de Jong Margje E, Slettenhaar Annabel J, Fokkema Rienk W, Leh Marion, Verhoeven Mo A, Griffin Larry R, Millesi Eva, Moe Børge, Barnreiter Elisabeth, Loonen Maarten J J E, Scheiber Isabella B R
Arctic Centre, University of Groningen, Aweg 30, 9718 CW Groningen, The Netherlands.
Dept. of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Djerassiplatz 1, 1030 Vienna, Austria.
Behav Ecol. 2025 Jun 13;36(4):araf071. doi: 10.1093/beheco/araf071. eCollection 2025 Jul-Aug.
Birds that migrate from temperate areas to the Arctic to breed lose their strongest of circadian organization when they cross the Arctic circle in spring - the 24h light-dark cycle. Under continuous daylight, diverse behavioral and physiological patterns have been detected in both free-ranging and laboratory animals. To better understand the evolution of plasticity in circadian clocks, it is essential to study behavioral and physiological rhythmicity in the context of a species' ecology. Employing a multifaceted approach, which included wildlife cameras, accelerometers, and noninvasive sampling of hormone metabolites, we investigated activity patterns and corticosterone rhythmicity in a migratory herbivore, the barnacle goose (), during its Arctic breeding season on Svalbard. We found that females showed a combination of both ultradian and diel rhythmicity in nest recesses and sleep during incubation. In both parents, these rhythms in activity continued also during the gosling rearing phase. During molt, many geese aligned activity with the prevailing tidal rhythm. Barnacle geese showed weak diel rhythmicity in excreted corticosterone metabolites (CORTm). This suggests that while Arctic geese may adopt an alternative during the Arctic summer to maintain a diel rhythm, ultradian rhythmicity remains essential, allowing the geese to flexibly adjust their rhythms to environmental conditions.
从温带地区迁徙至北极繁殖的鸟类，在春季穿越北极圈时会失去其最强烈的昼夜节律组织——24小时明暗周期。在持续光照条件下，自由放养和实验室环境中的动物都出现了多样的行为和生理模式。为了更好地理解生物钟可塑性的进化，在物种生态背景下研究行为和生理节律至关重要。我们采用了多方面的方法，包括野生动物摄像机、加速度计以及对激素代谢物的非侵入性采样，在斯瓦尔巴群岛北极繁殖季节期间，对一种迁徙食草动物——黑雁（）的活动模式和皮质酮节律进行了研究。我们发现，雌性在孵化期间的巢内休息和睡眠中表现出超日节律和昼夜节律的组合。在育雏阶段，双亲的这些活动节律也依然存在。在换羽期间，许多黑雁的活动与主要的潮汐节律同步。黑雁排泄的皮质酮代谢物（CORTm）表现出较弱的昼夜节律。这表明，虽然北极鹅在北极夏季可能采用另一种节律来维持昼夜节律，但超日节律仍然至关重要，使鹅能够灵活地根据环境条件调整其节律。
