Projects per year
Abstract
Sleep is considered to be of crucial importance for performance and health, yet much of what we know about sleep is based on studies in a few mammalian model species under strictly controlled laboratory conditions. Data on sleep in different species under more natural conditions may yield new insights in the regulation and functions of sleep. We therefore performed a study with miniature electroencephalogram (EEG) data loggers in starlings under semi-natural conditions, group housed in a large outdoor enclosure with natural temperature and light. The birds showed a striking 5-h difference in the daily amount of non-rapid-eye-movement (NREM) sleep between winter and summer. This variation in the amount of NREM sleep was best explained by night length. Most sleep occurred during the night, but when summer nights became short, the animals displayed mid-day naps. The decay of NREM sleep spectral power in the slow-wave range (1.1-4.3 Hz) was steeper in the short nights than in the longer nights, which suggests that birds in summer have higher sleep pressure. Additionally, sleep was affected by moon phase, with 2 h of NREM sleep less during full moon. The starlings displayed very little rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep, adding up to 1.3% of total sleep time. In conclusion, this study demonstrates a pronounced phenotypical flexibility in sleep in starlings under semi-natural conditions and shows that environmental factors have a major impact on the organization of sleep and wakefulness.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 1664-1671.e2 |
Number of pages | 10 |
Journal | Current Biology |
Volume | 30 |
Issue number | 9 |
Early online date | 19-Mar-2020 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 4-May-2020 |
Keywords
- PHYLOGENETIC ANALYSIS
- SLOW WAVES
- BEHAVIOR
- LIGHT
- PHYSIOLOGY
- MAGNETORECEPTION
- PATTERNS
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Dive into the research topics of 'Sleep time in the European starling is strongly affected by night length and moon phase'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.Press/Media
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Starlings sleep less during summer and full-moon nights
van Hasselt, S., Rusche, M., Verhulst, S. & Meerlo, P.
19/03/2020 → 20/03/2020
2 items of Media coverage
Press/Media: Research › Academic
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AL: Adaptive Life
Etienne, R. (Coordinator), Kas, M. (Coordinator), Olff, H. (Coordinator), Weissing, F. (Coordinator) & Groothuis, T. (Coordinator)
01/01/2016 → 01/01/2026
Project: Research
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AL-I: The ecology of sleep: New insights on sleep homeostasis from EEG studies on godwits in the wild
Meerlo, P. (PI), Piersma, T. (PI), Rattenborg, N. C. (PI) & van Hasselt, S. (PhD student)
01/01/2017 → 01/12/2021
Project: Research