Animal behavior is central in shaping the realized diel light niche

Animal behavior in space and time is structured by the perceived day/night cycle. However, this is modified by the animals' own movement within its habitat, creating a realized diel light niche (RDLN). To understand the RDLN, we investigated the light as experienced by zooplankton undergoing sy...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inCommunications biology Vol. 5; no. 1; p. 562
Main Authors Häfker, N Sören, Connan-McGinty, Stacey, Hobbs, Laura, McKee, David, Cohen, Jonathan H, Last, Kim S
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published England Nature Publishing Group 08.06.2022
Nature Publishing Group UK
Nature Portfolio
Subjects
Adaptation
Animal behavior
Animal Migration
Animals
Behavior, Animal
Biology
Circadian Clocks
Circadian rhythm
Circadian rhythms
Entrainment
Environmental conditions
Fjords
Foraging behavior
Habitats
Laboratories
Light
Photoperiod
Physiology
Plankton
Vertical migrations
Zooplankton
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Summary:Animal behavior in space and time is structured by the perceived day/night cycle. However, this is modified by the animals' own movement within its habitat, creating a realized diel light niche (RDLN). To understand the RDLN, we investigated the light as experienced by zooplankton undergoing synchronized diel vertical migration (DVM) in an Arctic fjord around the spring equinox. We reveal a highly dampened light cycle with diel changes being about two orders of magnitude smaller compared to the surface or a static depth. The RDLN is further characterized by unique wavelength-specific irradiance cycles. We discuss the relevance of RDLNs for animal adaptations and interactions, as well as implications for circadian clock entrainment in the wild and laboratory.
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ISSN:2399-3642
2399-3642
DOI:10.1038/s42003-022-03472-z