Artificial light at night as an environmental pollutant: An integrative approach across taxa, biological functions, and scientific disciplines

Dominoni, Davide M.; Nelson, Randy J.

doi:10.1002/jez.2241

Cited by 42 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 75 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…In addition, these results should also be used with caution as they are based on whole-night activity metrics, which do not provide information on the full range of possible impacts. Indeed, artificial light also disrupts the behavior, phenology, and physiology of individuals [48][49][50], which should be assessed with more accurate temporal resolution. Unfortunately, this information was not available.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Switching LPS to LED Streetlight May Dramatically Reduce Activity and Foraging of Bats

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Artificial light at night is considered a major threat to biodiversity, especially for nocturnal species, as it reduces habitat availability, quality, and functionality. Since the recent evolution in light technologies in improving luminous efficacy, developed countries are experiencing a renewal of their lighting equipment that reaches its end-of-life, from conventional lighting technologies to light emitting diodes (LEDs). Despite potential cascading impacts of such a shift on nocturnal fauna, few studies have so far dealt with the impact of the renewal of street lighting by new technologies. Specifically, only one study, by Rowse et al.2016, examined the effects of switching from widely used low pressure sodium (LPS) lamps to LEDs, using bats as biological models. This study was based on a before-after-control-impact paired design (BACIP) at 12 pairs in the UK, each including one control and one experimental streetlight. If Rowse et al. 2016 showed no effect of switching to LEDs streetlights on bat activity, the effects of respective changes in light intensity and spectrum were not disentangled when testing switch effects. Here, we conduct a retrospective analysis of their data to include these covariates in statistical models with the aim of disentangling the relative effects of these light characteristics. Our re-analysis clearly indicates that the switches in spectrum and in intensity with replacement of LPS with LED lamps have significant additive and interactive effects, on bat activity. We also show that bat activity and buzz ratio decrease with increasing LED intensity while an opposite effect is observed with LPS lamps. Hence, the loss or the gain in bat activity when lamp types, i.e., spectrum, are switched strongly depends on the initial and new lamp intensities. Our results stress the need to consider simultaneously the effects of changes in the different lights characteristics when street lighting changes. Because switches from LPS to LED lamps can lead to an increase in light intensity, such technological changes may involve a reduction of bat activity in numerous cases, especially at high LED intensities. Since we are currently at an important crossroad in lighting management, we recommend to limit LED intensity and improve its spectral composition toward warmer colors to limit potential deleterious impacts on bat activity.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Switching LPS to LED Streetlight May Dramatically Reduce Activity and Foraging of Bats

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Several epidemiological and experimental studies have recurrently demonstrated that increasing prevalence of physiological and behavioral disorders is associated with increasing light pollution worldwide (Touitou et al 2017;Zubidat & Haim 2017;Dominoni & Nelson 2018). In the present study, we found that light pollution applied as bright ALAN exposure caused a significant increase in body mass and extremely impaired reproductive success, as evidenced by reduced oviposition and hatchability in M. undulatus.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bright artificial light at night is associated with increased body mass, poor reproductive success and compromised disease tolerance in Australian budgerigars (Melopsittacus undulatus)

Malek

Haim

2019

Integrative Zoology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Artificial light at night (ALAN) can cause circadian disruption and result in adverse behavioral and ecological effects in free‐living birds, but studies on captive pet birds as companion animals have been infrequent. We studied the effects of exposure to bright ALAN on body mass, melatonin sulfate levels, reproduction and disease severity in Australian budgerigars (Melopsittacus undulatus) kept in captivity. During the experiment, birds were kept under outdoor temperature, humidity and natural photoperiod from September to December. A total of 48 birds were equally split into 4 groups (6 mating pairs each) and concurrently exposed to ALAN of 200 lux with different duration (0, 30, 60 and 90 min). Monthly observations were recorded for all dependent parameters. ALAN exposure increased mass gain and suppressed melatonin levels in a dose‐dependent manner, especially during December. In addition, ALAN exposure in all duration groups decreased egg production and reduced hatchability from 61% ± 14% in the ALAN‐unexposed control group to 0% in the ALAN‐exposed birds. Disease severity was also found to increase in line with the duration of ALAN exposure. In captive M. undulatus, ALAN exposure was demonstrated to affect photoperiodic regulation with subsequent excess mass gain and reproduction impairment, and increased susceptibility to infections plausibly through duration dose‐dependent suppression of melatonin. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to demonstrate a possible association between acute bright ALAN of increasing duration and both natural development of infections as well as reproductive cessation in captive birds. Our findings could be used to improve breeding conditions of captive birds.

show abstract

“…Although environmental factors such as temperature vary from year to year, annual changes in day length follow a predictable and consistent pattern. Modern illuminated skies prevent this demarcation (Dominoni, Borniger, & Nelson, 2016;Dominoni & Nelson, 2018). Again, the role of day length in coordinating seasonal phenotypic changes has evolved with precision so that seasonal reproductive function coincides with optimal conditions for offspring and parental survival (Nelson, 1987).…”

Section: Climate Chang E and Photoperiodmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Both synchronization of circadian clocks and photoperiodic time measurement depend on a distinct demarcation between light and dark. Modern illuminated skies prevent this demarcation (Dominoni, Borniger, & Nelson, 2016;Dominoni & Nelson, 2018). (Bartness & Wade, 1985).…”

Section: Climate Chang E and Photoperiodmentioning

confidence: 99%

Global climate change and invariable photoperiods: A mismatch that jeopardizes animal fitness

Walker

Meléndez-Fernández

Nelson

et al. 2019

Ecology and Evolution

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The Earth's surface temperature is rising, and precipitation patterns throughout the Earth are changing; the source of these shifts is likely anthropogenic in nature. Alterations in temperature and precipitation have obvious direct and indirect effects on both plants and animals. Notably, changes in temperature and precipitation alone can have both advantageous and detrimental consequences depending on the species. Typically, production of offspring is timed to coincide with optimal food availability; thus, individuals of many species display annual rhythms of reproductive function. Because it requires substantial time to establish or re‐establish reproductive function, individuals cannot depend on the arrival of seasonal food availability to begin breeding; thus, mechanisms have evolved in many plants and animals to monitor and respond to day length in order to anticipate seasonal changes in the environment. Over evolutionary time, there has been precise fine‐tuning of critical photoperiod and onset/offset of seasonal adaptations. Climate change has provoked changes in the availability of insects and plants which shifts the timing of optimal reproduction. However, adaptations to the stable photoperiod may be insufficiently plastic to allow a shift in the seasonal timing of bird and mammal breeding. Coupled with the effects of light pollution which prevents these species from determining day length, climate change presents extreme evolutionary pressure that can result in severe deleterious consequences for individual species reproduction and survival. This review describes the effects of climate change on plants and animals, defines photoperiod and the physiological events it regulates, and addresses the consequences of global climate change and a stable photoperiod.

show abstract

Artificial light at night as an environmental pollutant: An integrative approach across taxa, biological functions, and scientific disciplines

Cited by 42 publications

References 75 publications

Switching LPS to LED Streetlight May Dramatically Reduce Activity and Foraging of Bats

Switching LPS to LED Streetlight May Dramatically Reduce Activity and Foraging of Bats

Bright artificial light at night is associated with increased body mass, poor reproductive success and compromised disease tolerance in Australian budgerigars (Melopsittacus undulatus)

Global climate change and invariable photoperiods: A mismatch that jeopardizes animal fitness

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About