Tamarkin L, Baird C J, Almeida O F
Science. 1985 Feb 15;227(4688):714-20. doi: 10.1126/science.3881822.
There is a daily rhythm in the production of the pineal hormone melatonin in all mammalian species. Production is stimulated by darkness and inhibited by light. This provides a signal reflecting the changing environmental lighting cycle. In seasonally breeding mammals that use changes in the photoperiod to time their reproductive cycles, temporal signals to the reproductive system are controlled by the daily rhythm in melatonin production.
在所有哺乳动物物种中，松果体激素褪黑素的分泌都存在日节律。黑暗会刺激其分泌，而光照则会抑制其分泌。这提供了一个反映环境光照周期变化的信号。在利用光周期变化来确定其繁殖周期时间的季节性繁殖哺乳动物中，向生殖系统传递的时间信号是由褪黑素分泌的日节律控制的。
