Summary
In a number of organisms which exhibit circadian rhythmicity, a continuous exposure to ethanol at moderate (0.1%) concentrations is known to cause period lengthening. In studies of the effects of ethanol on the circadian luminescence glow rhythm of the marine dinoflagellateGonyaulax, we observed that 0.1% ethanol causes instead a period shortening. We have also found that ethanol pulses cause phase shifts, with little or no after-effects on the period of the circadian rhythm which continues thereafter.
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Abbreviations
- CT :
-
circadian time
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This work has been supported in part by a grant from the National Institutes of Health GM-19536 to J.W. Hastings, and by a Rackham Block Grant to Walter Taylor from the University of Michigan
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Taylor, W., Van Gooch, D. & Hastings, J.W. Period shortening and phase shifting effects of ethanol on theGonyaulax glow rhythm. J Comp Physiol B 130, 355–358 (1979). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00689854
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00689854