BIOL 4150 Lecture Notes - Circadian Rhythm, Circadian Clock, Freerunning
10 Feb 2013
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Document Summary
Responses to the environment must be timed appropriately. Animals must find their way around their environment. Piloting: orientation by landmarks most animals find their way by knowing and remembering the structure of their environment piloting. Homing: return to a specific location the ability to return over long distances to a nest site, burrow, or other specific location homing. Migration: travelling great distances: distance-and-direction navigation: requires knowing in what direction and how far away the destination is. One point that does not change during the night is polaris (north star) and always indicates north. Visual signals are easy to produce, come in an endless variety, can be changed rapidly, and clearly indicate the position of the signaller. Most animals are sensitive to light and can receive visual signals. The extreme directionality of visuals signals means that the received must be looking directly at the signaller. Not useful at night or in environments that lack light.
