Dissociation of circadian rhythms for food and water consumption in mice

Under constant light, a circadian rhythm in food consumption persisted in animals deprived of water, and a circadian rhythm in water consumption persisted in the absence of food. This observation demonstrates that each of these circadian rhythms can be driven by a biological clock mechanism independently of the other. Even though absolute levels of food and water consumption under constant light were heavily interdependent, the rhythmicity of each behavior did not change significantly in the absence of the other behavior. This result shows separate control of absolute level of performance and timing of these circadian behaviors.