Dr Dmitry Kishkinev
My research studies how migratory animals find their way to destinations travelling large distances, and which natural cues and senses help animals orient and navigate. Behavioural responses of different animals to magnetic stimuli clearly show they possess a magnetic sense but how it works remains poorly understood. I study where magnetosensory cells are located in the animal’s body, how they work, and how the brain processes and integrates magnetic information. I use a range of laboratory and field approaches: different animal systems (birds, fish), behavioural tests, magnetic instrumentations, immunolabelling, computer vision (brain cell counting, analysis of complex behaviour), and advanced telemetry (radio-telemetry, GSM/GPS tracking, geolocation).
My current research themes:
- The sensory mechanisms of animal orientation and navigation.
- The neurosensory substrates and the proximate mechanisms of the animal’s magnetic sense.
- Development and application of versatile, affordable and scalable telemetry systems to monitor movement and activity of animals in the wild.
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