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The Earth’s magnetic field is an essential navigational cue for many animal species. However, where in the brain magnetic information is processed is still little understood. In this paper, we analyzed structural neuronal plasticity in the brain of Cataglyphis desert ants following sky-compass calibration under permanently manipulated magnetic field conditions. Our results demonstrate that information from the Earth’s magnetic field is integrated into the ants’ internal compass (central complex) and into the learning and memory centers (mushroom bodies). Together with our behavioral analyses, the results show that the ants use magnetic information both as a navigational compass and as a reference system for visual compass calibration

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This page is a summary of: Importance of magnetic information for neuronal plasticity in desert ants, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, February 2024, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2320764121.
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