Long-term reproductive effects of a single long day in the Siberian hamster (Phodopus sungorus)

Testicular regression was prevented or attenuated in Siberian hamsters exposed to a single 1- to 4-h extension of the 16-h photophase at 18 days of age and subsequently maintained in a short photoperiod (8L:16D) through Day 35. Testicular weights on Day 35 were not correlated with the duration of the active phase of wheel running or with the time of activity onset after transfer to the 8L:16D photoperiod. Wheel-running activity was not stably entrained to the light-dark cycle by 35 days of age. Progonadal effects of a single 33-h light pulse were greatest at 18 days of age, still evident at 30 days, but undetectable in older hamsters. In female hamsters, a single longer day at weaning was associated with increased fecundity several weeks later. Long photoperiods accelerated development of antral ovarian follicles, but exposure to males was necessary to induce ovulation before 60 days of age. The interval beginning shortly after weaning is one of heightened responsiveness to changes in day length (DL); exposure to increasing DL at this time may prolong the breeding season when DL decreases after the summer solstice. We suggest that the long-term effects of acute light treatments on reproduction are mediated by sustained changes in melatonin secretion induced by reprogramming of circadian oscillators.