Artificial Light Increases Local Predator Abundance, Predation Rates, and Herbivory

McMunn, Marshall; Yang, Louie H.; Ansalmo, Amy; Bucknam, Keatyn; Claret, Miles; Clay, Cameron; Cox, Kyle; Dungey, Darian R; Jones, Asia; Kim, Ashley Y.; Kubacki, Robert; Le, Rachel J.; Martinez, Deniss; Reynolds, B.; Schroder, John; Wood, Emily

doi:10.1093/ee/nvz103

Cited by 29 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 49 publications

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“…The abundance of predatory invertebrates can be intensified around outdoor lighting (Davies et al ., 2012; Mcmunn et al ., 2019). Certain spiders preferentially construct webs near light sources (Heiling, 1999), while some diurnal species of jumping spider utilise the ‘night light niche’ by hunting by lamps at night (Frank, 2009).…”

Section: Indirect Effects Of Artificial Light At Night On Mothsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Is light pollution driving moth population declines? A review of causal mechanisms across the life cycle

Boyes

Evans

Fox

et al. 2020

Insect Conserv Diversity

109

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The night‐time environment is increasingly being lit, often by broad‐spectrum lighting, and there is growing evidence that artificial light at night (ALAN) has consequences for ecosystems, potentially contributing to declines in insect populations. Moths are species‐rich, sensitive to ALAN, and have undergone declines in Europe, making them the ideal group for investigating the impacts of light pollution on nocturnal insects more broadly. Here, we take a life cycle approach to review the impacts of ALAN on moths, drawing on a range of disciplines including ecology, physiology, and applied entomology. We find evidence of diverse impacts across most life stages and key behaviours. Many studies have examined flight‐to‐light behaviour in adults and our meta‐analysis found that mercury vapour, metal halide, and compact fluorescent bulbs induce this more than LED and sodium lamps. However, we found that ALAN can also disrupt reproduction, larval development, and pupal diapause, with likely negative impacts on individual fitness, and that moths can be indirectly affected via hostplants and predators. These findings indicate that ALAN could also affect day‐flying insects through impacts on earlier life stages. Overall, we found strong evidence for effects of artificial light on moth behaviour and physiology, but little rigorous, direct evidence that this scales up to impacts on populations. Crucially, there is a need to determine the potential contribution of ALAN to insect declines, relative to other drivers of change. In the meantime, we recommend precautionary strategies to mitigate possible negative effects of ALAN on insect populations.

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Section: Indirect Effects Of Artificial Light At Night On Mothsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Is light pollution driving moth population declines? A review of causal mechanisms across the life cycle

Boyes

Evans

Fox

et al. 2020

Insect Conserv Diversity

109

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Further, artificial light at night can directly (by decreasing larvae weight) and indirectly (by increasing host plant leaf toughness) decrease herbivores performance 16 . On the other hand, also an increase in herbivory under artificial light at night has been found 17 . Thus, the reduced and increased number of diurnal plant-pollinator interactions might be due to changed herbivory at night.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

“…To date, most research on the impact of artificial light at night on species interactions has focused on altered foraging strategies of night-active predators, in particular birds 9 , bats [10][11][12][13] , and spiders 14 . More recently also plant-herbivore interactions have been found to be altered by artificial light at night [15][16][17] , which can even be most pronounced in dark areas adjacent to artificially illuminated areas 18 . Further, artificial light at night has been shown to disrupt nocturnal plant-pollinator interactions 19,20 , with negative consequences for plant reproductive output 19 .…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of artificial light at night on diurnal plant-pollinator interactions

2021

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Artificial light at night has rapidly spread around the globe over the last decades. Evidence is increasing that it has adverse effects on the behavior, physiology, and survival of animals and plants with consequences for species interactions and ecosystem functioning. For example, artificial light at night disrupts plant-pollinator interactions at night and this can have consequences for the plant reproductive output. By experimentally illuminating natural plant-pollinator communities during the night using commercial street-lamps we tested whether light at night can also change interactions of a plant-pollinator community during daytime. Here we show that artificial light at night can alter diurnal plant-pollinator interactions, but the direction of the change depends on the plant species. We conclude that the effect of artificial light at night on plant-pollinator interactions is not limited to the night, but can also propagate to the daytime with so far unknown consequences for the pollinator community and the diurnal pollination function and services they provide.

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“…For example, polarized light from roads can derail the flights of aquatic insects navigating along rivers and creeks [78]. Artificial light at night affects several aspects of insect behavior, including development, movement, predation and herbivory [79,80], and may be an important overlooked contributor to insect population declines [80]. Changes in temperature can also directly affect the emission and perception of chemically mediated signals in insects [81,82], and many acoustic signals involved in insect courtship and mating are thermally sensitive as well [42].…”

Section: Effects On Behaviormentioning

confidence: 99%