Author： Gatterman R Weinandy R
Publisher： Taylor & Francis Ltd
ISSN： 0929-1016
Source： Biological Rhythm Research, Vol.28, Iss.1, 1997-11, pp. : 85-93
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Abstract
This study compared the capability for social entrainment of the circadian locomotory rhythms of solitary versus socially living nocturnal small mammals. Therefore single adult golden hamsters and Mongolian gerbils of both sexes were kept under LD 12:12 and then transferred in their cages to a dark chamber (DD), which was covered with an opaque material, but located permanently in a room with other conspecifics exposed to a light regime (LD 12:12). The animal in the chamber was able to detect acoustical and olfactorial stimuli of the conspecifics outside the chamber. Under these experimental conditions all the golden hamsters and gerbils investigated developed free-running rhythms of activity with an individual-specific spontaneous period. In golden hamsters these free-running rhythms were never entrained or masked. In 5 out of 6 gerbils the free-running of activity rhythms stopped after a few days and the rhythms were more or less pronounced entrained or masked. Unexpectedly the response was not induced via signals from the conspecifics but quite probably by the caretaking procedures in the animal room. Therefore, our results suggest that in neither investigated species did social entrainment of the circadian activity rhythms occur.
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