Neuroanatomy of Magnetoreception: The Superior Colliculus Involved in Magnetic Orientation in a Mammal Pavel Nemec, Jens Altmann, Stephan Marhold, Hynek Burda, and Helmut H. A. Oelschläger

Supplementary Material

Supplemental Figure 1. Photomicrographs showing distribution patterns of c-Fos immunoreactive neurons in the SC of Zambian mole-rats subjected to different experimental conditions. (A-D) Nesting in unfamiliar circular arena. (A) Natural (constant) magnetic field. (B,C) Experimental magnetic field, the horizontal component of which was manipulated every 5 minutes (B) and every second (C). (D) Shielded magnetic field. (E) Movement within home cage, natural magnetic field. (F) Inactivity, shielded magnetic field. Scale, 1 mm.

Medium version | Full size version

---

Supplemental Figure 2. Mean numbers of c-Fos immunoreactive (IR) neurons (± SEM) in the outer sub-layer of the intermediate gray layer (InGo). Density counts are from the rostral (a), middle (b) and caudal (c) parts of the SC. See caption to Fig. 1. for coding of experimental conditions (A-E). Significant differences (p < 0.05) are indicated by asterisks. Closed asterisk indicates comparison with control group (E), open asterisk comparison with adjacent experimental group on the right or with another experimental group when so indicated. The upper right inset shows position of individual counting frames, lower left inset shows approximate levels of counting.

Medium version | Full size version

---

Supplemental Figure 3. Mean numbers of c-Fos immunoreactive (IR) neurons (± SEM) in the deep gray layer (DpG). Density counts are from the rostral (a), middle (b) and caudal (c) parts of the SC. See caption to Fig. 1. for coding of experimental conditions (A-E). Significant differences (p < 0.05) are indicated by asterisks. Closed asterisk indicates comparison with control group (E), open asterisk comparison with adjacent experimental group on the right or with another experimental group when so indicated. The upper right inset shows position of individual counting frames, lower left inset shows approximate levels of counting.

Medium version | Full size version

---

Supplemental Figure 4. Laminar organization of mole-rat SC. (A) Retinal projection to the contralateral SC (dark-field illumination). (B) Cytoarchitecture of the SC (Klüver-Barrera). Note that SC lamination differs distinctly from that of other rodents. Superficial, retinorecipient layers (strata zonale, griseum superficiale et opticum) are collapsed to a single layer 50 m thick and confined to the dorsomedial rostral third of the SC. In contrast, the intermediate and deep layers make up almost the entire SC. Within the intermediate gray layer, two sub-layers can be distinguished: an outer layer of small, densely packed, and evenly distributed cells and an inner layer of larger, more irregularly distributed cells. Scale, 500 m. CG, central gray; DpG, deep gray layer; DpWh, deep white layer; InGi, inner sub-layer of the intermediate gray layer; InGo, outer sub-layer of the intermediate gray layer; InWh, intermediate white layer.

Medium version | Full size version