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Free keywords:
Apteronemobius asahinai; Circalunar clock; Circatidal clock; Clunio
Abstract:
The presence of the moon results in tidal and lunar cycles that particularly affect life in the intertidal zone through tidal motion. A few insect species managed to colonize this dynamic interface between marine and terrestrial habitats, displaying tidal and lunar rhythms. These rhythms are caused by endogenous time-keeping mechanisms, namely, circatidal and circalunar clocks, but to date, the molecular mechanisms of lunar and tidal time-keeping remain largely unknown. Extensive chronobiological behavioral experiments conducted in a few insect species have identified the basic properties of circatidal and circalunar clocks, such as the free-running period, zeitgebers for entrainment, phase response curves, and temperature compensation. First molecular insights have been obtained for the circatidal clock of the mangrove cricket. Further development of molecular manipulation methods, as well as of genetic screens and omics experiments, will pave the way to unravel the mechanisms of both circatidal and circalunar clocks.
