[Animals' clever adaptation strategy for seasonal changes in environment]

Area of Science:

• Comparative biology
• Endocrinology
• Chronobiology

Context:

• Non-tropical organisms rely on environmental cues, primarily photoperiod (day length), to anticipate seasonal changes.
• These cues trigger critical physiological and behavioral adaptations, including seasonal breeding, hibernation, migration, and molting.

Purpose:

• To review the current understanding of the mechanisms governing seasonal reproduction in vertebrates.
• To highlight the role of tissue-specific post-translational modifications in the functional diversification of hormones regulating these cycles.

Summary:

• Seasonal changes in day length act as a calendar for organisms outside the tropics, influencing reproduction and other life events.
• Vertebrate seasonal reproduction is controlled by complex mechanisms involving hormonal signaling and environmental sensing.
• Post-translational modifications of hormones are crucial for their diverse functions in seasonal adaptation.

Impact:

• Provides a comprehensive overview of vertebrate seasonal reproduction research.
• Elucidates the molecular basis of seasonal adaptation.
• Informs future research on reproductive biology and chronobiology.