Circadian clocks in the cnidaria: environmental entrainment, molecular regulation, and organismal outputs.

ABSTRACT: The circadian clock is a molecular network that translates predictable environmental signals, such as light levels, into organismal responses, including behavior and physiology. Regular oscillations of the molecular components of the clock enable individuals to anticipate regularly fluctuating environmental conditions. Cnidarians play important roles in benthic and pelagic marine environments and also occupy a key evolutionary position as the likely sister group to the bilaterians. Together, these attributes make members of this phylum attractive as models for testing hypotheses on roles for circadian clocks in regulating behavior, physiology, and reproduction as well as those regarding the deep evolutionary conservation of circadian regulatory pathways in animal evolution. Here, we review

SUBMITTER: Reitzel AM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3687134 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature