[Animal Chronicles Revealed]”Use two days as one day!” Scientists discover a beetle with a 48-hour biological clock | Science of Tomorrow

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Biological Clock of Beetle Found to Tick Every 48 Hours

A groundbreaking study from the University of California, Davis has revealed an unexpected discovery about the black gill beetle, Holotrichia parallela. The research, published in Current Biology, found that the beetle operates on a unique biological clock with a cycle that spans 48 hours, rather than the 24-hour cycle common in many other species.

The unique two-day rhythm, known as a “circabidian” cycle, is twice as long as the familiar circadian cycle. This finding has surprised researchers, who note that while a few other animals, including humans, mosquitoes, and other beetle species, also follow a 48-hour cycle, the mechanism behind it remains a mystery.

Entomologist Joanna Chiu, who worked on the study, stated that it is very rare to observe a 48-hour rhythm in nature. The team explained that the dual reaction of the beetle to sex pheromones showed a pattern of peaking every 48 hours, compared to the traditional 24-hour biological clock.

This discovery has raised questions about the impact of the beetle’s unique rhythm on its behavior and biology. The beetle is a significant agricultural pest in Asia, and its behavior, particularly its mating habits, is of interest to researchers.

The study found that the females of these beetles engage in mating-related activities like emitting alluring pheromones to attract mates every other day. Males consistently responded to the pheromones in a pattern that aligned with the 48-hour cycle.

However, researchers are perplexed by the natural cycle that follows 48 hours, as biological clocks are typically synchronized with external environmental cues, such as light or temperature.

The researchers noted that this two-day cycle reduces mating opportunities but minimizes predation risks for the beetles, even though there is no known predation pressure on the black gill beetle. They also found that the cycle is related to light, as removing the beetle’s visual lobes desynchronizes its rhythm.

The study raises the question of what conditions could have favored the beetles to adapt to this unique rhythm and how their bodies respond to it. This novel finding adds to the growing body of research on biological rhythms in the animal kingdom.

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The researchers hope that further studies will shed light on this unique circabidian rhythm in the black gill beetle and its implications for the species and its ecosystem.