Clocks help organisms in unexpected ways, too. Besides controlling various behaviors, the Drosophila circadian clock also coordinate many rhythms in peripheral organs, such as olfactory and gustatory sensitivity rhythms, and the mitotic response of gut stem cells to damage.
In Drosophila, it gates eclosion and courtship, determines the period of rest and activity, the timing of feeding and influence temperature preference. In mammals, the circadian clock in the brain orchestrates behavioral, hormonal and other physiological rhythms throughout the body.
Anticipation of dawn, for example, helps a nocturnal animal to avoid predators active during the day and provides a safe window for activities such as feeding, sleep and reproduction. These molecular pacemakers allow organisms to accurately predict rhythmic changes in their environment and thus increase their fitness. They are driven by molecular clocks and are found in most organisms, from cyanobacteria to humans. The name is derived from the Latin words “circa” and “diem”, which means “about a day”. Circadian rhythms are biological events that occur with a period length of about 24 hours.
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