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Q.Describe briefly the biological effects of light on animal reproduction.

Nagaland NbseNagaland Board of School Education 2019Subjective· 3mImportance★★★★★
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Light - chiefly through the seasonal photoperiod (day length) - is a key abiotic factor that controls the timing of reproduction in animals, acting via the pineal gland and the hypothalamus-pituitary-gonad axis.

Light influences animal reproduction mainly through the photoperiod, i.e. the relative length of day and night, which acts as a reliable seasonal cue:

  1. Timing of the breeding season (photoperiodism). Many animals restrict breeding to a particular season so that the young are born when food and climate are favourable. Changing day length is the signal that switches reproduction on or off. Long-day breeders (e.g. many birds, horses, ferrets) become reproductively active as days lengthen in spring/early summer, whereas short-day breeders (e.g. sheep, goats, deer) breed as days shorten in autumn.

  2. Hormonal pathway. Light is perceived by the eyes (and in some animals directly by the brain) and controls the pineal gland, which secretes the hormone melatonin (more in darkness). Melatonin, together with the light-regulated hypothalamus-pituitary axis, adjusts the release of the gonadotropins FSH and LH, which drive the growth and maturation of the gonads (ovaries and testes), gametogenesis, and the development of secondary sexual characters and mating behaviour.

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