Lunar-related reproductive behaviour in the badger (Meles meles)

Dixon, David R.; Dixon, L.R.J.; Bishop, John D. D.; Pettifor, Richard A.

doi:10.1007/s10211-006-0016-4

Cited by 24 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…Some nocturnal terrestrial animals alter their behaviour and activity with changing light conditions in connection with the lunar cycle, this pattern being presumably shaped by antipredatory strategies (e.g. Daly et al, 1992;Julien-Laferrière, 1997;Brooke et al, 2000;Dixon et al, 2006;Campbell et al, 2008). For mammals and birds the lunar periodicity of behaviour is well studied (i.e.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Better in the dark: two Mediterranean amphibians synchronize reproduction with moonlit nights

Vignoli

Luiselli

2013

Web Ecol.

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In Amphibians, both positive and negative correlations between activity and full moon phase have been observed. In this study, we present data for two anuran species (Hyla intermedia and Rana dalmatina) studied in a hilly Mediterranean area of central Italy. We analysed, in a two-year survey, the relationships between the number of egg clutches laid each night and the moon phases by means of circular statistics. Moreover, the studied species exhibited clear oviposition site selection behaviour influenced, at least in H. intermedia, by moon phases. We observed the occurrence of an avoidance effect by amphibians for oviposition and specific egg-laying behaviour during moon phases around the full moon. This apparent lunar phobia was evident in both species when yearly data were pooled. On the other hand, while this pattern continued to be also evident in H. intermedia when single years were considered, in R. dalmatina it stood just in one year of study. Nonetheless, during cloudy nights, when moonlight arriving on the ground was low, the frogs' behaviour was similar to that observed in new moon phases. We interpreted the observed pattern as an anti-predatory strategy. Overall, comparisons between our own study and previous research suggest that there was insufficient evidence to establish any unequivocal patterns and that further research in this regard is needed

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Better in the dark: two Mediterranean amphibians synchronize reproduction with moonlit nights

Vignoli

Luiselli

2013

Web Ecol.

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“…It has been reported that the reproductive cycles of fish, birds, amphibians, and mammals correlate with the lunar phase [20,21,22,23,24]. In terms of an evolutionary meaning, fish may have more success when producing eggs at a time that other animals are also in a reproductive condition [25].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Correlation between the Lunar Phase and Tail-Lifting Behavior of Lizards (Pogona vitticeps) Exposed to an Extremely Low-Frequency Electromagnetic Field

Nishimura

Tada

Fukushima

2019

Animals

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We previously showed that the agamid lizard Pogona vitticeps responded to an extremely low-frequency electromagnetic field (ELF-EMF; frequency: 6 and 8 Hz; peak magnetic field: 2.6 µT; peak electric field: 10 V/m) with tail-lifting behavior. In addition, the tail-lifting response to ELF-EMF disappeared when the parietal eyes of the lizards were covered by small round aluminum caps. This result suggests that the parietal eye contributes to light-dependent magnetoreception. In the present study, we set up an ELF-EMF group to evaluate the long-term effect of the ELF-EMF on lizards’ behavior and examine our hypothesis that exposure to ELF-EMFs increases the magnetic field sensitivity in lizards. We therefore include the lunar phase (full moon/new moon) and K index as environmental factors related to the geomagnetic field in the analysis. The number of tail lifts per individual per day was the response variable while calendar month, daily mean temperature, daily mean humidity, daily mean atmospheric pressure, full moon, new moon, and K index were the explanatory variables. We analyzed an ELF-EMF group and a control group separately. In a multiple linear regression analysis, the independent determinants associated with the number of tail lifts were the full moon, the temperature, February, March, April, and May in the ELF-EMF group and March, April, May, and June in the control group. The P. vitticeps in the ELF-EMF group responded to the full moon whereas those in the control group did not. In addition, in the ELF-EMF group, the number of tail lifts was higher on days when the K index was higher (P = 0.07) in the first period whereas there was no such tendency in either period in the control group. There is the possibility that the exposure to ELF-EMFs may increase magnetic-field sensitivity in lizards.

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“…Therefore, nights around the new moon period may influence the retinal circadian physiology and photoreceptor adaptation to darkness in lunar‐synchronized animals. On the other hand, “brightness at night” around the full moon period helps with early awareness and discrimination of counterparts or prey/predators, and alters reproductive and foraging behaviors, respectively, with a lunar‐cyclic pattern in certain mammals (Morrison, ; Wolfe and Summerlin, ; Gannon and Willig, ; Dixon et al, ). These field studies suggest that the behavior patterns of wild mammals are affected by periodical changes in the intensity of moonlight.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Moonlight affects mRNA abundance of arylalkylamine N‐acetyltransferase in the retina of a lunar‐synchronized spawner, the goldlined spinefoot

Kashiwagi

Park

et al. 2013

J. Exp. Zool.

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Melatonin synthesis in the pineal gland and retina shows a rhythmic fashion with high levels at night and is controlled by a rate-limiting enzyme, arylalkylamine N-acetyltransferase (AANAT). A previous study revealed that moonlight suppresses the plasma melatonin levels of the goldlined spinefoot (Siganus guttatus), which exhibits a lunar cycle in its reproductive activity and repeats gonadal development toward and spawning around the first quarter moon. Whether the retina of this species responds to moonlight is unknown. To clarify the photoperceptive ability of this species, we aimed to clone the full-length cDNA of Aanat1 (sgAanat1) from the retina and examine its transcriptional pattern under several daylight and moonlight regimes. The full-length sgAanat1 cDNA (1,038 bp) contained a reading frame encoding a protein of 225 amino acids, which was highly homologous to AANAT1 of other teleosts. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis revealed that among the tissues tested, sgAanat1 fragments were expressed exclusively in the retina. Real-time quantitative PCR analysis revealed that sgAanat1 fluctuated with high abundance at night under light-dark cycle and at subjective night under constant darkness, but not under constant light. These results suggest that sgAanat1 is regulated by both the external light signal and internal clock system. The abundance of sgAanat1 in the retina was higher at the culmination time around new moon than full moon phase. Additionally, exposing fish to brightness around the full moon period suppressed sgAanat1 mRNA abundance. Thus, moonlight is perceived by fish and has an impact on melatonin fluctuation in the retina.

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Lunar-related reproductive behaviour in the badger (Meles meles)

Cited by 24 publications

References 18 publications

Better in the dark: two Mediterranean amphibians synchronize reproduction with moonlit nights

Better in the dark: two Mediterranean amphibians synchronize reproduction with moonlit nights

Correlation between the Lunar Phase and Tail-Lifting Behavior of Lizards (Pogona vitticeps) Exposed to an Extremely Low-Frequency Electromagnetic Field

Moonlight affects mRNA abundance of arylalkylamine N‐acetyltransferase in the retina of a lunar‐synchronized spawner, the goldlined spinefoot

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