PREFACE

Successful reproductions involve precisely timed neural and endocrine events

which occur within a well-defined schedule. The reproductive cycle and its various
components synchronize with extrinsic and intrinsic factors. The environmental factors
include photoperiod or day length, temperature, food availability etc. and internal
factors include various components of hypothalamo-hypophysialgonadal (HPG) axis.
This HPG axis especially hypothalamic GnRH and GnIH in turn get modulated by
inputs from environmental stimuli involving neurotransmitters and neuromodulators. In
view of inherent circadian organization of the living system, circadian neural and
hormonal oscillations are reported to have temporal correlation with each other and also
with various physiological and metabolic activities. This circadian system is involved
not only in the photoperiodic time measurement of birds and mammals specially the
seasonal breeders, but has been also reported to alter the temporal phase relation of
circadian neural oscillations. Large numbers of studies from our laboratory have
emphasized the involvement of temporal phase relation of serotonergic and
dopaminergic oscillations in reproductive regulation of birds and their photo-sexual
responses as well.
Present thesis comprises a comprehensive and long term experimental studies to
investigate the reproductive responses of poultry species Japanese quail- Coturnix
coturnix japonica to various factors such as i) Photoperiod or day length, ii) light colour
and intensity iii) temporal synergism of circadian serotonergic and dopaminergic
oscillation and iv) agonists and antagonists of monoamines and catecholamine.
Experiments are also conducted to reveal the i) Threshold level of photoperiod and
phase angle of neural oscillations which may initiate, terminate or continue gonadal

activity and ii) Interaction of regulatory factors, photoperiod and specific phase relation
of neural oscillation on the reproduction of Japanese quail.
Present investigations have been performed in Japanese quail which is an
important research model and economically important poultry species. It is expected
that outcome of present experimental findings will be able to highlight the fact that
reproductive responses of birds to the same photoperiod differ significantly both
qualitatively and quantitatively during short and long term exposure. This thesis has not
only focused on the effect and comparison of two regulatory factors; the photoperiod
and temporal phase relation of circadian oscillations, but has also focused on their
combined effects and interaction. It is expected that outcome of present findings will
have significant contribution in the field of basic and applied research in avian science.