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Diurnal mice (Mus musculus) and other examples of temporal niche switching

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Abstract

Examples are presented of nocturnal animals becoming diurnal or vice versa as a result of mutations, genetic manipulations, or brain lesions. Understanding these cases could give insight into mechanisms employed when switches of temporal niche occur as part of the life cycle, or in response to circumstances such as availability of food. A two-process account of niche switching is advocated, involving both a change in clock-controlled outputs and a change in the direct response to light (i.e. masking). An emerging theme from this review is the suggestion that retinal inputs have a greater role in switching than suspected previously.

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Abbreviations

EGFr:

Epidermal growth factor receptor

DD:

Constant darkness

LD:

Light-dark

SCN:

Suprachiasmatic nucleus

vSPZ:

Ventral Subparaventricular zone

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Acknowledgements

We thank P A Salmon for much help, and P L Lakin-Thomas, K Edelstein, J D Levine, R Dallmann and S Thompson for comments. M Radina tested the S129 mice. Experiments were carried out in accordance with the guidelines of the Canadian Council on Animal Care. The work was supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Mutant mice originally provided for other investigations, came from the laboratory of Dr K-W Yau, supported by the US National Eye Institute.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departments of Zoology and Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S3G5, Canada

    N. Mrosovsky

  2. Biology Department, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21218, USA

    S. Hattar

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  1. N. Mrosovsky
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  2. S. Hattar
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Correspondence to N. Mrosovsky.

Appendix

Appendix

Explanation of masking terminology used in this review

Masking: a direct acute effect of light on a variable, for example suppression of locomotion in a nocturnal mammal by illumination occurring in the night. Masking of locomotion differs from the phase-shifting effect of light on locomotor rhythms: the latter depends on light resetting an endogenous clock which in turn controls activity. Masking can occur in animals not displaying circadian locomotor rhythms (e.g. after SCN lesions, and in cryptochrome knockout mice).

Negative masking: a decrease in activity, often occurring during relatively bright illumination in a nocturnal species.

Positive masking: an increase in activity, often occurring in mice during periods of dim light against a background of complete darkness.

Paradoxical positive masking: an increase in activity occurring in a nocturnal animal during illumination, or an increase occurring in a diurnal species after a decrease in illumination. Thus, the increase in activity seen in the common mouse during a dim illumination qualifies as paradoxical positive masking because this is a nocturnal species. The term paradoxical does not imply anything abnormal or maladaptive, any more than does the term paradoxical sleep imply pathology.

Paradoxical negative masking: a decrease in activity in a diurnal species when there is an increase in illumination or a decrease in a nocturnal species when there is a decrease in illumination. Again, this is not necessarily maladaptive. For instance, the nocturnal owl monkey (Aotus lemurinus) reduces its activity when it becomes too dark (Erkert and Gröber 1986), presumably a valuable response for an animal that must be able to jump safely from branch to branch.

For further definitions and history of terminology, see Mrosovsky (1999).

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Mrosovsky, N., Hattar, S. Diurnal mice (Mus musculus) and other examples of temporal niche switching. J Comp Physiol A 191, 1011–1024 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00359-005-0017-1

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