Genetic basis of incidence and period length of circadian rhythm for locomotor activity in populations of a seed beetle.

Circadian rhythms are ubiquitous in a wide variety of organisms, although their genetic variation has been analyzed in only a few species. We found genetic differences in the circadian rhythm of adult locomotor activity among strains of the adzuki bean beetle, Callosobruchus chinensis, which differed in origin and have been maintained in isolation. All beetles in some strains clearly had free-running rhythms in constant darkness whereas most beetles in other strains were arrhythmic. The period of free-running rhythm varied from approximately 19 to 23 h between the strains. F(1) males from reciprocal crosses among strains with different periods of circadian rhythms had circadian periods that were intermediate between their parental strains. Segregation of the circadian rhythm appeared in the F(2) generation. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that variation in the period length of circadian rhythm is explained by a major autosomal gene with additive effects and no dominance. This hypothesis was supported by the joint scaling test for the free-running period in the F(1) and F(2) generations. We discuss possible causes for genetic variation in circadian rhythm in the C. chinensis strains in terms of random factors and selection.