Effects of artificial light at night on fishes: A synthesis with future research priorities

The prevalence of artificial light at night (ALAN) is increasing rapidly around the world. The potential physiological costs of this night lighting are often evident in life history shifts. We investigated the effects of chronic night-time exposure to ecologically relevant levels of LED lighting on the life history traits of the nocturnal Australian garden orb-web spider (Eriophora biapicata). We reared spiders under a 12-hour day and either a 12-hour natural darkness (~0 lux) or a 12-hour dim light (~20 lux) night and assessed juvenile development, growth and mortality, and adult reproductive success and survival. We found that exposure to ALAN accelerated juvenile development, resulting in spiders progressing through fewer moults, and maturing earlier and at a smaller size. There was a significant increase in daily juvenile mortality for spiders reared under 20 lux, but the earlier maturation resulted in a comparable number of 0 lux and 20 lux spiders reaching maturity. Exposure to ALAN also considerably reduced the number of eggs produced by females, largely associated with ALAN-induced reductions in body size. Despite previous observations of increased fitness for some orb-weavers in urban areas and near night lighting, it appears that exposure to artificial night lighting may lead to considerable developmental costs. Future research will need to consider the detrimental effects of ALAN combined with foraging benefits when studying nocturnal insectivores that forage around artificial lights.

Download Full-text

Artificial light at night alters life history in a nocturnal orb-web spider

10.7287/peerj.preprints.26943v1 ◽

2018 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Nikolas J Willmott ◽

Jessica Henneken ◽

Caitlin J Selleck ◽

Therésa M Jones

Keyword(s):

Life History ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Future Research ◽

Artificial Light ◽

Light At Night ◽

Night Time ◽

Juvenile Mortality ◽

Web Spider ◽

Orb Web ◽

Juvenile Development

The prevalence of artificial light at night (ALAN) is increasing rapidly around the world. The potential physiological costs of this night lighting are often evident in life history shifts. We investigated the effects of chronic night-time exposure to ecologically relevant levels of LED lighting on the life history traits of the nocturnal Australian garden orb-web spider (Eriophora biapicata). We reared spiders under a 12-hour day and either a 12-hour natural darkness (~0 lux) or a 12-hour dim light (~20 lux) night and assessed juvenile development, growth and mortality, and adult reproductive success and survival. We found that exposure to ALAN accelerated juvenile development, resulting in spiders progressing through fewer moults, and maturing earlier and at a smaller size. There was a significant increase in daily juvenile mortality for spiders reared under 20 lux, but the earlier maturation resulted in a comparable number of 0 lux and 20 lux spiders reaching maturity. Exposure to ALAN also considerably reduced the number of eggs produced by females, largely associated with ALAN-induced reductions in body size. Despite previous observations of increased fitness for some orb-weavers in urban areas and near night lighting, it appears that exposure to artificial night lighting may lead to considerable developmental costs. Future research will need to consider the detrimental effects of ALAN combined with foraging benefits when studying nocturnal insectivores that forage around artificial lights.

Download Full-text

Artificial light at night alters life history in a nocturnal orb-web spider

PeerJ ◽

10.7717/peerj.5599 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 6 ◽

pp. e5599 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Nikolas J. Willmott ◽

Jessica Henneken ◽

Caitlin J. Selleck ◽

Therésa M. Jones

Keyword(s):

Life History ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Future Research ◽

Artificial Light ◽

Light At Night ◽

Night Time ◽

Juvenile Mortality ◽

Web Spider ◽

Orb Web ◽

Juvenile Development

The prevalence of artificial light at night (ALAN) is increasing rapidly around the world. The potential physiological costs of this night lighting are often evident in life history shifts. We investigated the effects of chronic night-time exposure to ecologically relevant levels of LED lighting on the life history traits of the nocturnal Australian garden orb-web spider (Eriophora biapicata). We reared spiders under a 12-h day and either a 12-h natural darkness (∼0 lux) or a 12-h dim light (∼20 lux) night and assessed juvenile development, growth and mortality, and adult reproductive success and survival. We found that exposure to ALAN accelerated juvenile development, resulting in spiders progressing through fewer moults, and maturing earlier and at a smaller size. There was a significant increase in daily juvenile mortality for spiders reared under 20 lux, but the earlier maturation resulted in a comparable number of 0 lux and 20 lux spiders reaching maturity. Exposure to ALAN also considerably reduced the number of eggs produced by females, and this was largely associated with ALAN-induced reductions in body size. Despite previous observations of increased fitness for some orb-web spiders in urban areas and near night lighting, it appears that exposure to artificial night lighting may lead to considerable developmental costs. Future research will need to consider the detrimental effects of ALAN combined with foraging benefits when studying nocturnal insectivores that forage around artificial lights.

Download Full-text

MEASURES FOR REDUCING THE ADVERSE EFFECTS OF ARTIFICIAL LIGHT AT NIGHT: INTER-DISCIPLINARY DEVELOPMENT AND PROGRESS

10.25039/x48.2021.ip03 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

A.K. Jägerbrand ◽

C.A. Bouroussis

Keyword(s):

Adverse Effects ◽

Sustainable Use ◽

Lighting Design ◽

Outdoor Environment ◽

Future Research ◽

Artificial Light ◽

Sensitive Species ◽

Light At Night ◽

Research Questions ◽

High Level

The use of artificial light at night in the outdoor environment may introduce negative and unwanted side-effects such as light pollution and unwanted impacts on humans, ecosystems and biodiversity. Therefore, appropriate measures for reducing the adverse effects of artificial light at night are important to establish a sustainable use of outdoor lighting. This paper presents an updated overview and a state-of-the-art of available and effective measures for reducing artificial light at night, which range from strategical and high-level recommendations to more practical and applicable lighting design recommendations and principles. Another aim is to identify prioritized future research questions and areas that will enhance progress within the area. We present the current recommendations into three groups: (I) recommendations for legislation at the national or international levels, (II) recommendations for technical and practical adaptations of the lighting design and (III) recommendations for sensitive species, taxa, areas or ecosystems.

Download Full-text

Current Postvention Research and Priorities for the Future

Crisis ◽

10.1027/0227-5910/a000459 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 38 (3) ◽

pp. 202-206 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Karl Andriessen ◽

Dolores Angela Castelli Dransart ◽

Julie Cerel ◽

Myfanwy Maple

Keyword(s):

Social Life ◽

Online Survey ◽

Research Priorities ◽

Future Research ◽

Physical And Mental Health ◽

Intercultural Collaboration ◽

The Social ◽

The Future ◽

Suicide Bereavement ◽

Ethical Approval

Abstract. Background: Suicide can have a lasting impact on the social life as well as the physical and mental health of the bereaved. Targeted research is needed to better understand the nature of suicide bereavement and the effectiveness of support. Aims: To take stock of ongoing studies, and to inquire about future research priorities regarding suicide bereavement and postvention. Method: In March 2015, an online survey was widely disseminated in the suicidology community. Results: The questionnaire was accessed 77 times, and 22 records were included in the analysis. The respondents provided valuable information regarding current research projects and recommendations for the future. Limitations: Bearing in mind the modest number of replies, all from respondents in Westernized countries, it is not known how representative the findings are. Conclusion: The survey generated three strategies for future postvention research: increase intercultural collaboration, increase theory-driven research, and build bonds between research and practice. Future surveys should include experiences with obtaining research grants and ethical approval for postvention studies.

Download Full-text

The physical environment

10.1093/oso/9780198827238.003.0003 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Philip James

Keyword(s):

Physical Environment ◽

Urban Climate ◽

Urban Environments ◽

Artificial Light ◽

Noise Levels ◽

Light At Night ◽

High Noise ◽

P Elements ◽

Micro Organisms ◽

Diversity Of Life

Elements of the physical aspects of urban environments determine which micro-organisms, plants, and animals live in urban environments. In this chapter, climate, air, water, soil, noise, and light are discussed. Urban environments are affected by the climate of the region in which they are located, and in turn and create their own, distinctive urban climate. Air, water, and soil are all affected by urbanization. Pollution of these elements is common. High noise levels and artificial light at night (ALAN—a new phenomenon) are both strongly associated with urban environments. Details of both are discussed. The discussion in this chapter provides a foundation for further exploration of the diversity of life in urban environments and for later exploration of how organisms adapt to urban living, which will be discussed in Parts II and III.

Download Full-text

Applied sport science and medicine of women’s rugby codes: a systematic-scoping review and consensus on future research priorities protocol

BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine ◽

10.1136/bmjsem-2021-001108 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 7 (3) ◽

pp. e001108

Author(s):

Omar Heyward ◽

Stacey Emmonds ◽

Gregory Roe ◽

Sean Scantlebury ◽

Keith Stokes ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Scoping Review ◽

Research Priorities ◽

Consensus Method ◽

Future Research ◽

Delphi Consensus ◽

Medicine Research ◽

Sport Science ◽

Priority Areas ◽

Wide Range ◽

Scoping Reviews

Women’s rugby (rugby league, rugby union and rugby sevens) has recently grown in participation and professionalisation. There is under-representation of women-only cohorts within applied sport science and medicine research and within the women’s rugby evidence base. The aims of this article are: Part 1: to undertake a systematic-scoping review of the applied sport science and medicine of women’s rugby, and Part 2: to develop a consensus statement on future research priorities. This article will be designed in two parts: Part 1: a systematic-scoping review, and Part 2: a three-round Delphi consensus method. For Part 1, systematic searches of three electronic databases (PubMed (MEDLINE), Scopus, SPORTDiscus (EBSCOhost)) will be performed from the earliest record. These databases will be searched to identify any sport science and medicine themed studies within women’s rugby. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses extension for Scoping Reviews will be adhered to. Part 2 involves a three-round Delphi consensus method to identify future research priorities. Identified experts in women’s rugby will be provided with overall findings from Part 1 to inform decision-making. Participants will then be asked to provide a list of research priority areas. Over the three rounds, priority areas achieving consensus (≥70% agreement) will be identified. This study has received institutional ethical approval. When complete, the manuscript will be submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal. The findings of this article will have relevance for a wide range of stakeholders in women’s rugby, including policymakers and governing bodies.

Download Full-text