Abstract
Removal of the pineal gland modifies the entrainment behavior of house sparrows. Abnormal entrainment occurs in pinealectomized sparrows exposed to 'skeleton' photoperiods (light cycles composed of 2 pulses of light per 24-h cycle). This abnormal entrainment depends upon the state of the locomotor activity (rhythmic or arrhythmic) before exposure to the light cycle, and upon the interval between the 2 pulses of light which constitute the skeleton photoperiod. The conditions that produce abnormal entrainment in pinealectomized birds are strongly correlated with those that produce 2 stable phases of entrainment to skeleton photoperiods in normal birds ('bistability phenomenon'). These results suggest that after pinealectomy, there remains a population of oscillators whose combined output is reflected in the locomotor activity of individual sparrows.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 245-253 |
Number of pages | 9 |
Journal | Journal of Comparative Physiology □ A |
Volume | 146 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jun 1 1982 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
- Physiology
- Animal Science and Zoology
- Behavioral Neuroscience