How Circadian Clocks Keep Time Despite Changes in Temperature and Food

Circadian clocks across five systems display a critical ability to buffer period length against environmental changes.

• Circadian rhythms are approximately 24-hour cycles that help organisms adjust to daily environmental fluctuations.
• Different organisms have unique molecular mechanisms for their circadian clocks, including transcription-translation feedback loops and phosphorylation cycles.
• Despite variations in these mechanisms, all circadian clocks are capable of compensating for changes in temperature and nutrient availability.
• The exact mechanisms of compensation are not fully understood, but common themes, such as temperature-dependent changes in protein modifications, have been observed.
• Current models for compensation in circadian systems are not yet unified but suggest shared regulatory processes.

Simplified