Lighting and circadian cues shape locomotor strategies for balance and navigation in larval zebrafish.

ABSTRACT: Most fish are inherently unstable and must swim to stabilize posture. How diurnal fish reduce activity at night while maintaining postural control remains unclear. We defined distinct locomotor strategies that larval zebrafish (Danio rerio) use to control posture and navigate the water column in response to light and circadian cues. In the dark, larvae maintain balance by swimming in long bouts with large nose-up rotations, compensating for nose-down drift accrued during prolonged inactivity. Effective postural compensation requires vestibular sensation from the utricle. By contrast, in the light, larvae navigate with short, frequent, and variable bouts. While lighting exerts a dominant, masking effect on the locomotor strategies, circadian rhythms modulate the extent of each strate

SUBMITTER: Liu J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12667949 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature