scholarly journals Artificial Light at Night Alters the Physiology and Behavior of Western Mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis)

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Krystie A. Miner ◽  
Mar Huertas ◽  
Andrea S. Aspbury ◽  
Caitlin R. Gabor
Keyword(s):  
Gambusia Affinis ◽  
Artificial Light ◽  
Light Cycle ◽  
Light At Night ◽  
Glucose Levels ◽  
Freshwater Organisms ◽  
Tolerant Species ◽  
Laboratory Component ◽  
Livebearing Fish ◽  
Anthropogenic Pollutant

Human population growth and its associated effects on the environment contribute to the rapid decrease of biodiversity worldwide. Artificial light at night (ALAN) is an anthropogenic pollutant that is increasing with the spread of urbanization and may contribute to biodiversity declines. ALAN alters the migration patterns of birds, communication in frogs, and impacts reproduction, behavior, and physiology of multiple other taxa. However, most of the studies on ALAN are based on terrestrial systems, and overall, the effects of ALAN on freshwater organisms are poorly understood. We investigated how ALAN affects the physiology, behavior, and reproduction of a widespread, tolerant species of freshwater fish. Gambusia affinis are small livebearing fish often found in urban streams. We exposed groups of female G. affinis to either a natural light cycle or a constant 24-h light cycle (ALAN) in the laboratory for 60 days. In another experiment, we exposed female G. affinis to the same treatments in outdoor mesocosms for 32 days. We found that exposure to ALAN lowered glucose levels in the brain and decreased swimming activity, but had no effect on cortisol release rates, reproduction, survival, or growth. This research is strengthened by measuring multiple metrics in response to ALAN and by incorporating both a field and laboratory component which confirm similar results. These results suggest that this tolerant species of fish may behaviorally adjust to ALAN rather than modulate their endocrine stress response.

scholarly journals Effect of artificial light at night on sleep and metabolism in weaver birds

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
ANUPAMA YADAV ◽  
RAJ KUMAR ◽  
JYOTI TIWARI ◽  
VAIBHAV VAISH ◽  
SHALIE MALIK ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plasma Corticosterone ◽  
Acute Exposure ◽  
Plasma Metabolites ◽  
Past Century ◽  
Artificial Light ◽  
Behavioral Alterations ◽  
Light At Night ◽  
Glucose Levels ◽  
Acute And Chronic Exposure ◽  
The Impact

Artificial light at night is constantly minimizing the span of dark nights' from the natural light-dark cycle of earth. Over the past century, the 'lightscape' of earth has completely changed owing to technological advancements which subsequently changed the lifestyle of human as well as nearby animal species. This motivated the present study, wherein we investigated the impact of light light at night (LAN) on behavior and physiology of a diurnal passerine finch,baya weaver (Ploceus philippinus). A group of bird (N=10) exposed to 12L:12D photoperiod was initially subjected to dark nights (0 lux) for a period of 10 days followed by 5 lux; night light for a span of 4 weeks. First week in LAN served as acute treatment with respect to fourth week (chronic). Acute exposure had more pronounced impact on the behavioral and physiological observations when compared with chronic treatment. The results reveal significant increase in nighttime activity, sleep loss, significant inclusion of drowsiness behavior during the day in response to LAN. Besides these behavioral alterations, changes in physiological parameters such as; reduction in body mass, loss of gradient between pre and post-prandial blood glucose levels, elevation in plasma corticosterone levels were more prominent during acute exposure of LAN. Plasma metabolites such as triglycerides, total protein, SGOT and creatinine concentrations also hiked in response to LAN treatment. Thus, the study broadly enumerates the impact of acute and chronic exposure of LAN on behavior and physiology of birds.

scholarly journals Long-term exposure to artificial light at night in the wild decreases survival and growth of a coral reef fish

2021 ◽  
Vol 288 (1952) ◽  
pp. 20210454
Author(s):  
Jules Schligler ◽  
Daphne Cortese ◽  
Ricardo Beldade ◽  
Stephen E. Swearer ◽  
Suzanne C. Mills
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
French Polynesia ◽  
Artificial Light ◽  
Light At Night ◽  
Artificial Lighting ◽  
Realistic Situation ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Survival And Growth ◽  
Anthropogenic Pollutant

Artificial light at night (ALAN) is an increasing anthropogenic pollutant, closely associated with human population density, and now well recognized in both terrestrial and aquatic environments. However, we have a relatively poor understanding of the effects of ALAN in the marine realm. Here, we carried out a field experiment in the coral reef lagoon of Moorea, French Polynesia, to investigate the effects of long-term exposure (18–23 months) to chronic light pollution at night on the survival and growth of wild juvenile orange-fin anemonefish, Amphiprion chrysopterus . Long-term exposure to environmentally relevant underwater illuminance (mean: 4.3 lux), reduced survival (mean: 36%) and growth (mean: 44%) of juvenile anemonefish compared to that of juveniles exposed to natural moonlight underwater (mean: 0.03 lux). Our study carried out in an ecologically realistic situation in which the direct effects of artificial lighting on juvenile anemonefish are combined with the indirect consequences of artificial lighting on other species, such as their competitors, predators, and prey, revealed the negative impacts of ALAN on life-history traits. Not only are there immediate impacts of ALAN on mortality, but the decreased growth of surviving individuals may also have considerable fitness consequences later in life. Future studies examining the mechanisms behind these findings are vital to understand how organisms can cope and survive in nature under this globally increasing pollutant.

The physical environment

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.

scholarly journals Outdoor artificial light at night: A forgotten factor in green space and health research

2021 ◽  
Vol 197 ◽  
pp. 111012
Author(s):  
Jessica Stanhope ◽  
Craig Liddicoat ◽  
Philip Weinstein
Keyword(s):  
Health Research ◽  
Green Space ◽  
Artificial Light ◽  
Light At Night

scholarly journals 111 Artificial Light-Triggered Sleep Deprivation May Lead to Allodynia in Rodent Model

SLEEP ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 44 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. A45-A46
Author(s):  
Skyler Kanegi ◽  
Armen Akopian
Keyword(s):  
Sleep Deprivation ◽  
Light Exposure ◽  
Light Stimulus ◽  
Continuous Light ◽  
Artificial Light ◽  
Light Cycle ◽  
Tissue Samples ◽  
Mechanical Threshold ◽  
Dim Light ◽  
Von Frey Filaments

Abstract Introduction The combination of artificial light and lack of exposure to natural light can delay the circadian clock, dysregulate the circadian cycle, and decrease alertness upon waking. This effect has been especially significant during the COVID-19 pandemic, where overexposure to artificial light at improper hours has contributed to increased rates of clinical insomnia. Artificial light may also contribute to concomitant neurological conditions such as primary headache, but the mechanisms by which light triggers sleep deprivation-induced headache are not well-understood. Methods To measure pain sensitivity, we habituated 13 wild-type male mice to von Frey filaments applied to the periorbital area until there was no response to 0.6g stimulus. We then applied 5 lux of continuous dim light to mice during their usual 12-hour dark cycle. The 12-hour light cycle remained unchanged with 200 lux continuous light. Three groups of mice experienced the dim light stimulus for one, three, or five consecutive days. Ambulation and rest activity were measured using SOF-812 Activity Monitor machines. After the experiment concluded, we waited 24 hours and measured mechanical threshold using von Frey filaments at 1, 3, 5, 8, and every 3 days subsequently until mice no longer responded to 0.6g stimulus. Results Artificial light triggered changes in circadian behavior including increased number of rest periods during 12-hour dark (dim light) cycle and shortened sleep duration during 12-hour light cycle. Following the artificial light stimulus, there was a significant decrease in mechanical threshold (P<0.05), representing allodynia. The one-day group displayed one day of significant allodynia. The three-day group displayed three days of significant allodynia. The five-day group displayed five days of significant allodynia. Conclusion Artificial light may trigger circadian dysregulation, and the duration of artificial light exposure seemed to be directly correlated to the duration of allodynia up to one week after the stimulus was removed. We will repeat these experiments and analyze CNS and PNS tissue samples to understand the underlying physiological and biochemical bases of how artificial light triggers sleep deprivation-induced headache. This knowledge could increase our understanding of the pathophysiology and comorbidity of sleep deprivation and headache. Support (if any) Funding was received from the National Institute of Health (NS104200).

Associations between artificial light at night and risk for thyroid cancer: A large US cohort study

Cancer ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dong Zhang ◽  
Rena R. Jones ◽  
Peter James ◽  
Cari M. Kitahara ◽  
Qian Xiao
Keyword(s):  
Cohort Study ◽  
Thyroid Cancer ◽  
Artificial Light ◽  
Light At Night
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