Rythems Flashcards
Biological Clock
A mechanism in organisms that produces regular periodic changes in behavior or physiology due to an internal clock.
Endogenous Rhythm
Rhythm is controlled by a biological clock, which is determined by the genetics of the organism.
Exogenous Rhythm
An externally driven rhythm that relies on environmental cues (zeitgebers) to regularly occur.
Actogram
Graphical representation of an animal’s activity during a day.
Rhythm
A rhythm is a repeating cycle that controls certain behaviors of organisms.
For Example, sleep is a behavior that is regulated by the light difference between day and night.
Period
The length of the activity cycle of an organism.
For Example, the amount of time spent awake in a sleep-wake cycle.
Free-running period
The period of a biological rhythm in the absence of environmental cues.
Phase Shift
When light/dark is altered, the phase shift is the amount by which the period alters.
Entrainment
The resetting of the biological clock on a regular basis, forcing it to take up the period of the environmental cycle.
Zeitgeber
The environmental cue that resets the biological clock.
For Example, light, temperature, etc.
Circa
The rhythm of about, (insert period of time).
For Example, The Rhythm of about a day, month, year.
Circadian
The Rhythm of about a day.
Circatidal
The rhythm of about 12.5 hours. The environmental cue is the changing tides.
Circalunar
The rhythm of about 29.5 days. The environmental cue is the phases of the changing phases of the moon.
Circannual
The rhythm of about 365 days. The environmental cue is the changing length in day and night (due to changing seasons).
