As the days continue to get shorter scientists have made a significant step in understanding exactly what makes mammals exhibit seasonal behaviours like hibernation and migration
The study – published in the journal eLife and led by the University of Glasgow – pinpoints a single gene, the Dio3 gene, present across all mammals, as the biological mechanism behind seasonal behaviours.
Mammals program their seasonal behaviour (like hibernation and migration) to happen at very specific times of the year; and, like clock-work, many mammals will go dormant and hibernate over the winter.
While we know that animals respond to environmental cues to time phenological events, this is the first time a study has shown the intrinsic mechanism of these seasonal behaviours in mammals which, until now, has remained elusive.
Previously, scientists have seen correlations, or environmentally-driven changes, in gene expression; but this study demonstrates that the Dio3 gene is critical for setting the internal seasonal clock of mammals and must be active to initiate winter dormancy.
The Dio3 gene is evolutionarily conserved across all mammals including humans, birds, reptiles and fish, and the function for timing seasonal changes in behaviour is consistent across animals. The gene is predominantly active in animals closer to the poles (ie a more temperate climate) and less active at the equator.
Posted On: 19/11/2025
More on: