Impacts of artificial light at night on sleep: A review and prospectus

Aulsebrook, Anne E.; Jones, Therésa M.; Mulder, Raoul A.; Lesku, John A.

doi:10.1002/jez.2189

Cited by 59 publications

(56 citation statements)

References 151 publications

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“…Moreover, the special issue also includes a timely perspective from ulsebrook, Jones, Mulder, and Lesku (2018) on the impacts of ALAN on sleep. Although evidence is accumulating for light pollution to alter sleep behavior, and nocturnal rest, the physiological basis for such changes is unknown.…”

Section: The Effects Of Alan At Different Levels Of Biological Orgamentioning

confidence: 99%

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

Dominoni

Nelson

2018

J Exp Zool Pt A

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Section: The Effects Of Alan At Different Levels Of Biological Orgamentioning

confidence: 99%

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

Dominoni

Nelson

2018

J Exp Zool Pt A

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“…ALAN can decrease melatonin production at night [20], increase blood inflammatory markers [21] and increase susceptibility to pathogens [22]. However, the increase in nocturnal activity due to ALAN could have a major impact also on energy consumption and sleep [16,17]. Energy is a crucial and limited resource for animals, and there is a trade-off between investment decisions on behavioural and/or physiological processes and these trade-offs are often associated with fitness [18].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Studies with great tits show that they are able to memorise locations of cached food by observing other bird species and steal resources, indicating the importance of cognition on fitness [26]. In birds, cognition is affected by sleep, and thus cognitive abilities may be altered by sleep disruption due to ALAN [16]. In a recent study, birds kept under constant daylight showed a disruption in their activity patterns and a deterioration in their cognitive performance [27].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The preference and costs of sleeping under light at night in forest and urban great tits

et al. 2019

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Artificial light at night (ALAN) is an increasing phenomenon associated with worldwide urbanization. In birds, broad-spectrum white ALAN can have disruptive effects on activity patterns, metabolism, stress response and immune function. There has been growing research on whether the use of alternative light spectra can reduce these negative effects, but surprisingly, there has been no study to determine which light spectrum birds prefer. To test such a preference, we gave urban and forest great tits (Parus major) the choice where to roost using pairwise combinations of darkness, white light or green dim light at night (1.5 lux). Birds preferred to sleep under artificial light instead of darkness, and green was preferred over white light. In a subsequent experiment, we investigated the consequence of sleeping under a particular light condition, and measured birds' daily activity levels, daily energy expenditure (DEE), oxalic acid as a biomarker for sleep debt and cognitive abilities. White light affected activity patterns more than green light. Moreover, there was an origin-dependent response to spectral composition: in urban birds, the total daily activity and night activity did not differ between white and green light, while forest birds were more active under white than green light. We also found that individuals who slept under white and green light had higher DEE. However, there were no differences in oxalic acid levels or cognitive abilities between light treatments. Thus, we argue that in naive birds that had never encountered light at night, white light might disrupt circadian rhythms more than green light. However, it is possible that the negative effects of ALAN on sleep and cognition might be observed only under intensities higher than 1.5 lux. These results suggest that reducing the intensity of light pollution as well as tuning the spectrum towards long wavelengths may considerably reduce its impact.

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“…We predicted that ALAN would compromise immune function, as previously demonstrated under constant bright light (Durrant et al ., ; Jones et al ., ). Given recent studies highlighting that even dim ALAN (<5 lx) is capable of affecting other physiological processes including circadian rhythm (Evans et al ., ; Brüning et al ., ), melatonin release (Dominoni et al ., ), sleep (Aulsebrook et al ., ), the timing of foraging and reproduction (Robert et al ., ; Russ et al ., ), physiological condition (Raap et al ., ), survival (McLay et al ., ), and immune function in vertebrates (Aubrecht et al ., ), we also predict that these effects on immune function would be observed at even the lowest levels of ALAN (namely, 1 lx).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dim artificial light at night reduces the cellular immune response of the black field cricket, Teleogryllus commodus

2019

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A functioning immune system is crucial for protection against disease and illness, yet increasing evidence suggests that species living in urban areas could be suffering from immune suppression, due to the presence of artificial light at night (ALAN). This study examined the effects of ecologically relevant levels of ALAN on three key measures of immune function (haemocyte concentration, lytic activity, and phenoloxidase activity) using a model invertebrate species, the Australian black field cricket, Teleogryllus commodus. We reared crickets under an ecologically relevant daily light-cycle consisting of 12 hr bright daylight (2600 lx) followed by either 12 h darkness (0 lx) or dim environmentally relevant ALAN (1, 10, 100 lx), and then assessed immune function at multiple time points throughout adult life using haemolymph samples. We found that the presence of ALAN had a clear negative effect on haemocytes, while the effects on lytic activity and phenoloxidase activity were more complex or largely unaffected by ALAN. Furthermore, the effects of lifelong exposure to ALAN of 1 lx were comparable to those of 10 and 100 lx. Our data suggest that the effects of ALAN could be large and widespread, and such reductions in the core immune response of individuals will likely have greater consequences for fitness and survival under more malign conditions, such as those of the natural environment.

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Impacts of artificial light at night on sleep: A review and prospectus

Cited by 59 publications

References 151 publications

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

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

The preference and costs of sleeping under light at night in forest and urban great tits

Dim artificial light at night reduces the cellular immune response of the black field cricket, Teleogryllus commodus

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