Department of Zoology, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel.
Proc Biol Sci. 2013 Jul 3;280(1765):20123088. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2012.3088. Print 2013 Aug 22.
Most studies in chronobiology focus on solar cycles (daily and annual). Moonlight and the lunar cycle received considerably less attention by chronobiologists. An exception are rhythms in intertidal species. Terrestrial ecologists long ago acknowledged the effects of moonlight on predation success, and consequently on predation risk, foraging behaviour and habitat use, while marine biologists have focused more on the behaviour and mainly on reproduction synchronization with relation to the Moon phase. Lately, several studies in different animal taxa addressed the role of moonlight in determining activity and studied the underlying mechanisms. In this paper, we review the ecological and behavioural evidence showing the effect of moonlight on activity, discuss the adaptive value of these changes, and describe possible mechanisms underlying this effect. We will also refer to other sources of night-time light ('light pollution') and highlight open questions that demand further studies.
大多数生物钟研究都集中在太阳周期(日常和年度)上。生物钟学家对月光和月相周期的关注要少得多。一个例外是潮间带物种的节律。陆地生态学家很久以前就认识到月光对捕食成功的影响,从而对捕食风险、觅食行为和栖息地利用产生影响,而海洋生物学家则更多地关注行为,主要关注与月相同步的繁殖。最近,不同动物类群的几项研究探讨了月光在决定活动中的作用,并研究了潜在的机制。在本文中,我们回顾了显示月光对活动影响的生态和行为证据,讨论了这些变化的适应价值,并描述了这种影响的潜在机制。我们还将提到其他夜间光源(“光污染”),并强调需要进一步研究的未解决问题。