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1 December 2015 Photoperiodic Hatching Rhythms Suggest Circadian Entrainment of Anolis sagrei Eggs
Joshua Nash, Jennifer Price, Robert M. Cox
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Abstract

Synchronous hatching occurs in many reptiles that lay multi-egg clutches, but this phenomenon and its potential environmental cues are poorly documented for species that lay their eggs singly, such as Anolis lizards. We tested for a circadian hatching rhythm in 196 Brown Anole (Anolis sagrei) eggs maintained in social isolation under a 12 : 12 L : D photoperiod with constant temperature and humidity. Hatching occurred exclusively in the morning and was approximately normally distributed around the transition from dark to light, with most (94%) eggs hatching ±1 hour from the onset of light. Hatching times differed significantly between sexes, such that most males hatched after the onset of light (71%), whereas only half of all females hatched after the onset of light (52%). That a substantial proportion of eggs (38% across sexes) hatched in the dark suggests circadian entrainment to photoperiod, rather than a direct behavioral response to light. Whether this reflects a natural circadian rhythm of hatching or an artifact of increased light exposure in our artificial incubation environment is presently unknown. If this circadian rhythm of hatching is a natural phenomenon, then its potential fitness benefits (e.g., optimal timing for predator avoidance, prey detection, water balance, or thermoregulation) warrant further attention.

Copyright 2015 Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles
Joshua Nash, Jennifer Price, and Robert M. Cox "Photoperiodic Hatching Rhythms Suggest Circadian Entrainment of Anolis sagrei Eggs," Journal of Herpetology 49(4), 611-615, (1 December 2015). https://doi.org/10.1670/14-096
Accepted: 1 December 2014; Published: 1 December 2015
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