Mammalian Seasonal Rhythms: Behavior and Neuroendocrine Substrates

摘要: Seasonally recurring patterns in physiology and behavior are pervasive nature. These often reflect adaptive, anticipatory responses to annual energetic constraints. This chapter reviews biological timekeeping mechanisms that allow mammals engage seasonal phenotypic transitions. The overwhelming majority of research into mammalian seasonality has focused on the reproductive system. not only emphasizes lessons learned from study reproduction, but also considers changes aggression, immune function, cognition. In a species- trait-specific manner, exegesis invokes measurement day length (photoperiodism), induction photorefractoriness, activity endogenous self-sustained circannual oscillators. Formal models elaborated, phenomenology rodents primates is reviewed. Evidence toward critical nature photoperiodic nocturnal melatonin production presented, neural substrates participate responsiveness melatonin, neuroendocrine events occurring downstream signaling