Neurobiology under desert conditions: Example of the camel
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1
Hassan II Agronomy and veterinary institute, of Veterinary Biological and pharmaceutical Sciences, Morocco
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2
Institute of Cellular and Integrative Neurosciences, Neurobiology of Rhythms, France
To survive, most mammals have to adapt to their biotope. In arid and desert areas, the dromedary (Camelus dromedarius) is exposed to extreme changes in environment: temperature, scarcity of food supply, dryness associated with a lack of watering points, etc,. In such habitat, besides photoperiod which marks each season, we assumed that other environmental factors may be strong enough to synchronize the biological clock and to allow animals to anticipate seasonal changes in their physiological functions. We thus studied the effect of a well known environmental parameter, the ambient temperature cycle. This cue is a rhythmic and seasonal signal and under dehydration, in this species, it affects thermoregulation. For this study, as a marker of activity of the clock, we chosen the diurnal rhythm of body temperature We first demonstrated that this rhythm of body temperature is under control of the circadian clock and also depending of the photoperiod. Then after, we established that the rhythm of body temperature (hence as an output of the clock) can be also, in some experimental conditions, entrained by the ambient temperature cycle. To be sure of that interpretation we also studied this “entraining” capacity of the 24h ambient temperature cycle on another known output of the clock, the melatonin rhythm. The data obtained demonstrate that after a shift in the ambient temperature cycle, not only the body temperature cycle but also the melatonin rhythm was shifted. It appears thus, in the Dromedary, that the daily cycle of ambient temperature is, like the light-dark cycle, a true synchronizing cue. We conclude that for studies aiming to control seasonal rhythms like reproduction in the dromedary, not only photoperiod but also the ambient temperature cycle have to be considered.
Acknowledgements
The Authors thank Moroccan Ministry of Agriculture, the staff of the breeding station of Ain
Jamâa, Pr. Mohamed Oukessou and colleagues of the Physiology Unit of Hassan II Agronomy & Veterinary Institute, Dr
Dominique Ciocca (Strasbourg’s Chronobiotron), and Christiane Calgari for their kind help. We are also grateful to
programs: PRAD n°05/07-03/10, PROFERD, Belgian development agency (CTB), National center of scientific and technical research (CNRST: URAC-49) for supporting this work.
Keywords:
Keywords: Camel,
biological clock,
rhythm of body temperature,
daily cycle of ambient temperature,
melatonin rhythm,
photic and non-photic entrainment.
Conference:
4th Conference of the Mediterrarnean Neuroscience Society, Istanbul, Türkiye, 30 Sep - 3 Oct, 2012.
Presentation Type:
Symposium
Topic:
Abstracts
Citation:
KHALID
E,
Achâaban
MR,
Bothorel
B,
Piro
M,
Bouaouda
H,
EL Allouchi
M,
Ouassat
M,
Malan
A and
Pévet
P
(2013). Neurobiology under desert conditions: Example of the camel.
Conference Abstract:
4th Conference of the Mediterrarnean Neuroscience Society.
doi: 10.3389/conf.fnhum.2013.210.00039
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Received:
29 Mar 2013;
Published Online:
11 Apr 2013.
*
Correspondence:
Dr. EL ALLALI KHALID, Hassan II Agronomy and veterinary institute, of Veterinary Biological and pharmaceutical Sciences, Rabat, Rabat, 10101, Morocco, k.elallali@iav.ac.ma