A flashing light may not be that flashy: A systematic review on critical fusion frequencies

Lafitte, Alix; Sordello, Romain; Legrand, M; Nicolas, Virginie; Obein, Gaël; Reyjol, Yorick

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0279718

Cited by 6 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 56 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…CFFs for insects and birds are significantly higher than for other classes, and CFFs for fish and amphibians are significantly lower than for other classes. The CFF for humans is typically in the range of [35][36][37][38][39][40], but in some cases, it extends up to 90 Hz [28]. How do these CFF ranges compare to the flicker rates in actual light sources?…”

Section: Previous Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring the Hidden World of Lighting Flicker with a High-Speed Camera

Elvidge,

Zhizhin,

Pipkin

et al. 2024

Atmosphere

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Alternating current can result in flickering—or pulsing—in the brightness of light emitted by luminaires. Lighting flicker typically occurs in the range of 100 to 140 cycles per second (Hz), which is too fast for visual perception by most organisms. However, evidence indicates that many organisms perceive flicker with non-visual photoreceptors present on the retinas. Exposure to flickering lights at night disrupts the circadian rhythm of organisms, leading to symptoms similar to blue light exposure at night. The traditional method for detecting flickering is with a flickermeter held near a single light. In this paper, we explore the use of high-speed camera data in the collection of temporal profiles for groups of luminaires simultaneously at distances ranging from several meters to several kilometers. Temporal profiles are extracted for individual lighting features and the full scene. The identification of luminaire types is based on their spectral signatures. With the camera data, it is possible to identify flickering and non-flickering lights, to determine the flicker frequency, to calculate percent flicker and the flicker index, and to identify groups of lights whose flickers are synchronized. Both flickering and non-flickering luminaires can be found for LED, metal halide, fluorescent, and compact fluorescent lights. To date, flickering has been detected in all of the incandescent, high-pressure sodium, and low-pressure sodium luminaires that we measured. We found that flicker synchronization is often present for lights installed within a single facility and also for strings of streetlights. We also found that flicker exposure can come from the light reflected off of the earth’s surface. Luminaires designed to illuminate large areas often saturate high-speed camera data collection. This saturation can be reduced or eliminated using neutral density filters on the camera. Published experimental data on the impacts of flicker on organisms remains sparse. Many studies have drawn inferences on the impacts of spectral and lighting brightness on organisms without controlling for flicker. Our conclusion is that lighting flicker is a type of light pollution. The use of high-speed camera data makes it easier to include flicker as a variable in studies regarding the impacts of lighting on organisms.

show abstract

Section: Previous Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring the Hidden World of Lighting Flicker with a High-Speed Camera

Elvidge,

Zhizhin,

Pipkin

et al. 2024

Atmosphere

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…First of all, the three primary colours of monitors have been carefully designed to recreate human-perceived colours of objects, but how they appear to species with different visual systems has not been experimentally tested. Second, a standard desktop monitor has a refresh rate of 60 Hz, which is too fast for humans to detect but appears to flash to a variety of animals that have a faster flicker fusion frequency (the rate at which a flicker becomes invisible) [ 66 , 67 ]. A honeybee would even detect the flashing screen updates of professional gaming monitors, whose refresh rates of 120–144 Hz fall below the honeybee eyes’ fusion frequency of 200 Hz [ 68 ].…”

Section: Consider New Confounds In New Set-ups: Research Animals Livi...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Through an animal’s eye: the implications of diverse sensory systems in scientific experimentation

Brebner,

Loconsole,

Hanley

et al. 2024

Proc. R. Soc. B.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

‘Accounting for the sensory abilities of animals is critical in experimental design.’ No researcher would disagree with this statement, yet it is often the case that we inadvertently fall for anthropocentric biases and use ourselves as the reference point. This paper discusses the risks of adopting an anthropocentric view when working with non-human animals, and the unintended consequences this has on our experimental designs and results. To this aim, we provide general examples of anthropocentric bias from different fields of animal research, with a particular focus on animal cognition and behaviour, and lay out the potential consequences of adopting a human-based perspective. Knowledge of the sensory abilities, both in terms of similarities to humans and peculiarities of the investigated species, is crucial to ensure solid conclusions. A more careful consideration of the diverse sensory systems of animals would improve many scientific fields and enhance animal welfare in the laboratory.

show abstract

“…By interfering with the "advertisement calls" used by male anurans during the breeding season to attract mates, pulsing lights have the potential to reduce reproductive success and recruitment in these species (Baker and Richardson 2006;Dias et al 2019). There is growing evidence to suggest that unpredictable changes in light intensity and stability (i.e., stable vs. intermittent light) can substantially alter animal behavior, but this aspect of light pollution remains understudied (Lafitte et al 2022;Pérez Vega et al 2022).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…There is growing evidence to suggest that unpredictable changes in light intensity and stability (i.e., stable vs. intermittent light) can substantially alter animal behavior, but this aspect of light pollution remains understudied (Lafitte et al. 2022; Pérez Vega et al. 2022).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of light pollution on Bluegill foraging behavior

Harrison,

Gray

2024

Trans Am Fish Soc

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Artificial light at night (ALAN) is one of the most pervasive and rapidly expanding sources of anthropogenic pollution. Aquatic ecosystems may be especially vulnerable to the effects of ALAN due to their disproportionate exposure to anthropogenic pressures. However, research on mechanisms of response to ALAN by aquatic species remains sparse. Our research investigated the extent to which ALAN influences the nocturnal feeding efficiency of Bluegill Lepomis macrochirus. Using an array of outdoor mesocosm tanks, we assigned juvenile Bluegill to five nighttime lighting treatments (control dark, 1 lux, 4 lux, 12 lux, and intermittent 12 lux). We conducted weekly nighttime feeding trials for six weeks to assess four prey capture variables, including capture efficiency (the effectiveness of prey strikes), capture rate (the number of prey items captured), strike rate (the frequency of prey strikes), and latency (time elapsed before the first prey strike). The steady lighting treatments, which were selected based on nighttime urban light intensities we previously measured in the field, had no apparent effect on any of the prey capture variables. However, flashing high intensity lights (intended to mimic the effect of passing car headlights on a busy highway) had a significant negative effect on capture rate and strike rate, thereby inhibiting the ability of fish to strike at and capture prey. Our results demonstrate the potential for light pollution (especially flashing or intermittent lights) to interfere with the foraging behavior of this ecologically and economically important sportfish.

show abstract

A flashing light may not be that flashy: A systematic review on critical fusion frequencies

Cited by 6 publications

References 56 publications

Exploring the Hidden World of Lighting Flicker with a High-Speed Camera

Exploring the Hidden World of Lighting Flicker with a High-Speed Camera

Through an animal’s eye: the implications of diverse sensory systems in scientific experimentation

Effects of light pollution on Bluegill foraging behavior

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About