Modeling photoperiodism in subterranean rodents

ODA GISELE A; FLORES DANILO EFL; VALENTINUZZI VS

New Orleans

Congreso; APS (American Physiological Society) Intersociety Meeting; 2018

American Physiological Society

Photoperiodism plays an important role in the synchronization of populational phenomena such as seasonal reproduction. Organisms that inhabit the extreme photic environment of the subterranean provide an opportunity to verify persistence of daily and seasonal biological rhythms, as well as the minimal photic input for 24h entrainment and photoperiodism. The genus Ctenomys of South American subterranean rodents, commonly known as tuco-tucos, has circa 60 described species, and can be found at south of 12oS Latitude. We obtained automated recordings of daily light exposure and activity patterns of individual tuco-tucos in the field, as well as preliminary data on the reproduction times. Laboratory experiments have shown that their circadian oscillators display ?splitting? of locomotor activity under constant light conditions, which has long been a hallmark of a 2 coupled clock structure in epigeous organisms. These 2 neuronal populations that comprise the circadian oscillator is associated to photoperiod decoding through mathematical modeling. We have developed modeling studies to approach photoperiodic time measurement in tuco-tucos, based on field data and laboratory experiments, aiming at integrating multilevel neuronal population phenomena to individual and populational, seasonal biological rhythms (FAPESP, CONICET, FONCyT).