Glossary

For an extensive list of chronobiology related terms and definitions, please refer to ASCHOFF; KLOTTER; WEVER (1965) and MARQUES; ODA (2012).

Chronotype

Any kind of temporal phenotype (EHRET, 1974; PITTENDRIGH, 1993). Usually, it refers to circadian phenotypes in a spectrum that goes from morningness to eveningness (ROENNEBERG; WIRZ-JUSTICE; MERROW, 2003). It can also be seen as an organism’s phase of entrainment (ROENNEBERG et al., 2012).

Circadian rhythm

A rhythm with a period close to a day/24h, an approximation to the period of the earth’s rotation (PITTENDRIGH, 1960). From the Latin circā, around, and dĭes, day (LATINITIUM, [s.d.]). Example: the sleep-wake cycle.

Complex system

There are several definitions. Here are some that I found to be of use:

• “Systems that don’t yield to compact forms of representation or description” (David Krakauer apud MITCHELL (2013))
• “A system of many interacting parts where the system is more than just the sum of its parts” (Mark Newman apud MITCHELL (2013))
• Systems with many connected agents that interact and exhibit self-organization and emergence behavior, all without the need for a central controller (adapted from Camilo Rodrigues Neto’s definition, supervisor of this thesis).
• Dialectics at its finest (my working definition).

Entrainment

A shift and alignment of biological rhythms induced by a zeitgeber input (KUHLMAN; CRAIG; DUFFY, 2018). For example: a shift/alignment of an organism’s circadian rhythm when exposed to light.

ASCHOFF, J.; KLOTTER, K.; WEVER, R. Circadian vocabulary: A recommended terminology with definitions. In: Circadian clocks. [s.l.] North-Holland, 1965.

EHRET, C. F. The sense of time: Evidence for its molecular basis in the eukaryotic gene-action system. In: Advances in Biological and Medical Physics. [s.l.] Elsevier, 1974. v. 15p. 47–77.

KUHLMAN, S. J.; CRAIG, L. M.; DUFFY, J. F. Introduction to chronobiology. Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Biology, v. 10, n. 9, p. a033613, Sep. 2018.

LATINITIUM. Latin dictionaries. Disponível em: <https://latinitium.com/latin-dictionaries/>. Acesso em: 21 sep. 2023.

MARQUES, M. D.; ODA, G. Glossário. Revista da Biologia, v. 9, n. 3, 3, 2012.

MITCHELL, M. Introduction to complexity. Online course. Disponível em: <https://www.complexityexplorer.org/courses/1-https://www.complexityexplorer.org/courses/1>. Acesso em: 21 sep. 2023.

PITTENDRIGH, C. S. Circadian rhythms and the circadian organization of living systems. Cold Spring Harbor Symposia on Quantitative Biology, v. 25, p. 159–184, 1960.

PITTENDRIGH, C. S. Temporal organization: Reflections of a darwinian clock-watcher. Annual Review of Physiology, v. 55, n. 1, p. 17–54, Oct. 1993.

ROENNEBERG, T. et al. Social jetlag and obesity. Current Biology, v. 22, n. 10, p. 939–943, May 2012.

ROENNEBERG, T.; WIRZ-JUSTICE, A.; MERROW, M. Life between clocks: Daily temporal patterns of human chronotypes. Journal of Biological Rhythms, v. 18, n. 1, p. 80–90, Feb. 2003.