Summary
Beavers studied under natural conditions near Québec City, Canada, displayed a yearly cycle of patterns of activity rhythms. In winter, the beaver colonies had a free-running circadian rhythm of period length 26.25 to 28.0 h, with or without relative coordination, depending on available light intensity, which in turn depends on ice and snow cover conditions; in summer, their activity rhythm followed a “normal” 24 h period. Transitions between these two patterns suggest that annual variations in the beaver's physiological state affect their reaction towards the presence or absence of a Zeitgeber.
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Submitted by the senior author to the Ecole des Gradués, Université Lavai, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science.
This work was supported by the National Research Council of Canada (grant no. A 6639 to J.B.). The computer processing of the data was done by the Centre de Traitement de l'Information, Université Laval. We are grateful to Dr. G. Power for his critical review of the manuscript.
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Potvin, C.L., Bovet, J. Annual cycle of patterns of activity rhythms in beaver colonies (Castor canadensis). J. Comp. Physiol. 98, 243–256 (1975). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00656972
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00656972