Pre-migration artificial light at night advances the spring migration timing of a trans-hemispheric migratory songbird

Smith, Reyd A.; Gagné, Maryse; Fraser, Kevin C.

doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2020.116136

Cited by 20 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 53 publications

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“…At the individual level, ALAN can disrupt biological rhythm, behavior, and physiology for both migratory and resident species. Examples include adverse effects on body mass and reproductive success (Malek & Haim, 2019), disease tolerance (Kernbach et al, 2021; Malek & Haim, 2019), immunity and parasitism (Becker et al, 2020), intestinal microbiota (Jiang et al, 2020), breeding phenology (Dominoni et al, 2020; Kempenaers et al, 2010), migration phenology (Smith et al, 2021), foraging activity (Amichai & Kronfeld‐Schor, 2019), and sleeping behavior (Aulsebrook et al, 2020; Sun et al, 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seasonal associations with light pollution trends for nocturnally migrating bird populations

et al. 2022

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Artificial light at night (ALAN) is adversely affecting natural systems worldwide, including the disorienting influence of ALAN on nocturnally migrating birds. Understanding how ALAN trends are developing across species' seasonal distributions will inform mitigation efforts, such as Lights Out programs. Here, we intersect ALAN annual trend estimates with weekly estimates of relative abundance for 42 nocturnally migrating passerine bird species that breed in North America using observations from the eBird community science database for the combined period 2005-2020. We use a cluster analysis to identify species with similar weekly associations with ALAN trends. Our results identified three prominent clusters. Two contained species that occurred in northeastern and western North America during the breeding season. These species were associated with moderate ALAN levels and weak negative ALAN trends during the breeding season, and low ALAN levels and strong positive ALAN trends during the nonbreeding season. The difference between the breeding and nonbreeding seasons was lower for species that occurred in northern South America and greater for species that occurred in Central America during the nonbreeding season. For species that occurred in South America during the nonbreeding season, positive ALAN trends increased in strength as species migrated through Central America, especially in the spring. The third cluster contained species whose associations with positive ALAN trends remained high across the annual cycle, peaking during migration, especially in the spring. These species occurred in southeastern North America during the breeding season where they were associated with high ALAN levels, and in northern South America during the nonbreeding season where they were associated with low ALAN levels. Our findings suggest reversing ALAN trends in Central America during migration, especially in the spring, would benefit the most individuals of the greatest number of species. Reversing ALAN trends in southeastern North America during the breeding season and Central America during the nonbreeding season would generate the greatest benefits outside of migration.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seasonal associations with light pollution trends for nocturnally migrating bird populations

et al. 2022

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“…In addition to changes in the timing of nesting activities due to ALAN, a study by Smith et al (2021), demonstrated the advancement of spring migration departure of adult purple martins who experienced light pollution during their overwintering period. One of the reasons posed for this advance was that ALAN led to a perception of a longer day length which mimicked a later calendar date, causing earlier development of reproductive organs (Smith et al, 2021). In this study, we showed an ontogenetic effect of ALAN at breeding sites on nestlings, which resulted in later post-breeding movements.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, Riley et al (2013) found delays in the dispersal of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) fry who were exposed to ALAN. Also, Smith et al (2021) showed that adult purple martins (Progne subis) who experienced ALAN for more than 10 nights, initiated spring migration 8 days earlier than others who experienced natural darkness. This advance in timing was not compensated for during migration and birds experiencing ALAN that had left earlier also arrived at their breeding grounds 8 days earlier, suggesting the potential for mismatch between bird timing and the availability of resources in early spring.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Influence of Different Light Wavelengths of Anthropogenic Light at Night on Nestling Development and the Timing of Post-fledge Movements in a Migratory Songbird

Assadi

Fraser

2021

Front. Ecol. Evol.

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Many different aspects of an animal’s lifecycle such as its behavior, patterns of hormone activity, and internal clock time, can be affected by anthropogenic light at night (ALAN). Exposing an organism to ALAN during its early life could also have an impact on its development. Since photoperiod can trigger or schedule the migration timing of long-distance migratory birds, there is great potential for anthropogenic light to interact with photoperiod to affect timing. However, very little has been investigated regarding the impacts of ALAN on post-hatching development and migration timing. We investigated the impact of ALAN during nestling development in a long-distance migratory songbird to determine the potential impact on the timing of post-breeding movements in the wild. We experimentally manipulated the light by using programmable lighting, in the nest boxes of free-living nestlings of purple martin (Progne subis) in Manitoba, Canada. We exposed two groups of developing nestlings, from hatch to fledge date, to green or white LED lights (5 lux) during the night. We also included a control group that experienced natural, ambient light at night. We found that some adults abandoned their nests shortly after starting the experiment (4 of 15 nests in the white light treatment). For the nests that remained active, nestlings exposed to the white light treatment had higher weights (at day 20 or 22), later fledge dates (1.54 ± 0.37, 95% CI 0.80–2.28), and later colony departure date (2.84 ± 1.00, 95% CI 0.88–4.81), than young of the control group. Moreover, nestlings of both white and green light groups had longer nesting duration than nestlings of the control group. This study demonstrates the impact of ALAN on the development of post-breeding movement timing in nestlings of wild migratory birds. However, our results also indicate that green light may have less of an impact as compared to white light.

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“…Fat deposition rates of migrating birds stopping over in some, presumably light-polluted, urban parks are reportedly similar to those in more natural and presumably darker areas (Seewagen and Guglielmo 2010, 2011). On the other hand, artificial lights increase the production of testosterone in birds (Dominoni et al 2013b, Ouyang et al 2018), increased testosterone advances migratory departure in spring (Tonra et al 2011, Owen et al 2014), and ALAN-exposed birds depart and arrive earlier to their destination (Smith et al 2021). While a direct link between testosterone, ALAN, and departure dates has not been established, the potential association warrants further investigation.…”

Section: Anthropogenic Threat Typesmentioning

confidence: 99%

More than mortality: Consequences of human activity on migrating birds extend beyond direct mortality

Nemes

Cabrera‐Cruz

Anderson

et al. 2023

Ornithological Applications

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Birds must contend with an array of anthropogenic threats during their migratory journeys. Many migrants are killed due to encounters with artificial light, introduced species, pollutants, and other anthropogenic hazards, while survivors of these encounters can suffer longer-lasting negative effects. The nonlethal effects of anthropogenic threats on migrating birds are less well understood than direct mortality, yet both potentially contribute to population declines. For example, building collisions frequently kill migrating birds, but the numbers of migrants that survive with an impaired ability to fly, refuel, or navigate to their destination on time is not well understood. Though not immediately fatal, such injuries can lead to delayed mortality and, ultimately, reduced lifetime reproductive success. Furthermore, migrants are likely to encounter multiple threats on their journeys, which can interact synergistically to further reduce fitness. For instance, light pollution attracts and disorients migrants, increasing the likelihood of window strikes, and surviving birds may be more vulnerable to predation from introduced predators. While considerable attention has focused on the lethal effects of anthropogenic threats, here, we review nonlethal effects of 8 types of threats during migration, their interactions, and the pathways through which they can exert fitness costs. In doing so, we identify knowledge gaps and suggest areas for future research. In the absence of more information, we propose that the greatest reduction in the cumulative lethal and nonlethal impacts of anthropogenic hazards will be achieved by addressing threat types, like artificial light at night, that interact with and compound the impact of additional threats. Direct mortality from anthropogenic sources is recognized as a key driver of population declines, but a full understanding of the impacts of human activity on migrating birds must include the cumulative and interacting effects that extend beyond immediate mortality en route to influence overall migration success and lifetime fitness.

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Pre-migration artificial light at night advances the spring migration timing of a trans-hemispheric migratory songbird

Cited by 20 publications

References 53 publications

Seasonal associations with light pollution trends for nocturnally migrating bird populations

Seasonal associations with light pollution trends for nocturnally migrating bird populations

The Influence of Different Light Wavelengths of Anthropogenic Light at Night on Nestling Development and the Timing of Post-fledge Movements in a Migratory Songbird

More than mortality: Consequences of human activity on migrating birds extend beyond direct mortality

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