Abstract
Chronobiology is the study of the temporal characteristics of biological phenomena. Humans must have recognized before the establishment of civilization that the activity of organisms has periodicity. Studies in chronobiology have advanced from the folklore to the molecular level by way of natural history and classic experiment levels. During these processes, observations and experiments in insects have made significant contributions. The climax was the discovery of molecular mechanisms of the circadian clock in Drosophila melanogaster in the late twentieth century. Currently, chronobiology is expanding further to various aspects, such as circadian clocks in various organisms, molecular and neural mechanisms of photoperiodism, clocks of which the period is different from approximately 24 h, and the ecological aspect of biological clocks.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Anonymous (1729) Observation botanique. In: Histoire de l'Académie Royale des Sciences. Année 1729, pp 35–36. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/88101#page/49/mode/1up
Bargiello TA, Jackson FR, Young MW (1984) Restoration of circadian behavioural rhythms by gene transfer in Drosophila. Nature 312:752–754. https://doi.org/10.1038/312752a0
Beling I (1929) Über das Zeitgedähtnis der Bienen. Z Vgl Physiol 9:259–338. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00340159
Brown FA Jr (1960) Response to pervasive geophysical factors and the biological clock problem. Cold Spring Harb Symp Quant Biol 25:57–71. https://doi.org/10.1101/SQB.1960.025.01.007
Brown FA Jr (1970) Hypothesis of environmental timing of the clock. In: Brown FA Jr, Hastings JW, Palmer JD (eds) The biological clock two views. Academic Press, New York
Brown FA Jr (1983) The biological clock phenomenon: exogenous timing hypothesis. J Interdiscipl Cycle Res 14:137–162. https://doi.org/10.1080/09291018309359807
Bünning E (1936) Die endogene Tagesrhythmik als Grundlage der Photoperiodischen Reaktion. Ber Dtsch Bot Ges 54:590–607. (cited in Bünning, 1960)
Bünning E (1960) Circadian rhythms and the time measurement in photoperiodism. Cold Spring Harb Symp Quant Biol 25:249–256. https://doi.org/10.1101/SQB.1960.025.01.026
Bünning E, Joerrens G (1959) Versuche zur photoperiodischen Diapause-Induktion bei Pieris brassicae L. Naturwissenschaften 46:518–519. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00703549
Burrows W (1945) Periodic spawning of ‘Palolo’ worms in Pacific waters. Nature 155:47. https://doi.org/10.1038/155047a0
Collwell CS, Page TL (1990) A circadian rhythm in neural activity can be recorded from the central nervous system of the cockroach. J Comp Physiol A 166:643–649. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00240014
Danilevskii AS (1961) Photoperiodism and seasonal development of insects. Leningrad University Press, Leningrad (in Russian). English translation by Johnston J. Oliver & Boyd, Edinburgh (1965)
Ewer J, Frisch B, Hamblen-Coyle MJ, Rosbash M, Hall JC (1992) Expression of the period clock gene within different cell types in the brain of Drosophila adults and mosaic analysis of these cells’ influence on circadian behavioral rhythms. J Neurosci 12:3321–3349. https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.12-09-03321
Forel A (1910) Das Sinnesleben der Insekten. Reinhardt, München
Garner WW, Allard HA (1920) Effect of the relative length of day and night and other factors of the environment on growth and reproduction in plants. J Agricultural Res 58:553–606
Halberg F (1959) Physiologic 24-hour periodicity; general and procedural considerations with reference to the adrenal cycle. Z Vitamin Hormon Fermentforsch 10:225–296. (cited in Halberg, 1969)
Halberg F (1969) Chronobiology. Annu Rev Physiol 31:675–726. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.ph.31.030169.003331
Hamner KC, Flinn JC, Sirohi GS, Hoshizaki T, Carpenter BH (1962) The biological clock at the south pole. Nature 195:476–480. https://doi.org/10.1038/195476a0
Hardin PE, Hall JC, Rosbash M (1990) Feedback of the Drosophila period gene product on circadian cycling of its messenger RNA levels. Nature 343:536–540. https://doi.org/10.1038/343536a0
Harker JE (1956) Factors controlling the diurnal rhythm of activity of Periplaneta americana L. J Exp Biol 33:224–234. https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.33.1.224
Kogure M (1933) The influence of light and temperature on certain characters of the silkworm, Bombyx mori. J Dept Agric Kyushu Imp Univ 4:1–93. https://doi.org/10.5109/22568
Kramer G (1950) Weitere Analyse der Faktoren, welche die Zugaktivität des gekäfigten Vogels orientieren. Naturwissenschaften 37:377–378. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00626007
Konopka RJ, Benzer S (1971) Clock mutants of Drosophila melanogaster. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 68:2112–2116. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.68.9.2112
Marcovitch S (1923) Plant lice and light exposure. Science 58:537–538. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.58.1513.537-a
Moore RY, Eichler VB (1972) Loss of circadian adrenal corticosterone rhythm following suprachiasmatic nucleus lesion in the rat. Brain Res 42:201–206. https://doi.org/10.1016/0006-8993(72)90054-6
Nishiitsutuji-Uwo J, Pittendrigh CS (1968a) Central nervous system control of circadian rhythmicity in the cockroach. II. The pathway of light signals that entrain the rhythm. Z Vergl Physiol 58:1–13. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00302433
Nishiitsutuji-Uwo J, Pittendrigh CS (1968b) Central nervous system control of circadian rhythmicity in the cockroach. III. The optic lobes, locus of the driving oscillation? Z Vergl Physiol 58:4–46. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00302434
Numata H, Miyazaki Y, Ikeno T (2015) Common features in diverse insect clocks. Zool Lett 1:10. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40851-014-0003-y
Pittendrigh CS (1954) On temperature independence in the clock system controlling emergence time in Drosophila. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 40:1018–1029. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.40.10.1018
Pittendrigh CS (1960) Circadian rhythms and the circadian organization of living systems. Cold Spring Harb Symp Quant Biol 25:59–184. https://doi.org/10.1101/SQB.1960.025.01.015
Pittendrigh CS (1993) Temporal organization: reflections of a Darwinian clock-watcher. Annu Rev Physiol 55:17–54. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.ph.55.030193.000313
Pittendrigh CS, Bruce VG (1957) An oscillator model for biological clocks. In: Rudnick D (ed) Rhythmic and synthetic processes in growth. Princeton University Press, Princeton, pp 75–109
Pittendrigh CS, Bruce VG, Kaus P (1958) On the significance of transients in daily rhythms. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 44:965–973. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.44.9.965
Reddy P, Zehling WA, Wheeler DA, Pirrotta V, Hadfield C, Hall JC, Rosbash M (1984) Molecular analysis of the period locus in Drosophila melanogaster and identification of a transcript involved in biological rhythms. Cell 38:701–710. https://doi.org/10.1016/0092-8674(84)90265-4
Renner M (1955a) Über die Haltung von Bienen in geschlossenen, künstich beleuchteten Räumen. Naturwissenschaften 42:539–540. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00630155
Renner M (1955b) Ein Transozeanversuch zum Zeitsinn der Honigbiene. Naturwissenschaften 42:540–541. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00630156
Renner M (1960) The contribution of the honey bee to the study of time-sense and astronomical orientation. Cold Spring Harb Symp Quant Biol 25:361–367. https://doi.org/10.1101/SQB.1960.025.01.037
Roberts SK (1965) Photoreception and entrainment of cockroach activity rhythms. Science 148:958–959. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.148.3672.958
Roberts SK (1966) Circadian activity rhythms in cockroaches. III. The role of endocrine and neural factors. J Cell Physiol 67:473–486. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcp.1040670312
Saunders D (2021) Insect photoperiodism: Bünning’s hypothesis, the history and development of an idea. Eur J Entomol 118:1–13. https://doi.org/10.14411/eje.2021.001
Schulze A (2006) Phylogeny and genetic diversity of palolo worms (Palola, Eunicidae) from the tropical North Pacific and the Caribbean. Biol Bull 210:25–37
Stephan FK, Zucker I (1972) Circadian rhythms in drinking behavior and locomotor activity are eliminated by suprachiasmatic lesions. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 54:1521–1527. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.69.6.1583
Sun ZS, Albrecht U, Zhuchenko O, Bailey J, Eichele G, Lee CC (1997) RIGUI, a putative mammalian ortholog of the Drosophila period gene. Cell 90:1003–1011. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0092-8674(00)80366-9
Tei H, Okamura H, Shigeyoshi Y, Fukuhara C, Ozawa R, Hirose M, Sakaki Y (1997) Circadian oscillation of a mammalian homologue of the Drosophila period gene. Nature 389:512–516. https://doi.org/10.1038/39086
Tomioka K, Chiba Y (1992) Characterization of an optic lobe circadian pacemaker by in situ and in vitro recording of neural activity in the cricket, Gryllus bimaculatus. J Comp Physiol A 171:1–7. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00195955
Tomioka K, Matsumoto A (2015) Circadian molecular clockworks in non-model insects. Curr Opin Insect Sci 7:58–64. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cois.2014.12.006
von Buttel-Reepen H (1900) Sind die Bienen Refllex-maschinen? Experimental Beiträge zur Biologie der Honigbiene. Biol Zentralbl 20:97–108. (cited in Renner, 1960)
von Buttel-Reepen H (1915) Leben und Wesen der Bienen. Vieweg und Sohn, Braunschweig. (cited in Renner, 1960)
von Frisch K (1948) Gelöste und ungelöste Rätsel der Bienensprache. Naturwissenschaften 35:12–23. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00626624
von Frisch K (1950) Die Sonne als Kompaß im Leben der Bienen. Experientia 6:210–221. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02173654
Wahl O (1932) Neue Untersuchungen über das Zeitgedächtnis der Bienen. Z Vergl Physiol 16:529–589. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00338333
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2023 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Numata, H. (2023). Historical Survey of Chronobiology with Reference to Studies in Insects. In: Numata, H., Tomioka, K. (eds) Insect Chronobiology. Entomology Monographs. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-0726-7_1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-0726-7_1
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore
Print ISBN: 978-981-99-0725-0
Online ISBN: 978-981-99-0726-7
eBook Packages: Biomedical and Life SciencesBiomedical and Life Sciences (R0)