Illuminating the circadian clock in monarch butterfly migration.
Migratory monarch butterflies use a time-compensated Sun compass to navigate to their overwintering grounds in Mexico. Here, we report that constant light, which disrupts circadian clock function at both the behavioral and molecular levels in monarchs, also disrupts the time-compensated component of flight navigation. We further show that ultraviolet light is important for flight navigation but is not required for photic entrainment of circadian rhythms. Tracing these distinct light-input pathways into the brain should aid our understanding of the clock-compass mechanisms necessary for successful migration.
Froy
Oren
O
Department of Neurobiology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, LRB-728, 364 Plantation Street, Worcester, MA 01605, USA.
Gotter
Anthony L
AL
Casselman
Amy L
AL
Reppert
Steven M
SM
D025041:Animal Migration; D000818:Animals; D001683:Biological Clocks / Q000502:physiology*; D002080:Butterflies / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D002940:Circadian Rhythm / Q000502:physiology*; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D003624:Darkness; D005426:Flight, Animal; D008027:Light; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D056950:Period Circadian Proteins; D016082:Solar System; D014466:Ultraviolet Rays
D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D056950:Period Circadian Proteins