An Appraisal of Tidal Activity Rhythms

Organisms of the marine littoral zone experience a much wider range of periodicities in their environment than do their terrestrial counterparts. Tidal cycles of semidiurnal, diurnal, lunar, and semilunar frequencies may all recur at the same locality, in addition to the diel cycle of light and darkness. The relationship of endogenous activity patterns to the prevailing geophysical variables thus poses problems for the temporal organization of the organism. The way in which intertidal animals synchronize their behaviour and physiology to such a diversely fluctuating environment, and the efficacy of different environmental factors as entraining agents is considered. Evidence pertaining to the endogenous control mechanisms, both physiological and behavioural, is reviewed, and the organization of the endogenous time-keeping system discussed in terms of identifiable oscillators of different frequencies.