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Circannual Rhythms: History, Present Challenges, Future Directions

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Annual, Lunar, and Tidal Clocks

Abstract

Circannual rhythms are endogenous biological oscillations that underlie a wide range of seasonal processes. Without knowledge of these underlying mechanisms, it is difficult to fully understand what drives the ways organisms change over the course of a year and to predict how they will respond to environmental conditions. The study of circannual rhythms is particularly timely given the substantial interest in seasonal processes in relationship to environmental change, and further given insights that seasonal change in human physiology and behavior is greater than previously thought. The present chapter outlines basic definitions and ideas on circannual rhythms, summarizes ground-laying work, and highlights some current developments. It then addresses challenges in this field and the opportunities that arise from the rapid development of new technologies.

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Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge the help and support of Helga Gwinner, who allowed us to view the legacy of Ebo Gwinner (1938–2004). This chapter has been written in friendship to Ebo Gwinner, to whom the book is dedicated, and whose vision and insights will continue to inspire research on biological rhythms in the years to come.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8QQ, UK

    Barbara Helm

  2. Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, AB24 2TZ, UK

    Tyler J. Stevenson

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  1. Barbara Helm
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Correspondence to Barbara Helm .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, Japan

    Hideharu Numata

  2. Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom

    Barbara Helm

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Helm, B., Stevenson, T.J. (2014). Circannual Rhythms: History, Present Challenges, Future Directions. In: Numata, H., Helm, B. (eds) Annual, Lunar, and Tidal Clocks. Springer, Tokyo. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-55261-1_11

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