Abstract
The white-footed mouse,Peromyscus leucopus, exhibits two responses to a decreasing series of photoperiods. The “winter” molt and reproductive regression occur in mice maintained on a photoperiods of 12 hours of light per day or less. Daily torpor and weight of lipid-free brown fat increase gradually between photoperiods of LD 13:11 — LD 12:12 and LD 10:14 — 9:15 LD. Pinealectomized mice maintained on a LD 9:15 photoperiod fail to exhibit the extent of daily torpor and increased nesting which are characteristic of sham-operated animals. Replacement therapy with chronically implanted beeswax pellets containing 3 mg of melatonin reverses the effects of pinealectomy.
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Lynch, G.R., Sullivan, J.K. & Gendler, S.L. Temperature regulation in the mouse,Peromyscus leucopus: Effects of various photoperiods, pinealectomy and melatonin administration. Int J Biometeorol 24, 49–55 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02245541
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02245541