Animal clocks: when science meets nature.
Noga Kronfeld-Schor1, Guy Bloch, William J Schwartz
1Department of Zoology, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
Proceedings. Biological Sciences
|July 5, 2013
Summary
Animal circadian clocks, which regulate daily rhythms, are well-studied in labs. New research explores how diverse species adapt their biological clocks in natural environments, considering factors like moonlight and evolution.
Area of Science:
- Chronobiology
- Animal Behavior
- Evolutionary Biology
Background:
- Daily physiological and behavioral rhythms are controlled by an endogenous circadian clock.
- Environmental light and darkness synchronize (entrain) these rhythms to the natural day-night cycle.
- Current understanding largely stems from model organisms in laboratory settings.
Purpose of the Study:
- To expand the scope of circadian clock research beyond model organisms in labs.
- To understand the adaptive significance of circadian clocks in diverse animal species within their natural environments.
- To review emerging research on factors influencing animal circadian rhythms in the wild.
Main Methods:
- Review of seven papers from a Special Feature in Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
- Focus on studies examining diverse animal species in natural settings.
- Analysis of various environmental and evolutionary influences on circadian systems.
Main Results:
- Circadian clock research is expanding to include diverse species and natural environments.
- Factors such as moonlight, latitude, evolutionary history, social interactions, and temporal niches significantly influence circadian rhythms.
- Post-transcriptional molecular mechanisms are increasingly recognized as important.
Conclusions:
- The complexity and diversity of the natural world offer a rich experimental resource for studying circadian biology.
- Understanding circadian adaptations in natural environments is crucial for comprehending their adaptive significance.
- Future research should leverage natural systems to explore the full spectrum of circadian clock functions and evolution.
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