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Circadian Locomotor Rhythms in Birds Correlate with and May Be Explained by Rhythms in Serotonin, N-Acetyltransferase, and Melatonin

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Processing of Environmental Information in Vertebrates

Part of the book series: Proceedings in Life Sciences ((LIFE SCIENCES))

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Abstract

In the material that follows, I will outline my view of avian pineal function developed in over twenty years of exploration. I will use the results from two species with which I have worked extensively to illustrate the view: sparrows and chicks. Sparrows, Passer domesticus, have easily monitored perching behavioral rhythms, but they are less suited for biochemical measurements because they have small pineal glands, possess variable histories, and must be wild-trapped, which limits the numbers available. Chicks, Gallus domesticus, are suitable experimental subjects for pineal biochemistry because they are available in large numbers, they are homogenous in age, they have large pineals, their history can be defined in the laboratory, and they are inexpensive; however, locomotor rhythms in chickens are less easily measured in the laboratory and are not as well defined as the perching rhythms of sparrows. The evidence I will develop involves, first, correlative data, second, causal experiments, and third, models to explain the results. Circadian rhythm terminology will be as defined by Aschoff (1965).

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Authors
  1. Sue Binkley
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Life and Health Sciences, University of Delaware, 19706, Newark, Delaware, USA

    Milton H. Stetson

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© 1988 Springer-Verlag New York Inc.

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Binkley, S. (1988). Circadian Locomotor Rhythms in Birds Correlate with and May Be Explained by Rhythms in Serotonin, N-Acetyltransferase, and Melatonin . In: Stetson, M.H. (eds) Processing of Environmental Information in Vertebrates. Proceedings in Life Sciences. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-3740-2_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-3740-2_5

  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4612-8328-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4612-3740-2

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