrate. While my principle focus is at the level of the whole organism I also incorporate aspects of neurobiology, molecular biology, and physics to identify the environmental cues, sensory pathways and mechanisms used by animals to decide how, when and where to move. My work also operates in a comparative framework as I compare and contrast across species, taxa, age class, spatial scale and sensory mechanisms to reveal how natural selection has acted to shape navigation behaviour in different animal groups. New avenues my lab is exploring include the impact of artificial light and electromagnetic noise on navigation and spatial cognition, and the impact of antimicrobial resistant bacteria on bird behaviour.
Biography:
2021-2024, Director of Research, School of Natural Sciences
2020-current, Professor in Animal Behaviour
2017-2020, Senior Lecturer, Bangor University
2016-2017, Lecturer, Bangor University
2011-2016, Lecturer, Queen’s University Belfast
2009-2010, Research scientist, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology
2006-2008, Marie Curie Outgoing International fellow, Princeton University and University of Leeds
2002-2005, Postdoctoral research fellow, University of Leeds
1999-2002, Postdoctoral research fellow, University of Nebraska
1994-1998, DPhil, Oxford University
1990-1993, BSc (Hons), University of Nottingham
Research Area
Teaching and Supervision
Teaching
Course co-ordinator, Zoology with Animal Behaviour
BNS 3004, Advances in Behaviour (Module co-ordinator)
BSX 3157 Ornithology
BSC 3070 Dissertation
BSX 2018 Behavioural Ecology
BSX1030 Practical skills 1
BSC 1028 Tutorials
Supervision
Charlotte Griffiths, PhD
James Blane, MScRes
Sara Bariselli, PhD
Sarah Stachowski, MScRes
Postgraduate Project Opportunities
I can offer projects on animal navigation and migration. Example projects that I can supervise MScRES students or PhDs on are:
The role of spatial memory in homing pigeon navigation.
Migratory behaviour in raptors with reference to the geomagnetic field.
Magnetic navigation in bees.
Spatial cognition in fish.
The effect of sensory pollution (artificial light and electromagnetic noise) on animal behaviour.
Publications
2024
- PublishedA conceptual framework on the role of magnetic cues in songbird migration ecology
Karwinkel, T., Peter, A., Holland, R., Thorup, K., Bairlein, F. & Schmaljohann, H., Aug 2024, In: Biological Reviews. 99, 4, p. 1576-1593 18 p.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review - PublishedA refined magnetic pulse treatment method for magnetic navigation experiments with adequate sham control: a case study on free-flying songbirds
Karwinkel, T., Winklhofer, M., Allenstein, D., Burst, V., Christoph, P., Holland, R., Huppop, O., Steen, J., Bairlein, F. & Schamaljohann, H., 15 May 2024, In: Journal of the Royal Society: Interface. 21, 214
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review - Accepted/In pressMigratory birds can extract positional information from magnetic inclination and magnetic declination alone
Packmor, F., Kishkinev, D., Zechmeister, T., Mouritsen, H. & Holland, R., 14 Oct 2024, (Accepted/In press) In: Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review - PublishedReply to "Animal magnetic sensitivity and magnetic displacement experiments
Schneider, W., Wynn, J., Packmor, F., Lindecke, O. & Holland, R., 27 May 2024, In: Communications Biology. 7, 1, p. 651 1 p., 651.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review - PublishedThe effect of observing trained conspecifics on the performance and motivation of goldfish, Carassius auratus, in a spatial task
Blane, J. C. & Holland, R. A., Apr 2024, In: Behavioural Processes. 217, 105021.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
2023
- PublishedMigratory bats are sensitive to magnetic inclination changes during the compass calibration period
Schneider, W. T., Holland, R. A., Keišs, O. & Lindecke, O., Nov 2023, In: Biology letters. 19, 11, 20230181.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review - PublishedOver 50 years of behavioural evidence on the magnetic sense in animals: what has been learnt and how?
Schneider, W., Holland, R. & Lindecke, O., Mar 2023, In: The European Physical Journal Special Topics. 232, 2, p. 269-278 10 p.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review - PublishedSense of doubt: Inaccurate and alternate locations of virtual magnetic displacements may give a distorted view of animal magnetoreception ability
Schneider, W., Holland, R., Packmor, F. & Lindecke, O., 20 Feb 2023, In: Communications Biology. 6, 1, 8 p., 187.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
2022
- PublishedA comparison of machine-learning assisted optical and thermal camera systems for beehive activity counting
Morton Williams, S., Bariselli, S., Palego, C., Holland, R. & Cross, P., 1 Dec 2022, In: Smart Agricultural Technology. 2, 100038.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
2021
- PublishedA magnet attached to the forehead disrupts magnetic compass orientation in a migratory songbird
Packmor, F., Kishkinev, D., Bittermann, F., Kofler, B., Machowetz, C., Zechmeister, T., Zawadzki, L., Guilford, T. & Holland, R., Nov 2021, In: Journal of Experimental Biology. 224, 22, 10 p., 243337.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review - PublishedCorneal sensitivity is required for orientation in free-flying migratory bats
Lindecke, O., Holland, R., Petersons, G. & Voigt, C. C., 5 May 2021, In: Communications Biology. 4, 1, 522.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review - PublishedNature’s GPS: how animals use the natural world to perform extraordinary feats of navigation
Holland, R., 30 Dec 2021, The Conversation.
Research output: Contribution to specialist publication › Article - PublishedNavigation by extrapolation of geomagnetic cues in a migratory songbird
Kishkinev, D., Packmor, F., Thomas, Z., Hans, W., Mouritsen, H., Chernetsov, N. & Holland, R., 12 Apr 2021, In: Current Biology. 31, 7, p. 1563-1569
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review - PublishedRepeated training of homing pigeons reveals age dependent idiosyncrasy and visual landmark use.
Griffiths, C., Schiffner, I., Price, E., Charnell-Hughes, M., Kishkinev, D. & Holland, R., Jul 2021, In: Animal Behaviour. 177, p. 159-170
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
2020
- PublishedAnosmic migrating songbirds demonstrate a compensatory response following long-distance translocation: a radio-tracking study
Kishkinev, D., Anashina, A., Ishchenko, I. & Holland, R. A., Jan 2020, In: Journal of Ornithology. 161, 1, p. 47-57
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review - PublishedIs There Visual Lateralisation of the Sun Compass in Homing Pigeons?
Griffiths, C., Holland, R. & Gagliardo, A., 5 May 2020, In: Symmetry. 12, 5, 740.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
2019
- PublishedExperienced migratory bats integrate the sun's position at dusk for navigation at night
Lindecke, O., Elksne, A., Holland, R. A., Petersons, G. & Voigt, C. C., 22 Apr 2019, In: Current Biology. 29, p. 1369-1373
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review - PublishedOrientation and flight behaviour identify the Soprano pipistrelle as a migratory bat species at the Baltic Sea coast
Lindecke, O., Elksne, A., Holland, R., Petersons, G. & Voigt, C. C., 1 May 2019, In: Journal of Zoology. 308, 1, p. 56-65
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
2018
- PublishedFish learn collectively, but groups with differing personalities are slower to decide 1 and more likely to split
Kareklas, K., Elwood, R. W. & Holland, R., 2018, In: Biology Open. 2018, 7, bio033613.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review - PublishedGrouping promotes risk-taking in unfamiliar settings
Kareklas, K., Elwood, R. W. & Holland, R. A., 1 Mar 2018, In: Behavioural Processes. 148, p. 41-45
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review - PublishedRelationships between personality and lateralisation of sensory inputs
Kareklas, K., Elwood, R. W., Arnott, G. & Holland, R., Jul 2018, In: Animal Behaviour. 141, p. 127-135
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
2017
- PublishedFlexibility of habitat use innovel environments: Insights from a translocation experiment with Lesser Black-backed Gulls
van Toor, M., Arriero, E., Holland, R., J. Huttunen, M., Juvaste, R., Müller, I., Thorup, K., Wikelski, M. & Safi, K., 18 Jan 2017, In: Royal Society Open Science. 4, 160164.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review - PublishedMigratory Eurasian reed warblers can use magnetic declination to solve the longitude problem
Chernetsov, N., Pakhomov, A., Kobylkov, D., Kishkinev, D., Holland, R. & Mouritsen, H., 11 Sept 2017, In: Current Biology. 27, 17, p. 2647-2651
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review - PublishedPersonality effects on spatial learning: comparisons between visual conditions in a weakly-electric fish
Kareklas, K., Elwood, R. W. & Holland, R., 2017, In: Ethology.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review - PublishedPrinciples and patterns of bat movements: From aerodynamics to ecology
Voigt, C. C., Frick, W., Holland, R., Holdereid, M., Kerth, G., Mello, M., Plowright, R., Swartz, S. & Yovel, Y., Sept 2017, In: Quarterly Review of Biology. 92, 3, p. 267-287 20 p.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review - PublishedSatellite tracking of red-listed nominate lesser black-backed gulls (Larus f. fuscus): habitat specialisation in foraging movements raises novel conservation needs
Juvaste, R., Arriero, E., Gagliardo, A., Holland, R., Huttunen, M. J., Mueller, I., Thorup, K., Wikelski, M., Penttinen, M.-L., Hannila, J. & Wistbacka, R., Apr 2017, In: Global Ecology and Conservation. 10, p. 220-230
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review - PublishedShoaling promotes place over response learning but does not facilitate individual learning of that strategy in zebrafish (Danio rerio)
McAroe, C. L., Craig, C. M. & Holland, R., 2017, In: BMC Zoology. 2, 10
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
2016
- PublishedPlace versus response learning in fish: a comparison between species
McAroe, C. L., Craig, C. M. & Holland, R., Jan 2016, In: Animal Cognition. 19, 1, p. 153-161
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review - PublishedPlasticity varies with boldness in a weakly-electric fish
Kareklas, K., Arnott, G., Elwood, R. W. & Holland, R., 6 Jun 2016, In: Frontiers in Zoology. 13, 22
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
2015
- PublishedPolarized skylight does not calibrate the compass system of a migratory bat
Lindecke, O., Voigt, C. C., Petersons, G. & Holland, R., 16 Sept 2015, In: Biology Letters. 11, 9, p. 1-4
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review - PublishedTrue navigation in migrating gulls requires intact olfactory nerves
Wikelski, M., Arriero, E., Gagliardo, A., Holland, R. A., Huttunen, M. J., Juvaste, R., Mueller, I., Tertitski, G., Thorup, K., Wild, M., Alanko, M., Bairlein, F., Cherenkov, A., Cameron, A., Flatz, R., Hannila, J., Hueppop, O., Kangasniemi, M., Kranstauber, B., Penttinen, M.-L., Safi, K., Semashko, V., Schmid, H. & Wistbacka, R., 24 Nov 2015, In: Scientific Reports. 5, 17061.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
2014
- PublishedA functional role of the sky’s polarization pattern for orientation in the greater mouse-eared bat
Greif, S., Borissov, I., Yovel, Y. & Holland, R., 2014, In: Nature Communications. 5, 4488.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review - PublishedTrue navigation in birds: from quantum physics to global migration
Holland, R., May 2014, In: Journal of Zoology. 293, 1, p. 1-15
Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review
2013
- PublishedA magnetic pulse does not affect homing pigeon navigation: a GPS tracking experiment
Holland, R., Filannino, C. & Gagliardo, A., 29 May 2013, In: Journal of Experimental Biology. 216, 12, p. 2192-2200 9 p.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review - PublishedA strong magnetic pulse affects the precision of departure direction of naturally migrating adult but not juvenile birds
Holland, R. A. & Helm, B., 6 Apr 2013, In: Journal of the Royal Society, Interface. 10, 81, 20121047.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review - PublishedFlexibility of Continental Navigation and Migration in European Mallards
van Toor, M. L., Hedenstrom, A., Waldenstrom, J., Fiedler, W., Holland, R. A., Thorup, K. & Wikelski, M., 30 Aug 2013, In: PLoS ONE. 8, 8, e72629.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
2012
- PublishedOrientation of vagrant birds on the Faroe Islands in the Atlantic Ocean
Thorup, K., Ortvad, T., Holland, R., Rabøl, J., Kristensen, M. & Wikelski, M., 1 Oct 2012, In: Journal of Ornithology. 153, 4, p. 1261-1265 5 p.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
2011
- PublishedEmergence time and foraging activity in Pallas' mastiff bat, Molossus molossus (Chiroptera: Molossidae) in relation to sunset/sunrise and phase of the moon
Holland, R. A., Meyer, C. F. J., Kalko, E. K. V., Kays, R. & Wikelski, M., Dec 2011, In: Acta Chiropterologica. 13, 2, p. 399-404 6 p.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review - PublishedJuvenile Songbirds Compensate for Displacement to Oceanic Islands during Autumn Migration
Thorup, K., Ortvad, T. E., Rabol, J., Holland, R., Tottrup, A. P. & Wikelski, M., 2011, In: PLoS ONE. 6, 3, e17903.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review - PublishedMigratory navigation in birds: new opportunities in an era of fast-developing tracking technology
Guilford, T., Akesson, S., Gagliardo, A., Holland, R. A., Mouritsen, H., Muheim, R., Wiltschko, R., Wiltschko, W. & Bingman, V. P., Nov 2011, In: Journal of Experimental Biology. 214, 22, p. 3705-3712 8 p.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
2010
- PublishedA nocturnal mammal, the greater mouse-eared bat, calibrates a magnetic compass by the sun
Holland, R., Borissov, I. & Siemers, B. M., 13 Apr 2010, In: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA. 107, 15, p. 6941-6945 5 p.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review - PublishedDifferential effects of magnetic pulses on the orientation of naturally migrating birds
Holland, R., 6 Nov 2010, In: Journal of the Royal Society, Interface. 7, 52, p. 1617-1625 9 p.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review - PublishedLarge-Range Movements of Neotropical Orchid Bees Observed via Radio Telemetry
Wikelski, M., Moxley, J., Eaton-Mordas, A., Lopez-Uribe, M. M., Holland, R., Moskowitz, D., Roubik, D. W. & Kays, R., 2010, In: PLoS ONE. 5
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review - PublishedOrientation and Navigation in Bats
Holland, R., 2010, Encyclopedia of Animal Behaviour. Academic Press, Vol. 2. p. 177-185 9 p.
Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter - PublishedUnderstanding the migratory orientation program of birds: extending laboratory studies to study free flying migrants in a natural setting
Thorup, K., Holland, R., Tottrup, A. & Wikelski, M., 2010, In: Integrative and Comparative Biology. 50, 3, p. 315-322 8 p.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
2009
- PublishedEvidence for repeated independent evolution of migration in the largest family of bats
Bisson, I. A., Safi, K. & Holland, R., 21 Oct 2009, In: PLoS ONE. 4, 10
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review - PublishedStudying the migratory behavior of individual bats: Current techniques and future directions
Holland, R. & Wikelski, M., 15 Dec 2009, In: Journal of Mammalogy. 90, 6, p. 1324-1329 6 p.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review - PublishedTesting the role of sensory systems in the migratory heading of a songbird
Holland, R., Thorup, K., Gagliardo, A., Bisson, I. A., Knecht, E., Mizrahi, D. & Wikelski, M., 15 Dec 2009, In: Journal of Experimental Biology. 212, 24, p. 4065-4071 7 p.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review - PublishedThe Secret Life of Oilbirds: New Insights into the Movement Ecology of a Unique Avian Frugivore
Holland, R., Wikelski, M., Kummeth, F. & Bosque, C., 2009, In: PLoS ONE. 4, 12, e8264.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review - PublishedThe bird GPS - long-range navigation in migrants
Thorup, K. & Holland, R., 15 Nov 2009, In: Journal of Experimental Biology. 212, 22, p. 3597-3604 8 p.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
2008
- PublishedBats use magnetite to detect the earth's magnetic field
Holland, R., Kirschvink, J. L., Doak, T. G. & Wikelski, M., 27 Feb 2008, In: PLoS ONE. 3, 2
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review - PublishedBlind as a bat? The sensory basis of orientation and navigation at night
Holland, R., 2008, In the neurobiology of Umwelt: how animals perceive the world. Springer, p. 125-139
Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter
2007
- PublishedEvidence for a navigational map stretching across the continental US in a migratory songbird
Thorup, K., Bisson, I. A., Bowlin, M. S., Holland, R., Wingfield, J. C., Ramenofsky, M. & Wikelski, M., 13 Nov 2007, In: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA. 104, 46, p. 18115-18119 5 p.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review - PublishedOrientation and navigation in bats: known unknowns or unknown unknowns?
Holland, R., Mar 2007, In: Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology. 61, 5, p. 653-660 8 p.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review - PublishedThe effect of familiarity on echolocation in the megachiropteran bat Rousettus aegyptiacus
Holland, R. & Waters, D. A., 1 Sept 2007, In: Behaviour. 144, 9, p. 1053-1064 12 p.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review - PublishedWhere the Wild things Go
Holland, R., Thorup, K. & Wikelski, M., 2007, In: Biologist. 54, p. 2-7 6 p.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
2006
- PublishedHow and why do insects migrate?
Holland, R., Wikelski, M. & Wilcove, D. S., 11 Aug 2006, In: Science. 313, 5788, p. 794-796 3 p.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review - PublishedNavigation: Bat orientation using Earth's magnetic field
Holland, R., Thorup, K., Vonhof, M. J., Cochran, W. W. & Wikelski, M., 7 Dec 2006, In: Nature. 444, 7120, p. 702 1 p.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
2005
- PublishedEcholocation signals and pinnae movement in the fruitbat Rousettus aegyptiacus
Holland, R. & Waters, D. A., 2005, In: Acta Chiropterologica. 7, 1, p. 83-90 8 p.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review - PublishedSensory systems and spatial memory in the fruit bat Rousettus aegyptiacus
Holland, R., Winter, P. & Waters, D. A., Aug 2005, In: Ethology. 111, 8, p. 715-725 11 p.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
2004
- PublishedEcholocation signal structure in the Megachiropteran bat Rousettus aegyptiacus Geoffroy 1810
Holland, R., Waters, D. A. & Rayner, J. M. V., Dec 2004, In: Journal of Experimental Biology. 207, 25, p. 4361-4369 9 p.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
2003
- PublishedThe role of visual landmarks in the avian familiar area map - Commentary
Holland, R., Jun 2003, In: Journal of Experimental Biology. 206, 11, p. 1773-1778 6 p.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
2000
- PublishedShort distance phase shifts revisited: tracking clock-shifted homing pigeons (Rock Dove Columba livia) close to the loft
Holland, R., Bonadonna, F., Dall'antonia, L., Benvenuti, S., De Perera, T. B. & Guilford, T., Jan 2000, In: Ibis. 142, 1, p. 111-118 8 p.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review - PublishedTracking clock-shifted homing pigeons from familiar release sites
Bonadona, F., Holland, R., Dall'Antonia, L., Guilford, T. & Benvenuti, S., Jan 2000, In: Journal of Experimental Biology. 203, 2, p. 207-212 6 p.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
1998
- PublishedHoming pigeons use olfactory cues for navigation in England
Guilford, T., Gagliardo, A., Chappell, J., Bonadonna, F., De Perera, T. B. & Holland, R., 1998, In: Journal of Experimental Biology. 201, 6, p. 895-900 6 p.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
1997
- PublishedFurther evidence for visual landmark involvement in the pigeon's familiar area map
Burt, T., Holland, R. & Guilford, T., Jun 1997, In: Animal Behaviour. 53, p. 1203-1209 7 p.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Activities
2024
- Songbird Survival (External organisation)
Songbird Survival
1 Apr 2024 →
Activity: Membership of committee (Chair) - Songbird Survival (External organisation)
Songbird Survival Charity scientific advisary board
1 Apr 2024
Activity: Membership of committee (Chair)
2022
- Smart Agricultural Technology (Journal)
A comparison of machine-learning assisted optical and thermal camera systems for beehive activity counting
24 Jan 2022
Activity: Publication peer-review (Editorial board member)
2021
- Springer Nature (Publisher)
Editorial Board Member, Communications Biology
1 Aug 2021 →
Activity: Editorial activity (Editorial board member)
Projects
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The magnetic sense in bats: mechanism and function
01/03/2021 – 17/08/2024 (Finished)
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KESS II Phd with National Grid Plc BUK2E038
01/09/2020 – 31/03/2024 (Finished)
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MagBat: Unravelling the magnetic sense of bats and its susceptibility to electromagnetic noise
01/09/2019 – 01/08/2022 (Finished)
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NAVMAP: Experimental Systems Analysis of the Homing Pigeons Navigational Map
01/06/2018 – 21/07/2020 (Finished)
Description
This project is part of the NAV MAP project and will allow prospective students to work on a biological problem in a interdisciplinary context, mixing field work and analytical work. The project can be split into two subparts - Compass mechanisms and Map components - allowing up to two students to work simultaneously on the same project.
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Unravelling the map and compass in bird navigation
01/03/2018 – 01/08/2022 (Finished)
Description
The way in which migratory birds are able to navigate between breeding and wintering grounds thousands of miles apart with such remarkable precision remains a mystery despite 50 years of research under the dominant paradigm of the "map and compass" theory. In light of the lack of progress under this theory, this research proposal aims to develop a new paradigm for addressing the mystery. This is built around the new discovery that birds use declination, i.e. the difference between the magnetic and celestial compasses, to calculate their position. This requires that birds use the radical pair magnetic compass sense, located in their visual system, to calculate their position. This suggests that the map and compass may not be separate entities, and the cues that birds use for navigation may have been hiding in plain sight. In light of this the sun, the stars and magnetic inclination, previously thought to be only used to calculate direction, must be reassessed as this discovery presents the possibility that they are integrated into the map component of birds navigational map This proposal will address this to discover the extent to which information thought to be directional actually provides information on location, how this is learned and the spatial scale of this mechanism. This will be acheived by a combination of cue conflict experiments, virtual displacements using Helmholz coils, and disruption of the magnetic sense using broadband RF fields, a diagnostic test of the radical pair magnetic sense.
Layman's description
The ability to orient and navigate in space is a vital adaptation for all animals and many strategies have evolved to allow animals to return to a known goal. Studying spatial navigation has revealed much about the structure and function of the brain, how it is impacted by age, damage and disease. It has also revealed much about how sensory systems are integrated to provide information for locating position within the environment. Among the most remarkable navigators are small migratory songbirds. These animals travel thousands of kilometres between breeding areas and winter sites, and show remarkable precision, being able to return to the same breeding site, sometimes even nest, year after year. These small birds also show remarkable flexibility, being able to correct for large displacements from their normal migratory path, to places they could not have been to before, and return to their normal breeding or winter area. This appears to be learned during their first migratory journey from the breeding area they were born in, to the winter ground that they reach after their first migration. Scientists hypothesise that they navigate in this way using something akin to a map and a compass. The map step of this process is crucial, as it allows them to determine their location in relation to their desired goal and is thought to function essentially like our Cartesian coordinate system, providing latitude and longitudinal information. This is an ability that seems to be beyond humans without resorting to technology, and yet birds can do this based on cues sensed in the environment. Whilst much research effort has been expended in trying to discover how they achieve this, it remains essentially unsolved, as we do not fully understand what environmental cues are used to determine their position. Received wisdom has it that the cues and senses used in the map are separate from those used in the compass. Thus celestial cues such as the sun and stars provide compass directions, but not location. The exception to this is the Earth's magnetic field. However, It has been argued that birds require and possess two separate magnetic sensory systems, one for the compass step, located in the eye, and a second for the map step, located in the beak. However, recent evidence has called into question whether the beak based sense exists. In addition to this, new evidence indicates that one cues that is used in locating the birds' position is declination, which varies from east to west in some parts of the world, i.e. It provides a cue to longitude?. This is calculated by comparing magnetic north detected by the magnetic compass with geographic (true) north detected by a celestial compass (the sun or stars). This means that contrary to previous expectations, the sensory systems used in the map are not separate from the compass, but may be integrated into it. This discovery leaves many open questions however. How exactly to birds calculate declination? As the majority of birds are night migrants it makes sense that the star compass is the primary candidate, but some studies suggest that these birds calibrate the magnetic compass with sunset, not the stars. Do birds need two magnetic senses? If birds can calculate their longitudinal position with the magnetic sense in the eye, do they also calculate their latitudinal position with this sensory system? Do celestial cues, long relegated to the role of compass, actually play a greater role in the map, as they also could provide information on latitude. How do birds learn these cues? Birds must learn these cues on their first migratory journey, but the precise way in which they build this map is still entirely unknown. This research project will investigate these questions using a small songbird, the Eurasian reed warbler, to provide new insights into how it is able to navigate between its breeding grounds in Europe and winter grounds in Sub Saharan Africa.
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The mystery of bird migration: testing hypotheses of true navigation.
01/02/2016 – 10/10/2017 (Finished)
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