YRC Logo
PROTEIN SEARCH:
Descriptions Names[Advanced Search]

The operation of the mind by which an organism becomes aware of objects of thought or perception; it includes the mental activities associated with thinking, learning, and memory. The series of events involved in magnetoception in which a light stimulus is received by a cell and converted into a molecular signal. Downstream processing of the light information in addition to other sensory data allows organisms to perceive the orientation of a magnetic field. The series of events required for an organism to receive a stimulus relating to a magnetic field, convert it to a molecular signal, and recognize and characterize the signal. Stimuli may be chemical, mechanical or electrical and interpreting these stimuli allows an organism to determine the orientation of a magnetic field. Magnetoreception also involves the perception of light; birds cannot orient without the presence of short wavelength (blue/green) light. The series of events required for an organism to receive a chemical stimulus relating to a magnetic field, convert it to a molecular signal, and recognize and characterize the signal. It is believed that organisms such as birds and salamanders use a 'chemical compass': chemical reactions that involve transitions between different spin states can be influenced by magnetic fields and by detecting the different product ratios, these organisms can perceive the direction of the magnetic field. The mechanism by which this is detected is not certain but it may also involve light stimuli. The series of events required for an organism to receive an electrical stimulus relating to a magnetic field, convert it to a molecular signal, and recognize and characterize the signal. Movement in a magnetic field results in an induced electric field, which can be perceived by organisms such as elasmobranch fish. The series of events required for an organism to receive a mechanical stimulus relating to a magnetic field, convert it to a molecular signal, and recognize and characterize the signal. A magnetic field exerts a torque on a ferromagnetic material (e.g. magnetite) or on a material with diamagnetic anisotropy; organisms that can detect this torque can use it to determine the orientation of the magnetic field. The series of events required for an organism to receive a sensory stimulus, convert it to a molecular signal, and recognize and characterize the signal. This is a neurological process.

View Gene Ontology (GO) Term

GO TERM SUMMARY
Name: magnetoreception
Acc: GO:0050958
Aspect: Biological Process
Desc: The series of events required for an organism to receive a stimulus relating to a magnetic field, convert it to a molecular signal, and recognize and characterize the signal. Stimuli may be chemical, mechanical or electrical and interpreting these stimuli allows an organism to determine the orientation of a magnetic field. Magnetoreception also involves the perception of light; birds cannot orient without the presence of short wavelength (blue/green) light.
Synonyms:
  • sensory perception of magnetic field
  • magnetoception
Proteins in PDR annotated with:
   This term: 1 [Search]
   Term or descendants: 1 [Search]


[geneontology.org]
INTERACTIVE GO GRAPH

GO:0050958 - magnetoreception (interactive image map)
YRC Informatics Platform - Version 3.0
Created and Maintained by: Michael Riffle