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Response of the male reproductive system to interrupted-night photoperiods in the lizard Anolis carolinensis

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Summary

  1. 1.

    Interrupted-night light schedules were used to look for possible circadian rhythm in photosensitivity in connection with testis regression and recrudescence in the lizard Anolis carolinensis.

  2. 2.

    An hour of lighting during the night of a basic short day length (6 hrs. light/ 18 hrs. dark) in July prevented the normal short-day induction of testis regression in some members of each group but had no effect in others. The average response was independent of the time of night illuminated.

  3. 3.

    In September, a two hour light pulse early in the night had no effect on testis growth, whereas a pulse given late in the night stimulated slight testis growth (a typical long-day response) in 7 of 19 lizards.

  4. 4.

    These findings do not provide a clear demonstration of a circadian mechanism for photoperiod measurement in the lizard and have important implications for the relevance of photoperiod in the ecology of lizards.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Zoology, University of California, Berkeley, California

    Paul Licht

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  1. Paul Licht
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Additional information

I wish to thank Lynn Bengston, Paul Tibbetts and Celia Zavatsky for their technical assistance in all phases of this research. Drs. W. B. Quay and W. M. Hammer offered valuable suggestions in the preparation of this manuscript. This work was supported in part by Grants GB-7306 and GB-22642 from the National Science Foundation.

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Licht, P. Response of the male reproductive system to interrupted-night photoperiods in the lizard Anolis carolinensis . Z. Vergl. Physiol. 73, 274–284 (1971). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00297676

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00297676

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