Evidence of separate influence of moon and sun on light synchronization of mussel’s daily rhythm during the polar night
Language
EN
Article de revue
This item was published in
iScience. 2023-03, vol. 26, n° 3, p. 106168
English Abstract
Marine organisms living at high latitudes are faced with a light climate that undergoes drastic annual changes, especially during the polar night (PN) when the sun remains below the horizon for months. This raises the ...Read more >
Marine organisms living at high latitudes are faced with a light climate that undergoes drastic annual changes, especially during the polar night (PN) when the sun remains below the horizon for months. This raises the question of a possible synchronization and entrainment of biological rhythms under the governance of light at very low intensities. We analyzed the rhythms of the mussel Mytilus sp. during PN. We show that (1) mussels expressed a rhythmic behavior during PN; (2) a monthly moonlight rhythm was expressed; (3) a daily rhythm was expressed and influenced by both sunlight and moonlight; and (4) depending on the different times of PN and moon cycle characteristics, we were able to discriminate whether the moon or the sun synchronize the daily rhythm. Our findings fuel the idea that the capability of moonlight to synchronize daily rhythms when sunlight is not sufficient would be a crucial advantage during PN.Read less <
English Keywords
Biological sciences
Evolutionary biology
Zoology
ANR Project
Surveillance de la qualité de eaux côtières à l'aide de molusques bivalves bio-capteurs - ANR-15-CE04-0002