Loss of a key biological clock protein weakens daily activity patterns in monarch butterflies

Loss of functional dpCRY1 in monarch butterflies reduced the amplitude and altered the phase of adult eclosion rhythms.

• The monarch butterfly uses both visual input and the blue-light photoreceptor dpCRY1 for entraining its circadian rhythms.
• Disruption of dpCRY1 functionality led to changes in molecular circadian rhythms in the brain.
• Robust circadian rhythms could be restored through temperature cycle entrainment in dpCRY1 mutants.
• Rhythmic flight activity was found to be less consistent in dpCRY1 mutants.
• Visual impairment in dpCRY1 mutants affected their flight suppression during nighttime.

Simplified