https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.wm37pvmvj

We have investigated feeding regulated clocks in two well-studied cavefish species, the Somalian cavefish Phreatichthys andruzzii and the Mexican cavefish Astyanax mexicanus, in comparison with the surface-dwelling zebrafish Danio rerio. Our results reveal that feeding represents an extremely strong synchronizer for circadian locomotor rhythmicity in subterranean cavefish. Indeed, we showed that consuming just one meal every 4 days is sufficient to entrain circadian rhythmicity in both cavefish species, but not in zebrafish. These profound adaptations to an extreme environment provide unique insight into the connections between feeding and circadian clocks.

Description of the data and file structure

Overview of files and their contents:

We organized the data for each figure presented. For each figure, there are text files (49 in total) used to generate the graphs using El Temps software v.313 (http://www.el-temps.com/principal.html). Text files are titled in this way: FigX_type of graph_species_feeding regime (e.g., Fig1_actogram_PA_24). Type of graph: actogram, periodogram, circular diagrams showing acrophases (to simplify, indicated as acrophase).

Species: PA is for Phreatichthys andruzzii; DR is for Danio rerio; AM is for Astyanax mexicanus. 

Feeding regime: 24 (fish were fed every 24 hours); 48 (fish were fed every 48 hours); 72 (fish were fed every 72 hours); 96 (fish were fed every 96 hours); 24shift (fish subjected to a periodic mealtime of T=24 h, which later was shifted by 8 h); 36 (fish were fed every 36 hours); 44 (fish were fed every 44 hours).

Instructions for users to run the software

The locomotor activity recorded were used as input file to visualize actograms, periodograms and acrophase calculations using El Temps software v.313 (http://www.el-temps.com/principal.html). Actograms display an organism's activity patterns over time, periodograms analyze the frequency of these rhythms to identify cycles, and acrophase refers to the time point within a cycle when activity reaches its peak.

The Filter parameters set to design the actograms are:

                        Type: Stop band

                        window: Kaiser

                        attenuation: Pass 0.100; stop 40

                        decay:100 dB/oct

                        cut: left 360; right 1800