A circadian clock drives behavioral activity in Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) and provides a potential mechanism for seasonal timing

Abstract

Antarctic krill is a species with fundamental importance for the Southern Ocean ecosystem. Their large biomass and synchronized movements, like diel vertical migration (DVM), significantly impact ecosystem structure and the biological carbon pump. Despite decades of research, the mechanistic basis of DVM remains unclear. Circadian clocks help organisms anticipate daily environmental changes, optimizing adaptation. In this study, we used a recently developed activity monitor to record swimming activity of individual, wild-caught krill under various light conditions and across different seasons. Our data demonstrate how the krill circadian clock, in combination with light, drives a distinct bimodal pattern of swimming activity, which could facilitate ecologically important behavioral patterns, such as DVM. Rapid damping and flexible synchronization of krill activity indicate that the krill clock is adapted to a life at high latitudes and seasonal activity recordings suggest a clock-based mechanism for the timing of seasonal processes. Our findings advance our understanding of biological timing and high-latitude adaptation in this key species.