Brief Communications
Nature 410, 1048 (26 April 2001) | doi:10.1038/35074183
Chronobiology: Reversal of honeybee behavioural rhythms
Guy Bloch1 and Gene E. Robinson1,2
Adult honeybees have sleep-like states1, 2 and, like human infants3, bees develop their own endogenous circadian rhythms as they mature4, 5. But whereas disruption of our sleep cycles and synchronized internal rhythms may adversely affect our physiology and performance3, we show here that honeybees can revert to certain arrhythmic behaviours when necessary. To our knowledge, this chronobiological plasticity is the first example in any animal of a socially mediated reversal in activity rhythms.
- Department of Entomology, University of Illinois, 505 South Goodwin Avenue, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA
- Neuroscience Program, University of Illinois, 505 South Goodwin Avenue, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA
Correspondence to: Guy Bloch1 e-mail: Email: guybloch@life.uiuc.edu