Letter: Photoperiodism and adaptive behaviour in a small mammal.

Abstract

SEASONAL changes in photoperiod have wide-ranging effects on the biology of most temperate zone vertebrates1,2. Although photoperiodic responses have been extensively studied in birds3, research on photoperiodic effects in mammals has been confined largely to their influence on reproductive and pelage cycles4,5. Less well understood are the effects of seasonal differences in photoperiod on mammalian behaviour, although modification of behaviour is the principal means by which small mammals adjust to seasonal changes in their environment6. Furthermore, seasonal changes in photoperiod may be used as a cue by small mammals to alter behaviour before more critical changes in other environmental conditions, such as temperature. We describe here the effects of previous exposure to differences in both photoperiod and temperature on the expression of nesting, hoarding, daily activity, and food consumption in the white-footed mouse, Peromyscus leucopus.