Summary
Tiger salamanders (Ambystoma tigrinum) trained as larvae to orient in a particular compass direction reverse their direction of movement approximately at metamorphosis, but the timing of reversal is not closely related to developmental stage. Although exogenous thyroxine facilitates metamorphosis, it does not simultaneously trigger reversal of movement (Fig. 1). The reversal occurs even if the animals are deprived of a continuous view of the sky. Administration of pulses of exogenous melatonin at noon, but not serotonin or thyroxine, caused the larvae to shift their directional response about 90° clockwise (Figs. 2, 3). This result is consistent with the view that melatonin pulses mimic “lights-on” and act to phase-delay the animal's endogenous timekeeping mechanism.
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Supported by NSF grant BNS 75-18693 to K. Adler and a postdoctoral fellowship (NSF GU-2058) and grant (NSF GB-41102) to D.H. Taylor. We thank Sue Binkley and John B. Phillips for constructive comments on the manuscript, and David O. Norris for manuscripts of papers in press.
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Adler, K., Taylor, D.H. Melatonin and thyroxine: Influence on compass orientation in salamanders. J. Comp. Physiol. 136, 235–241 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00657538
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00657538