Synopsis
Freerunning circadian rhythms of locomotor activity in individual longnose dace sampled from a population at 41°N latitude were recorded under constant darkness throughout the year. There was an annual cycle in the length of the circadian period, with maximum and minimum lengths of mean period of 23.6 and 21.6 h recorded during summer (June) and winter (December), respectively. These annual changes in period length may have resulted from seasonal changes in entrainment by natural light-dark cycles and their ‘after-effects’ on endogenous circadian rhythms. The possibility of an endogenous circannual rhythm was also considered.
References cited
Aschoff, J. 1979. Circadian rhythms: influences of internal and external factors on the period measured in constant conditions. Z. Tierpsychol. 49: 225–249.
Daan S. & J. Arschoff. 1975. Circadian rhythms of locomotor activity in captive birds and mammals: their variations with season and latitude. Oecologia (Berl.) 18: 269–316.
Eriksson, L. O. 1973. Spring inversion of the diet rhythm of locomotor activity in young sea-going brown trout,Salmo trutta trutta L. and Atlantic salmon,Salmo salar L. Aquilo Ser. Zool. 14: 68–79.
Eriksson, L. O. 1978. Nocturnalism versus diurnalism: dualism within fish individuals. pp. 69–90. In: J. Thorpe (ed.) Rhythmic Acitivity of Fishes, Academic Press, New York.
Gee, J. H. & F. J. Crossman. 1972. Ecological notes on a taked-welling population of tongnose dace (Rhinichthys cataractae). J. Fish. Res. Board Can. 29: 330–332.
Gee, J. H. & T. G. Northcote. 1963. Comparative ecology of two sympatric species of dace (Rhinichthys) in the Fraser River system, British Columbia. J. Fish. Res. Board Can. 20: 105–118.
Kavaliers, M. 1978. Seasonal changes in the circadian activity period of lake chub,Couesius plumbeus. Can. J. Zool. 56: 2591–2596.
Kavaliers, M. 1980a. Circadian locomotor activity rhythms of the burbotLota Iota. Seasonal differences in period length and the effect of pinealectomy. J. Comp. Physiol. 136: 215–218.
Kavaliers, M. 1980b. The pineal organ and circadian rhythms of fishes. In: M. A. Ali (ed.) Environmental Physiology of Fishes, Plenum Press, New York, (in press).
Mrosovsky, N., M. Boshes J.D. Hallonquist & K. Lang 1976 Circannual cyle of circadian cycles in a golden-mantled ground squirrel Naturwissenschaften 63: 298–299.
Müller, K. 1978 The flexibility of the circadian system of fish ot different latitudes 91–104 In: J. Thorpe (ed.) Rhythmic Activity of Fishes, Academic Press, New York.
Pittendrigh, C. S. & S. Daan. 1976 A functional analysis of circadian pacemakers in nocturnal rodents, V. Pacemaker structures: a clock for all seasons J. Comp. Physiol. 106: 333–355.
Scott, W. B. & E. J. Crossman. 1973. Freshwater fishes of Canada. Fish. Res. Board Can. Bull. 184. 966 pp.
Sokolove, P. G. & E. J. Crossman 1978. The Chi square periodogram: its utility for analysis of circadian rhythm. J. Theor. Biol. 72: 131–160.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Kavaliers, M. Seasonal effects on the freerunning rhythm of circadian activity of longnose dace (Rhinichthys cataractae). Environ Biol Fish 6, 203–206 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00002784
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00002784