scholarly journals Multisensory pollution: Artificial light at night and anthropogenic noise have interactive effects on activity patterns of great tits (Parus major)

2020 ◽  
Vol 256 ◽  
pp. 113314 ◽  
Author(s):  
Davide Dominoni ◽  
Judith A.H. Smit ◽  
Marcel E. Visser ◽  
Wouter Halfwerk
Keyword(s):  
Activity Patterns ◽  
Parus Major ◽  
Interactive Effects ◽  
Anthropogenic Noise ◽  
Artificial Light ◽  
Light At Night

scholarly journals A Systematic Review of Research Investigating the Combined Ecological Impact of Anthropogenic Noise and Artificial Light at Night

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wouter Halfwerk ◽  
Paul Jerem
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Observational Studies ◽  
Ecological Impact ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Ecological Impacts ◽  
Anthropogenic Noise ◽  
Light Pollution ◽  
Artificial Light ◽  
Light At Night ◽  
The Impact

Levels of anthropogenic noise and artificial light at night (ALAN) are rapidly rising on a global scale. Both sensory pollutants are well known to affect animal behavior and physiology, which can lead to substantial ecological impacts. Most studies on noise or light pollution to date have focused on single stressor impacts, studying both pollutants in isolation despite their high spatial and temporal co-occurrence. However, few studies have addressed their combined impact, known as multisensory pollution, with the specific aim to assess whether the interaction between noise and light pollution leads to predictable, additive effects, or less predictable, synergistic or antagonistic effects. We carried out a systematic review of research investigating multisensory pollution and found 28 studies that simultaneously assessed the impact of anthropogenic noise and ALAN on animal function (e.g., behavior, morphology or life-history), physiology (e.g., stress, oxidative, or immune status), or population demography (e.g., abundance or species richness). Only fifteen of these studies specifically tested for possible interactive effects when both sensory pollutants were combined. Four out of eight experimental studies revealed a significant interaction effect, in contrast to only three out seven observational studies. We discuss the benefits and limitations of experimental vs. observational studies addressing multisensory pollution and call for more specific testing of the diverse ways in which noise and light pollution can interact to affect wildlife.

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

2019 ◽  
Vol 286 (1905) ◽  
pp. 20190872 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zeynep N. Ulgezen ◽  
Teemu Käpylä ◽  
Peter Meerlo ◽  
Kamiel Spoelstra ◽  
Marcel E. Visser ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Oxalic Acid ◽  
White Light ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Daily Activity ◽  
Activity Patterns ◽  
Spectral Composition ◽  
Green Light ◽  
Artificial Light ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Light At Night

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.

scholarly journals Artificial light at nigh drives early dawn chorus onset times of the Saffron Finch (Sicalis flaveola) in an Andean city

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oscar Humberto Marín Gómez
Keyword(s):  
Noise Pollution ◽  
Anthropogenic Noise ◽  
Artificial Light ◽  
Urban Birds ◽  
Light At Night ◽  
Dawn Chorus ◽  
Artificial Lighting ◽  
The North ◽  
Light Levels ◽  
Social Dynamic

AbstractUrban birds around the world have to cope with dominant city stressors as anthropogenic noise and artificial light at night by adjusting the temporal and spectral traits of their acoustic signals. It is widely known that higher anthropogenic noise and artificial light levels can disrupt the morning singing routines, but its influence in tropical urban birds remains poorly explored. Here, I assessed the association between light and noise pollution with the dawn chorus onset of the Saffron Finch (Sicalis flaveola) in an Andean city of Colombia. I studied 32 urban sites distributed in the north of the city, which comprise different conditions of urban development based on the built cover. I annotated the time when the first individual of the Saffron Finch was heard at each site and then I obtained anthropogenic noise and artificial light at night measurements using a smartphone. Findings of this study show that Saffron Finches living in highly developed sites sang earlier at dawn than those occupying less urbanized sites. Unexpectedly this timing difference was related to artificial lighting instead of anthropogenic noise, suggesting that artificial light could drive earlier dawn chorus in a tropical urban bird. Saffron Finches could take advantage of earlier singing for signaling territorial ownership among neighbors, as expected by the social dynamic hypothesis. However, findings of this study should be interpreted carefully because the dawn chorus is a complex phenomenon influenced by many multiple factors. Future studies need to assess the influence of ALAN on the dawn chorus timing of Neotropical urban birds by taking into account the influence of confounding factors related to urbanization as well as meteorological, ecological, and social drivers.

scholarly journals Lifelong exposure to artificial light at night impacts stridulation and locomotion activity patterns in the cricket Gryllus bimaculatus

2021 ◽  
Vol 288 (1959) ◽  
pp. 20211626
Author(s):  
Keren Levy ◽  
Yoav Wegrzyn ◽  
Ronny Efronny ◽  
Anat Barnea ◽  
Amir Ayali
Keyword(s):  
Activity Patterns ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Field Cricket ◽  
Artificial Light ◽  
Light At Night ◽  
Insect Behaviour ◽  
Relative Level ◽  
Continuous Increase ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Custom Made

Living organisms experience a worldwide continuous increase in artificial light at night (ALAN), negatively affecting their behaviour. The field cricket, an established model in physiology and behaviour, can provide insights into the effect of ALAN on insect behaviour. The stridulation and locomotion patterns of adult male crickets reared under different lifelong ALAN intensities were monitored simultaneously for five consecutive days in custom-made anechoic chambers. Daily activity periods and acrophases were compared between the experimental groups. Control crickets exhibited a robust rhythm, stridulating at night and demonstrating locomotor activity during the day. By contrast, ALAN affected both the relative level and timing of the crickets' nocturnal and diurnal activity. ALAN induced free-running patterns, manifested in significant changes in the median and variance of the activity periods, and even arrhythmic behaviour. The magnitude of disruption was light intensity dependent, revealing an increase in the difference between the activity periods calculated for stridulation and locomotion in the same individual. This finding may indicate the existence of two peripheral clocks. Our results demonstrate that ecologically relevant ALAN intensities affect crickets’ behavioural patterns, and may lead to decoupling of locomotion and stridulation behaviours at the individual level, and to loss of synchronization at the population level.

scholarly journals Artificial Light at Night Reduces Daily Energy Expenditure in Breeding Great Tits (Parus major)

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anouk A. M. H. Welbers ◽  
Natalie E. van Dis ◽  
Anne M. Kolvoort ◽  
Jenny Ouyang ◽  
Marcel E. Visser ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Energy Expenditure ◽  
Parus Major ◽  
Artificial Light ◽  
Daily Energy Expenditure ◽  
Light At Night ◽  
Daily Energy

Cold Nights, City Lights: Artificial Light at Night Reduces Photoperiodically Induced Diapause in Urban and Rural Populations of Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae)

2020 ◽  
Vol 57 (6) ◽  
pp. 1694-1699 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katie M Westby ◽  
Kim A Medley
Keyword(s):  
Local Adaptation ◽  
Aedes Albopictus ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Activity Patterns ◽  
Rapid Evolution ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
Artificial Light ◽  
Light At Night ◽  
Diapause Incidence

Abstract As the planet becomes increasingly urbanized, it is imperative that we understand the ecological and evolutionary consequences of urbanization on species. One common attribute of urbanization that differs from rural areas is the prevalence of artificial light at night (ALAN). For many species, light is one of the most important and reliable environmental cues, largely governing the timing of daily and seasonal activity patterns. Recently, it has been shown that ALAN can alter behavioral, phenological, and physiological traits in diverse taxa. For temperate insects, diapause is an essential trait for winter survival and commences in response to declining daylight hours in the fall. Diapause is under strong selection pressure in the mosquito, Aedes albopictus (Skuse); local adaptation and rapid evolution has been observed along a latitudinal cline. It is unknown how ALAN affects this photosensitive trait or if local adaptation has occurred along an urbanization gradient. Using a common garden experiment, we experimentally demonstrated that simulated ALAN reduces diapause incidence in this species by as much as 40%. There was no difference, however, between urban and rural demes. We also calculated diapause incidence from wild demes in urban areas to determine whether wild populations exhibited lower than predicted incidence compared to estimates from total nocturnal darkness. In early fall, lower than predicted diapause incidence was recorded, but all demes reached nearly 100% diapause before terminating egg laying. It is possible that nocturnal resting behavior in vegetation limits the amount of ALAN exposure this species experiences potentially limiting local adaptation.

scholarly journals Artificial light at night shifts daily activity patterns but not the internal clock in the great tit ( Parus major )

2018 ◽  
Vol 285 (1875) ◽  
pp. 20172751 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kamiel Spoelstra ◽  
Irene Verhagen ◽  
Davy Meijer ◽  
Marcel E. Visser
Keyword(s):  
Phase Shift ◽  
Daily Activity ◽  
Parus Major ◽  
Internal Clock ◽  
Circadian System ◽  
Constant Darkness ◽  
Artificial Light ◽  
Light At Night ◽  
Dim Light ◽  
Low Levels

Artificial light at night has shown a dramatic increase over the last decades and continues to increase. Light at night can have strong effects on the behaviour and physiology of species, which includes changes in the daily timing of activity; a clear example is the advance in dawn song onset in songbirds by low levels of light at night. Although such effects are often referred to as changes in circadian timing, i.e. changes to the internal clock, two alternative mechanisms are possible. First, light at night can change the timing of clock controlled activity, without any change to the clock itself; e.g. by a change in the phase relation between the circadian clock and expression of activity. Second, changes in daily activity can be a direct response to light (‘masking’), without any involvement of the circadian system. Here, we studied whether the advance in onset of activity by dim light at night in great tits ( Parus major ) is indeed attributable to a phase shift of the internal clock. We entrained birds to a normal light/dark (LD) cycle with bright light during daytime and darkness at night, and to a comparable (LDim) schedule with dim light at night. The dim light at night strongly advanced the onset of activity of the birds. After at least six days in LD or LDim, we kept birds in constant darkness (DD) by leaving off all lights so birds would revert to their endogenous, circadian system controlled timing of activity. We found that the timing of onset in DD was not dependent on whether the birds were kept at LD or LDim before the measurement. Thus, the advance of activity under light at night is caused by a direct effect of light rather than a phase shift of the internal clock. This demonstrates that birds are capable of changing their daily activity to low levels of light at night directly, without the need to alter their internal clock.

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