Golden hamsters are nocturnal in captivity but diurnal in nature

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Gattermann R., Johnston R. E., Yigit N., Fritzsche P., Larimer S., Oezkurt S., ...Daha Fazla

BIOLOGY LETTERS, cilt.4, sa.3, ss.253-255, 2008 (SCI-Expanded) identifier identifier identifier

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 4 Sayı: 3
  • Basım Tarihi: 2008
  • Doi Numarası: 10.1098/rsbl.2008.0066
  • Dergi Adı: BIOLOGY LETTERS
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus
  • Sayfa Sayıları: ss.253-255
  • Anahtar Kelimeler: activity rhythms, field study, Mesocricetus auratus, AURATUS WATERHOUSE 1839, MESOCRICETUS-AURATUS, ACTIVITY RHYTHMS, ACTIVITY PATTERNS, SYRIAN-HAMSTERS, HISTORY, CLOCKS, SYSTEM, WILD
  • Ankara Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

Daily activity rhythms are nearly universal among animals and their specific pattern is an adaptation of each species to its ecological niche. Owing to the extremely consistent nocturnal patterns of activity shown by golden hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus) in the laboratory, this species is a prime model for studying the mechanisms controlling circadian rhythms. In contrast to laboratory data, we discovered that female hamsters in the wild were almost exclusively diurnal. These results raise many questions about the ecological variables that shape the activity patterns in golden hamsters and the differences between laboratory and field results.