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Lunar Clock in Fish Reproduction

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Book cover Annual, Lunar, and Tidal Clocks

Abstract

Certain fish exhibit lunar and semilunar reproductive activities that are repeated at regular intervals of 1 month and 2 weeks, respectively. Fish with the lunar cycle exhibit spawning around a selective moon phase, whereas those with the semilunar cycle repeat spawnings twice within a month. Environmental changes in moonlight or tides may be involved in the synchronization of fish reproductive activity. Spawning of the goldlined spinefoot Siganus guttatus, a lunar spawner around the first quarter moon, is disrupted under constant moonlight conditions. Exposing fish to moonlight around the full moon resulted in suppression of melatonin, suggesting the perception and utilization of changes in moonlight for synchrony. Of the clock genes examined, Period (Per2) in the pineal organ was higher at midnight around the full moon than the new moon, whereas Cryptochrome (Cry1 and Cry3) in the brain peaked around the first quarter moon. Although circalunar-specific genes have not yet been identified in any organism, some elements of the circadian system are likely involved in the exertion of lunar-related reproductive activities.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry, Biology and Marine Science, University of the Ryukyus, Senbaru 1, Nishihara, Okinawa, 903-0213, Japan

    Taro Ikegami, Yuki Takeuchi & Akihiro Takemura

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  1. Taro Ikegami
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  2. Yuki Takeuchi
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  3. Akihiro Takemura
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Correspondence to Akihiro Takemura .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, Japan

    Hideharu Numata

  2. Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom

    Barbara Helm

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Ikegami, T., Takeuchi, Y., Takemura, A. (2014). Lunar Clock in Fish Reproduction. In: Numata, H., Helm, B. (eds) Annual, Lunar, and Tidal Clocks. Springer, Tokyo. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-55261-1_9

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