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Temporal Organization in Locomotor Activity of the Hypogean Loach, Nemacheilus Evezardi, and its Epigean Ancestor

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Abstract

Locomotor activity rhythm in the hypogean population of Nemacheilus evezardi was recorded first under light-to-dark (LD) 12 : 12 h cycle and then DD. The results were compared with that of its epigean counterpart held under comparable regimes. In LD 12 : 12, while hypogean loach exhibited a distinct bimodality in its locomotor activity rhythm, it was altogether absent in the case of epigean population. In hypogean loach, dark-to-light transition peak in LD was observed to free-run under DD. The same was not discernible in case of epigean loach. The locomotor activity rhythm in epigean fish was noticed to free-run in DD either from the dawn peak or dusk peak in LD. It is hypothesized that the hypogean fish still possesses a functional oscillator underlying its overt circadian rhythm in locomotor activity. The ecophysiological significance of these findings is yet to be fully understood.

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  1. School of Life Sciences, Pt. Ravishankar Shukla University, Raipur-, 492 010, India

    Atanu Kumar Pati

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Kumar Pati, A. Temporal Organization in Locomotor Activity of the Hypogean Loach, Nemacheilus Evezardi, and its Epigean Ancestor. Environmental Biology of Fishes 62, 119–129 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1011804020490

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