Persistence, Entrainment, and Function of Circadian Rhythms in Polar Vertebrates

Abstract

Polar organisms must cope with an environment that periodically lacks the strongest time-giver, or zeitgeber, of circadian organization–robust, cyclical oscillations between light and darkness. We review the factors influencing the persistence of circadian rhythms in polar vertebrates when the light-dark cycle is absent, the likely mechanisms of entrainment that allow some polar vertebrates to remain synchronized with geophysical time, and the adaptive function of maintaining circadian rhythms in such environments.