Bg. Williams et al., COMPARATIVE-STUDIES OF TIDAL RHYTHMS .13. IS A CLAM CLOCK SIMILAR TO THOSE OF OTHER INTERTIDAL ANIMALS, Marine behaviour and physiology, 24(1), 1993, pp. 1-14
Under constant laboratory conditions the gaping and closure of the she
ll valves of the intertidal clam Chione stutchburyi show a clear patte
rn related initially to the tides in its natural habitat. From a total
of 63 clams immersed in water, 97% displayed a clear and persistent p
attern consisting basically of two gaping intervals per circalunar day
with the mean period length of the bimodal rhythm being 25.67 hours.
An unusual feature in the rhythm is the irregularity with which the 'g
aping' phase is expressed. Details of the shell gaping pattern in some
individuals support the hypothesis of dual circalunidian systems cont
rolling the circatidal pattern. The gaping rhythm is also expressed in
air. It is not rephased by a single air to water stimulus but is reph
ased by a 18.5 hr-long low temperature pulse. This is the first detail
ed study of a bivalve clock, and the features of the timing system in
Chione are compared to those of other intertidal animals.