This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Jilge, B. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Jilge, B. Social Bookmarking                   What's this?

The Ontogeny of Circadian Rhythms in the Rabbit

Laboratory Animals Research Unit, University of Ulm, P.O. Box 4066, D-89069 Ulm, Germany

The nursing rhythms of 14 rabbit does and the activity of 18 litters from birth to days 14-16 were monitored continuously, as were the circadian rhythms of different behavioral functions of 10 young rabbits from weaning until day 380 of life. The does gave birth 2 hr, 26 min ± 2 hr, 8 min after lights-on in a light-dark cycle (LD 12:12). The first nursing occurred 20 hr, 30 min ± 2 hr, 21 min after parturition. Does that had continuous access to the nest boxes exhibited a regular once-a-day nursing rhythm; the nursing visits to the litters occurred during the dark phase (D). The nursing visits lasted 3 min, 42 sec ± 25 sec. Nursing advanced during the first 10 days of lactation by an average of 42 ± 16 min/day, and thus shifted to the first half of D. The pups anticipated nursing by a significant increase of activity, which was established between days 1 and 5 of life. In two does, the nursing rhythm split into two nursing visits per day, one during D and one during the light phase (L). When scheduled to nurse at an "artificial" phase in L with T = 24 hr, the pups' anticipatory activity was entrained by the 24-hr nursing rhythm. During a 48-hr fast, the elevated activity persisted around the phase of prior nursing time, demonstrating that it was controlled by an endogenous oscillator entrained by the zeitgeber of maternal nursing. Of 10 weanlings, 6 first exhibited a trimodal rhythm, which turned bimodal within 3-6 days. Stable entrainment by the external LD zeitgeber was attained by about days 45-80, and full nocturnality was attained by about days 200-250 after weaning. Having attained steady-state conditions, 7 of 10 rabbits exhibited a stable unimodal, nocturnal rhythm in each of the five functions, while the other 3 retained a bimodal rhythm.

Key Words: circadian • rabbit • ontogeny • nursing • entrainment • oscillator • zeitgeber

Journal of Biological Rhythms, Vol. 8, No. 3, 247-260 (1993)
DOI: 10.1177/074873049300800307


CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				E. Morgado, M. K. Gordon, M. del Carmen Minana-Solis, E. Meza, S. Levine, C. Escobar, and M. Caba Hormonal and metabolic rhythms associated with the daily scheduled nursing in rabbit pups Am J Physiol Regulatory Integrative Comp Physiol, August 1, 2008; 295(2): R690 - R695. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C. Gilbert, S. Blanc, S. Giroud, M. Trabalon, Y. L. Maho, M. Perret, and A. Ancel Role of huddling on the energetic of growth in a newborn altricial mammal Am J Physiol Regulatory Integrative Comp Physiol, August 1, 2007; 293(2): R867 - R876. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. G. Ninomiya-Alarcon, R. Hudson, G. Reyes-Guerrero, B. Barrera-Mera, and R. Guevara-Guzman Effect of photoperiod on the mechanical response of the pregnant rabbit uterus to oxytocin Am J Physiol Regulatory Integrative Comp Physiol, July 1, 2004; 287(1): R174 - R180. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				B. Jilge, B. Kuhnt, and W. Landerer Circadian Thermoregulation in Suckling Rabbit Pups J Biol Rhythms, August 1, 2000; 15(4): 329 - 335. [Abstract] [PDF]