Q1: Can adjustments to environmental conditions (such as temperature changes) play an important role for mammalian circadian systems as a zeitgeber? Does this have anything to do with seasonal affective disorder in humans?
Q2 :Cave studies show that humans have a circadian rhythm of 25 hours. But the day is 24 hours long (about). Why is there a difference?
Q3 :Read Rivas and Burghardt 2001. How would you describe the Umwelt of an anaconda? Rivas, J, and Burghardt, GM. 2001. Understanding sexual size dimorphism in snakes: wearing the snake’s shoes. Animal Behaviour, 62, F1 to F6.
Q4 :Based on your understanding of behavioral development, comment on this image.
Q5:Don’t like any of these questions? Ask one of your own, andthenanswer it. Note that your question should be substantive, just like youranswer, and the question should be in a format that invites further discussion.Avoid questions like “Why are kittens cute?” or “Are sharks vicious?”
Verified Expert
Zeitgeber is defined as any environmental cue that synchronizes the internal biological clock with the 24 hour day-night schedule. The cues are temperature, light, eating or drinking habit. According to the zeitgeber, the mammalian circadian cycle is reset or adjusted. The input from the zeitgeber of our external environment the internal clock is synchronized in an order to run the physiological cycle successfully.
The suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) is termed as the internal pacemaker which regulate the circadian cycle. Fluctuation in temperature results in the changes of the circadian clock in algae, cyanobacteria, fungi, plants, arthropods and vertebrates. In poikilothermic organisms, where the internal temperature fluctuates in response to environmental temperature, prolonged exposure to very low temperature (1-2°C) affects the circadian rhythm.