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<p>Humidity levels, like light and temperature, fluctuate daily yet are less predictable; however, whether humidity can entrain circadian clocks and synchronize animal behaviors with environmental variations remains unknown. Here, we investigate the circadian humidity entrainment in various insects across multiple orders. Insect species respond to humidity cycles with distinct patterns, some active during either wet/dry periods or at the arid-humid transition. When the humidity cue is removed, most species continue to show rhythmic activity associated with the previous arid-humid (AH) cycles. Fruit flies shift their activity accordingly when humidity cycles are altered and remain in the new rhythms under the following free-running conditions (FRC; constant humidity, HH). Moreover, <i>Drosophila</i> clock and hygrosensation mutants have lower rhythmic activity during AH and a significant reduction in rhythms after humidity entrainment (FRC with HH), indicating that core clock components and hygrosensors are essential for humidity-dependent circadian entrainment. Our findings provide strong evidence that humidity is likely to serve as a potential zeitgeber for circadian entrainment in most, but not all, insect systems and should have broad applicability and importance across animal systems. While light and temperature act as the primary zeitgebers, understanding the mechanisms of humidity entrainment will help us better interpret the behavioral patterns of terrestrial animals, particularly small insects susceptible to dehydration.</p>

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Humidity as a potential zeitgeber for circadian entrainment of insect systems

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

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  • 发表日期：

    2026年6月22日

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  • Shyh-Chi Chen,
  • Grace Goodhart,
  • Daniel Eaton,
  • Nathan Catlett,
  • Tabitha Cady,
  • Hannah Tran,
  • Luke E. Lutz,
  • Lyn Wang,
  • Ella Girard,
  • Jaida Savino,
  • Jodi Perry,
  • Libby Coen,
  • Leo Walker,
  • Amena Bidiwala,
  • Emma Tarter,
  • Joshua Tompkin,
  • Nina Greene,
  • Aiden Yang,
  • Joshua B. Benoit

摘要

Humidity levels, like light and temperature, fluctuate daily yet are less predictable; however, whether humidity can entrain circadian clocks and synchronize animal behaviors with environmental variations remains unknown. Here, we investigate the circadian humidity entrainment in various insects across multiple orders. Insect species respond to humidity cycles with distinct patterns, some active during either wet/dry periods or at the arid-humid transition. When the humidity cue is removed, most species continue to show rhythmic activity associated with the previous arid-humid (AH) cycles. Fruit flies shift their activity accordingly when humidity cycles are altered and remain in the new rhythms under the following free-running conditions (FRC; constant humidity, HH). Moreover, Drosophila clock and hygrosensation mutants have lower rhythmic activity during AH and a significant reduction in rhythms after humidity entrainment (FRC with HH), indicating that core clock components and hygrosensors are essential for humidity-dependent circadian entrainment. Our findings provide strong evidence that humidity is likely to serve as a potential zeitgeber for circadian entrainment in most, but not all, insect systems and should have broad applicability and importance across animal systems. While light and temperature act as the primary zeitgebers, understanding the mechanisms of humidity entrainment will help us better interpret the behavioral patterns of terrestrial animals, particularly small insects susceptible to dehydration.