scholarly journals Moving in the Dark—Evidence for an Influence of Artificial Light at Night on the Movement Behaviour of European Hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus)

Animals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 1306
Author(s):  
Anne Berger ◽  
Briseida Lozano ◽  
Leon M. F. Barthel ◽  
Nadine Schubert
Keyword(s):  
Light Intensity ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Species Conservation ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Artificial Light ◽  
Movement Behaviour ◽  
Light At Night ◽  
Very High Frequency ◽  
Erinaceus Europaeus ◽  
The Mean

With urban areas growing worldwide comes an increase in artificial light at night (ALAN), causing a significant impact on wildlife behaviour and its ecological relationships. The effects of ALAN on nocturnal and protected European hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus) are unknown but their identification is important for sustainable species conservation and management. In a pilot study, we investigated the influence of ALAN on the natural movement behaviour of 22 hedgehogs (nine females, 13 males) in urban environments. Over the course of four years, we equipped hedgehogs at three different study locations in Berlin with biologgers to record their behaviour for several weeks. We used Global Positioning System (GPS) tags to monitor their spatial behaviour, very high-frequency (VHF) loggers to locate their nests during daytime, and accelerometers to distinguish between active and passive behaviours. We compared the mean light intensity of the locations recorded when the hedgehogs were active with the mean light intensity of simulated locations randomly distributed in the individual’s home range. We were able to show that the ALAN intensity of the hedgehogs’ habitations was significantly lower compared to the simulated values, regardless of the animal’s sex. This ALAN-related avoidance in the movement behaviour can be used for applied hedgehog conservation.

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.

Ficus retusa L. as possible indicator of air metallic pollution in urban environmentSahli Leila, Belhiouani Hadjer

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leila Sahli ◽  
Hadjer Belhiouani
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Metal Accumulation ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Traffic Load ◽  
Polluted Soils ◽  
Lead And Zinc ◽  
Metal Contents ◽  
Accumulation Index ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Metallic Pollution

Abstract The tree species differed by their capacity to capture air-borne dust and to allocate trace element from contaminated soil. The aim of this study was to explore the accumulation potential of heavy metals (HMs) by F. retusa L. and its possible use for air pollution biomonitoring in urban areas. Plant material was sampled along the national roads in Constantine city (NE-Algeria), characterized by an intense traffic load. The concentrations of cadmium, copper, lead and zinc were determined in the washed and unwashed leaves. The mean concentrations of HMs decrease in the following order: Zn > Pb > Cu > Cd for both studied leaves, and were about 0.68 and 0.98 µg/g for Cd, 7.26 and 8.74 µg/g for Cu, 20.35 and 37.61 µg/g for Pb and 63.33 µg/g and 75.94 µg/g for Zn, for washed/unwashed leaves respectively. The studied metal contents were significantly higher than those cited in the literature; this indicates the traffic road impact on HMs emissions and uptake by plants. Higher values of metal accumulation index (MAI) indicate the effectiveness of the studied species for monitoring air metallic pollution in urban areas, and its usefulness for phytoextraction of HMs from the polluted soils and/or air. Results of this study could be beneficial as preliminary reference values for HMs uptake by F. retusa in urban environments.

scholarly journals Artificial light at night amplifies seasonal relapse of haemosporidian parasites in a widespread songbird

2020 ◽  
Vol 287 (1935) ◽  
pp. 20201831 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel J. Becker ◽  
Devraj Singh ◽  
Qiuyun Pan ◽  
Jesse D. Montoure ◽  
Katherine M. Talbott ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Annual Cycle ◽  
Early Spring ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Artificial Light ◽  
Chronic Infections ◽  
Light At Night ◽  
Haemosporidian Parasite ◽  
Infection Dynamics ◽  
Additive Mixed Models

Urban habitats can shape interactions between hosts and parasites by altering not only exposure rates but also within-host processes. Artificial light at night (ALAN) is common in urban environments, and chronic exposure can impair host immunity in ways that may increase infection. However, studies of causal links between this stressor, immunity, and infection dynamics are rare, particularly in migratory animals. Here, we experimentally tested how ALAN affects cellular immunity and haemosporidian parasite intensity across the annual cycle of migrant and resident subspecies of the dark-eyed junco ( Junco hyemalis ). We monitored an experimental group exposed to light at night and a control group under natural light/dark cycles as they passed through short days simulating early spring to longer days simulating the breeding season, followed by autumn migration. Using generalized additive mixed models, we show that ALAN increased inflammation, and leucocyte counts were greatest in early spring and autumn. At the start of the experiment, few birds had active infections based on microscopy, but PCR revealed many birds had chronic infections. ALAN increased parasitaemia across the annual cycle, with strong peaks in spring and autumn that were largely absent in control birds. As birds were kept in indoor aviaries to prevent vector exposure, this increased parasitaemia indicates relapse of chronic infection during costly life-history stages (i.e. reproduction). Although the immunological and parasitological time series were in phase for control birds, cross-correlation analyses also revealed ALAN desynchronized leucocyte profiles and parasitaemia, which could suggest a general exaggerated inflammatory response. Our study shows how a common anthropogenic influence can shape within-host processes to affect infection dynamics.

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

2018 ◽  
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.

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

2018 ◽  
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.

scholarly journals Artificial Light at Night (ALAN) Is the Main Driver of Nocturnal Feral Pigeon (Columba livia f. domestica) Foraging in Urban Areas

Animals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 554
Author(s):  
Lucas M. Leveau
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Columba Livia ◽  
Common Species ◽  
Artificial Light ◽  
Feral Pigeon ◽  
Nocturnal Activity ◽  
Light At Night ◽  
Urban Centers ◽  
Main Driver ◽  
Nocturnal Foraging

Artificial light at night (ALAN) is one of the most extreme environmental alterations in urban areas, which drives nocturnal activity in diurnal species. Feral Pigeon (Columba livia f. domestica), a common species in urban centers worldwide, has been observed foraging at night in urban areas. However, the role of ALAN in the nocturnal activity of this species is unknown. Moreover, studies addressing the relationship between ALAN and nocturnal activity of diurnal birds are scarce in the Southern Hemisphere. The objective of this study is to assess the environmental factors associated with nocturnal activity of the Feral Pigeon in Argentinian cities. Environmental conditions were compared between sites where pigeons were seen foraging and randomly selected sites where pigeons were not recorded foraging. Nocturnal foraging by the Feral Pigeon was recorded in three of four surveyed cities. ALAN was positively related to nocturnal foraging activity in Salta and Buenos Aires. The results obtained suggest that urbanization would promote nocturnal activity in Feral Pigeons. Moreover, nocturnal activity was mainly driven by ALAN, which probably alters the circadian rhythm of pigeons.

scholarly journals Changes in nocturnal insect communities in forest-dominated landscape relevant to artificial light intensity

2021 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lee Hakbong ◽  
Cho Yong-Chan ◽  
Jung Sang-Woo ◽  
Kim Yoon-Ho ◽  
Lee Seung-Gyu
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Community Structure ◽  
Light Intensity ◽  
Biosphere Reserve ◽  
Mean Annual Temperature ◽  
Insect Diversity ◽  
Artificial Light ◽  
Insect Community ◽  
Light At Night ◽  
Urban Sites

Abstract Background Artificial light at night has recently been identified as a major factor adversely affecting global insect diversity. Here, we compared the insect diversity in Gwangneung Forest Biosphere Reserve, specifically in the Korea National Arboretum (with no artificial light at night), with that of three nearby urban sites with a gradient of artificial light at night (five locations at each site). We analyzed the effects of the artificial night lighting index, mean annual temperature, and field light intensity (lux) at night on the insect community structure. Results The urban sites generally exhibited higher species richness and abundance as well as clear indicator species compared with the control site. The size distribution of the collected insects markedly differed between the control and the three urban sites. The abundance of herbivorous and omnivorous insects increased and decreased, respectively, with the increase in light intensity. Species richness of herbivorous and omnivorous insects was likely correlated with the field light intensity at night and artificial night lighting index, respectively. Conclusions This study demonstrates the association between nighttime environment and marked changes in insect community structure and revealed consequent transition of ecosystem services by changes in trophic group composition.

Individual-based measurements of light intensity provide new insights into the effects of artificial light at night on daily rhythms of urban-dwelling songbirds

2013 ◽  
Vol 83 (3) ◽  
pp. 681-692 ◽  
Author(s):  
Davide M. Dominoni ◽  
Esther O. Carmona-Wagner ◽  
Michaela Hofmann ◽  
Bart Kranstauber ◽  
Jesko Partecke
Keyword(s):  
Light Intensity ◽  
Artificial Light ◽  
Daily Rhythms ◽  
Light At Night

scholarly journals Guided by the light: Roost choice and behaviour of urban Rainbow Lorikeets (Trichoglossus haematodus)

2016 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 72-80 ◽  
Author(s):  
Savannah Daoud-Opit ◽  
Darryl N. Jones
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Artificial Light ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Rainbow Lorikeet ◽  
Individual Trees ◽  
Selection Of

Abstract 1. The formation of large communal roosts is a conspicuous phenomenon associated with a wide range of bird species successfully exploiting urban environments. In many Australian cities, the abundance of the Rainbow Lorikeet (Trichoglossus haematodus), a native parrot, has increased markedly in recent decades, with the species roosting in very large numbers within suburban sites. These roosting locations are noisy and cause significant fouling of the land beneath, resulting in conflict with humans. 2. We investigated the selection of roosting sites in this species in Brisbane, Australia, by comparing characteristics of both the general sites of these roosts as well as individual trees used within roosting sites and trees that were avoided. 3. Lorikeets used a wide variety of tree types for roosting but demonstrated a clear preference for clumped trees within sparsely treed areas that received significantly more artificial light at night than otherwise suitable sites and trees nearby. 4. These features of roosting sites may enhance the detection of nocturnal predators by Rainbow Lorikeets, suggesting a potential positive impact of anthropogenic lighting. Our findings provide valuable insights into the management of roost-related conflicts in urban areas. We encourage further investigations into the possible benefits of artificial light.

scholarly journals Delineating Functional Urban Areas Using a Multi-Step Analysis of Artificial Light-at-Night Data

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (18) ◽  
pp. 3714
Author(s):  
Nataliya Rybnikova ◽  
Boris A. Portnov ◽  
Igal Charney ◽  
Sviatoslav Rybnikov
Keyword(s):  
Population Density ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Census Data ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Artificial Light ◽  
Light At Night ◽  
Commuting Flows ◽  
Novel Approach ◽  
City Population

A functional urban area (FUA) is a geographic entity that consists of a densely inhabited city and a less densely populated commuting zone, both highly integrated through labor markets. The delineation of FUAs is important for comparative urban studies and it is commonly performed using census data and data on commuting flows. However, at the national scale, censuses and commuting surveys are performed at low frequency, and, on the global scale, consistent and comparable data are difficult to obtain overall. In this paper, we suggest and test a novel approach based on artificial light at night (ALAN) satellite data to delineate FUAs. As ALAN is emitted by illumination of thoroughfare roads, frequented by commuters, and by buildings surrounding roads, ALAN data can be used, as we hypothesize, for the identification of FUAs. However, as individual FUAs differ by their ALAN emissions, different ALAN thresholds are needed to delineate different FUAs, even those in the same country. To determine such differential thresholds, we use a multi-step approach. First, we analyze the ALAN flux distribution and determine the most frequent ALAN value observed in each FUA. Next, we adjust this value for the FUA’s compactness, and run regressions, in which the estimated ALAN threshold is the dependent variable. In these models, we use several readily available, or easy-to-calculate, characteristics of FUA cores, such as latitude, proximity to the nearest major city, population density, and population density gradient, as predictors. At the next step, we use the estimated models to define optimal ALAN thresholds for individual FUAs, and then compare the boundaries of FUAs, estimated by modelling, with commuting-based delineations. To measure the degree of correspondence between the commuting-based and model-predicted FUAs’ boundaries, we use the Jaccard index, which compares the size of the intersection with the size of the union of each pair of delineations. We apply the proposed approach to two European countries—France and Spain—which host 82 and 72 FUAs, respectively. As our analysis shows, ALAN thresholds, estimated by modelling, fit FUAs’ commuting boundaries with an accuracy of up to 75–100%, being, on the average, higher for large and densely-populated FUAs, than for small, low-density ones. We validate the estimated models by applying them to another European country—Austria—which demonstrates the prediction accuracy of 47–57%, depending on the model type used.

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