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Fonvielle J, Thuile Bistarelli L, Tao Y, Woodhouse JN, Shatwell T, Villalba LA, Berger SA, Kyba CCM, Nejstgaard JC, Jechow A, Kupprat F, Stephan S, Walles TJW, Wollrab S, Hölker F, Dittmar T, Gessner MO, Singer GA, Grossart HP. Skyglow increases cyanobacteria abundance and organic matter cycling in lakes. WATER RESEARCH 2025; 278:123315. [PMID: 40049093 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2025.123315] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2024] [Revised: 12/30/2024] [Accepted: 02/17/2025] [Indexed: 04/14/2025]
Abstract
Artificial light propagating towards the night sky can be scattered back to Earth and reach ecosystems tens of kilometres away from the original light source. This phenomenon is known as artificial skyglow. Its consequences on freshwaters are largely unknown. In a large-scale lake enclosure experiment, we found that skyglow at levels of 0.06 and 6 lux increased the abundance of anoxygenic aerobic phototrophs and cyanobacteria by 32 (±22) times. An ecosystem metabolome analysis revealed that skyglow increased the production of algal-derived metabolites, which appeared to stimulate heterotrophic activities as well. Furthermore, we found evidence that skyglow decreased the number of bacteria-bacteria interactions. Effects of skyglow were more pronounced at night, suggesting that responses to skyglow can occur on short time scales. Overall, our results call for considering skyglow as a reality of increasing importance for microbial communities and carbon cycling in lake ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeremy Fonvielle
- Department of Plankton and Microbial Ecology, Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB), Stechlin, Germany; Institute of Biochemistry and Biology, Potsdam University, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Lukas Thuile Bistarelli
- Department of Community and Ecosystem Ecology, Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology, and Inland Fisheries (IGB), Berlin, Germany; Department of Ecology, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Yile Tao
- Department of Plankton and Microbial Ecology, Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB), Stechlin, Germany
| | - Jason N Woodhouse
- Department of Plankton and Microbial Ecology, Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB), Stechlin, Germany
| | - Tom Shatwell
- Department of Community and Ecosystem Ecology, Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology, and Inland Fisheries (IGB), Berlin, Germany; Department of Lake Research, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Luis A Villalba
- Department of Plankton and Microbial Ecology, Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB), Stechlin, Germany; Institute of Biochemistry and Biology, Potsdam University, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Stella A Berger
- Department of Plankton and Microbial Ecology, Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB), Stechlin, Germany; Berlin-Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research (BBIB), Berlin, Germany
| | - Christopher C M Kyba
- Department of Community and Ecosystem Ecology, Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology, and Inland Fisheries (IGB), Berlin, Germany; Remote Sensing and Geoinformatics Section, GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Potsdam, Germany; Institute of Geography, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Jens C Nejstgaard
- Department of Plankton and Microbial Ecology, Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB), Stechlin, Germany; Berlin-Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research (BBIB), Berlin, Germany
| | - Andreas Jechow
- Department of Plankton and Microbial Ecology, Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB), Stechlin, Germany; Department of Community and Ecosystem Ecology, Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology, and Inland Fisheries (IGB), Berlin, Germany; Remote Sensing and Geoinformatics Section, GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Franziska Kupprat
- Department of Community and Ecosystem Ecology, Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology, and Inland Fisheries (IGB), Berlin, Germany
| | - Susanne Stephan
- Department of Plankton and Microbial Ecology, Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB), Stechlin, Germany; Department of Ecology, Berlin Institute of Technology (TU Berlin), Berlin, Germany
| | - Tim J W Walles
- Department of Plankton and Microbial Ecology, Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB), Stechlin, Germany; Berlin-Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research (BBIB), Berlin, Germany; Department of Ecology, Berlin Institute of Technology (TU Berlin), Berlin, Germany
| | - Sabine Wollrab
- Department of Plankton and Microbial Ecology, Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB), Stechlin, Germany; Berlin-Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research (BBIB), Berlin, Germany
| | - Franz Hölker
- Department of Community and Ecosystem Ecology, Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology, and Inland Fisheries (IGB), Berlin, Germany; Institute of Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Thorsten Dittmar
- Institute for Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment, Carl von Ossietzky University, Oldenburg, Germany; Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity, Carl von Ossietzky University, Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Mark O Gessner
- Department of Plankton and Microbial Ecology, Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB), Stechlin, Germany; Berlin-Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research (BBIB), Berlin, Germany; Department of Ecology, Berlin Institute of Technology (TU Berlin), Berlin, Germany
| | - Gabriel A Singer
- Department of Community and Ecosystem Ecology, Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology, and Inland Fisheries (IGB), Berlin, Germany; Department of Ecology, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria.
| | - Hans-Peter Grossart
- Department of Plankton and Microbial Ecology, Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB), Stechlin, Germany; Institute of Biochemistry and Biology, Potsdam University, Potsdam, Germany; Berlin-Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research (BBIB), Berlin, Germany.
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van Rees CB, Geist J, Arthington AH. Grasping at water: a gap-oriented approach to bridging shortfalls in freshwater biodiversity conservation. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2025. [PMID: 40328259 DOI: 10.1111/brv.70030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2024] [Revised: 04/11/2025] [Accepted: 04/23/2025] [Indexed: 05/08/2025]
Abstract
Freshwater biodiversity is the fastest declining part of the global biota, threatened by multiple stressors including habitat loss and fragmentation, climate change, invasive species, water pollution, and abstraction by humans. A multitude of recent agenda-setting publications have pointed out key objectives and goals for addressing this freshwater biodiversity crisis, but important gaps must be overcome to reach ambitious conservation targets. In this perspective, we complement these high-level papers in freshwater conservation by highlighting important gaps in knowledge, governance, and implementation. This gap-oriented approach is designed to facilitate meaningful action by highlighting missing 'pieces' in the conservation process, and their connection to existing and emerging solutions in the literature. We derive 13 overarching gaps from a conference session and informal synthesis of recent literature in freshwater biodiversity conservation to catalyse research, advocacy, and action to meet freshwater goals for the post-2020 Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF). Key gaps include inventory data on global freshwater biodiversity, collating and mobilizing conservation evidence in practice, improving coordination of ecological governance at scale -including within and across catchments-and navigating trade-offs between economic development, resource consumption, and priorities for freshwater biodiversity. Finally, we apply this gap-oriented approach to key language describing GBF goals for freshwater biodiversity conservation, and point out existing and emerging solutions which may help address important gaps. Major themes that address multiple gaps include the use of Nature-based Solutions and Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures (OECMs), navigation of water management trade-offs between human and environmental needs, co-production of knowledge with Indigenous and local people and other stakeholders, integration of conservation research and action between aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, and funding and policy mechanisms to facilitate conservation action and support meaningful monitoring of conservation evidence across hydrological scales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles B van Rees
- Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, 140 E Green St, Athens, GA, 30602, USA
- Institute of Resilient Infrastructure Systems, University of Georgia, 597 D.W. Brooks Drive, Athens, GA, 30602, USA
- River Basin Center, University of Georgia, 203 D.W. Brooks Drive, Athens, GA, 30602, USA
| | - Juergen Geist
- Aquatic Systems Biology Unit, Technical University of Munich, Mühlenweg 22, Freising, D-85354, Germany
| | - Angela H Arthington
- Australian Rivers Institute, Griffith University, 170 Kessels Road, Nathan, Queensland, 4111, Australia
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3
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Dudgeon D, Strayer DL. Bending the curve of global freshwater biodiversity loss: what are the prospects? Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2025; 100:205-226. [PMID: 39221642 PMCID: PMC11718631 DOI: 10.1111/brv.13137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2024] [Revised: 08/21/2024] [Accepted: 08/22/2024] [Indexed: 09/04/2024]
Abstract
Freshwater biodiversity conservation has received substantial attention in the scientific literature and is finally being recognized in policy frameworks such as the Global Biodiversity Framework and its associated targets for 2030. This is important progress. Nonetheless, freshwater species continue to be confronted with high levels of imperilment and widespread ecosystem degradation. An Emergency Recovery Plan (ERP) proposed in 2020 comprises six measures intended to "bend the curve" of freshwater biodiversity loss, if they are widely adopted and adequately supported. We review evidence suggesting that the combined intensity of persistent and emerging threats to freshwater biodiversity has become so serious that current and projected efforts to preserve, protect and restore inland-water ecosystems may be insufficient to avert substantial biodiversity losses in the coming decades. In particular, climate change, with its complex and harmful impacts, will frustrate attempts to prevent biodiversity losses from freshwater ecosystems already affected by multiple threats. Interactions among these threats will limit recovery of populations and exacerbate declines resulting in local or even global extinctions, especially among low-viability populations in degraded or fragmented ecosystems. In addition to impediments represented by climate change, we identify several other areas where the absolute scarcity of fresh water, inadequate scientific information or predictive capacity, and a widespread failure to mitigate anthropogenic stressors, are liable to set limits on the recovery of freshwater biodiversity. Implementation of the ERP rapidly and at scale through many widely dispersed local actions focused on regions of high freshwater biodiversity and intense threat, together with an intensification of ex-situ conservation efforts, will be necessary to preserve native freshwater biodiversity during an increasingly uncertain climatic future in which poorly understood, emergent and interacting threats have become more influential. But implementation of the ERP must be accompanied by measures that will improve water, energy and food security for humans - without further compromising the condition of freshwater ecosystems. Unfortunately, the inadequate political implementation of policies to arrest widely recognized environmental challenges such as climate change do not inspire confidence about the possible success of the ERP. In many parts of the world, the Anthropocene future seems certain to include extended periods with an absolute scarcity of uncontaminated surface runoff that will inevitably be appropriated by humans. Unless there is a step-change in societal awareness of - and commitment to - the conservation of freshwater biodiversity, together with necessary actions to arrest climate change, implementation of established methods for protecting freshwater biodiversity may not bend the curve enough to prevent continued ecosystem degradation and species loss.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Dudgeon
- Division of Ecology & Biodiversity, School of Biological SciencesThe University of Hong KongPokfulamHong Kong SARChina
| | - David L. Strayer
- Cary Institute of Ecosystem StudiesP.O. Box ABMillbrookNY 12545USA
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Blom EL, Dekhla IK, Bertram MG, Manera JL, Kvarnemo C, Svensson O. Anthropogenic noise disrupts early-life development in a fish with paternal care. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 935:173055. [PMID: 38723952 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.173055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2023] [Revised: 05/06/2024] [Accepted: 05/06/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024]
Abstract
Anthropogenic noise is a global pollutant but its potential impacts on early life-stages in fishes are largely unknown. Here, using controlled laboratory experiments, we tested for impacts of continuous or intermittent exposure to low-frequency broadband noise on early life-stages of the common goby (Pomatoschistus microps), a marine fish with exclusive paternal care. Neither continuous nor intermittent noise exposure had an effect on filial cannibalism, showing that males were capable and willing to care for their broods. However, broods reared in continuous noise covered a smaller area and contained fewer eggs than control broods. Moreover, although developmental rate was the same in all treatments, larvae reared by males in continuous noise had, on average, a smaller yolk sac at hatching than those reared in the intermittent noise and control treatments, while larvae body length did not differ. Thus, it appears that the increased consumption of the yolk sac reserve was not utilised for increased growth. This suggests that exposure to noise in early life-stages affects fitness-related traits of surviving offspring, given the crucial importance of the yolk sac reserve during the early life of pelagic larvae. More broadly, our findings highlight the wide-ranging impacts of anthropogenic noise on aquatic wildlife living in an increasingly noisy world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva-Lotta Blom
- Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Umeå SE-907 36, Sweden.
| | - Isabelle K Dekhla
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Box 463, SE-405 30 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Michael G Bertram
- Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Umeå SE-907 36, Sweden; Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, Stockholm 114 18, Sweden; School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne 3800, Australia
| | - Jack L Manera
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne 3800, Australia
| | - Charlotta Kvarnemo
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Box 463, SE-405 30 Gothenburg, Sweden; The Linnaeus Centre for Marine Evolutionary Biology, University of Gothenburg, Box 460, SE-405 30 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Ola Svensson
- The Linnaeus Centre for Marine Evolutionary Biology, University of Gothenburg, Box 460, SE-405 30 Gothenburg, Sweden; Department of Educational Work, University of Borås, SE-501 90 Borås, Sweden
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5
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Firmino VC, Brasil LS, Juen L, Hamada N, Martins RT. Do Methodological Differences in Experiments with Stream Shredders Imply Variability in Outputs? A Microcosm Approach. NEOTROPICAL ENTOMOLOGY 2024; 53:617-629. [PMID: 38656588 DOI: 10.1007/s13744-024-01150-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2023] [Accepted: 03/19/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024]
Abstract
Experiments are useful scientific tools for testing hypotheses by manipulating variables of interest while controlling for other factors that can bias or confuse the results and their interpretation. To ensures accuracy and reproducibility, experiments must have transparent and repeatable methodologies. Due to the importance of shredder invertebrates in organic matter processing, carbon cycling, and nutrient cycling, we tested experimentally the effect of different methodological approaches in microcosm experiments on the consumption and survival of shredders. We found that the shredder species, the presence or absence of the case, and the use or non-use of air-pumps in the microcosms did not affect shredder performance (i.e., consumption and survival). Furthermore, the type of water (stream or bottled) did not affect shredder performance. On the other hand, the amount of light had a negative effect on shredder performance, with constant light (i.e., 24 h) reducing shredder consumption and survival. Our results demonstrate that the use of different methodologies does not always result in changes in outcomes, thus ensuring comparability. However, luminosity is a critical factor that deserves attention when conducting microcosm experiments. Our findings provide valuable insights that can assist researchers in designing experiments with shredders from neotropical streams and conducting systematic reviews and meta-analyses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Viviane Caetano Firmino
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Zoologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém, PA, Brazil.
- Laboratório de Ecologia e Conservação, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém, PA, Brazil.
| | - Leandro Schlemmer Brasil
- Instituto de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso, Campus Araguaia, Pontal do Araguaia, MT, Brazil
| | - Leandro Juen
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Zoologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém, PA, Brazil
- Laboratório de Ecologia e Conservação, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém, PA, Brazil
| | - Neusa Hamada
- Coordenação de Biodiversidade, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Manaus, AM, Brazil
| | - Renato Tavares Martins
- Coordenação de Biodiversidade, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Manaus, AM, Brazil
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6
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Dietenberger M, Jechow A, Kalinkat G, Schroer S, Saathoff B, Hölker F. Reducing the fatal attraction of nocturnal insects using tailored and shielded road lights. Commun Biol 2024; 7:671. [PMID: 38822081 PMCID: PMC11143364 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-024-06304-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2023] [Accepted: 05/08/2024] [Indexed: 06/02/2024] Open
Abstract
The attraction of insects to artificial light is a global environmental problem with far-reaching implications for ecosystems. Since light pollution is rarely integrated into conservation approaches, effective mitigation strategies towards environmentally friendly lighting that drastically reduce insect attraction are urgently needed. Here, we tested novel luminaires in two experiments (i) at a controlled experimental field site and (ii) on streets within three municipalities. The luminaires are individually tailored to only emit light onto the target area and to reduce spill light. In addition, a customized shielding renders the light source nearly invisible beyond the lit area. We show that these novel luminaires significantly reduce the attraction effect on flying insects compared to different conventional luminaires with the same illuminance on the ground. This underlines the huge potential of spatially optimized lighting to help to bend the curve of global insect decline without compromising human safety aspects. A customized light distribution should therefore be part of sustainable future lighting concepts, most relevant in the vicinity of protected areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manuel Dietenberger
- Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB), Müggelseedamm 310, 12587, Berlin, Germany.
- Institute of Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise-Straße 1-3, 14195, Berlin, Germany.
- Chair of Nature Conservation and Landscape Ecology, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Stefan-Meier-Str. 76, 79104, Freiburg, Germany.
| | - Andreas Jechow
- Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB), Müggelseedamm 310, 12587, Berlin, Germany
- Department of Engineering, Brandenburg University of Applied Sciences, Magdeburger Str. 50, 14770, Brandenburg an der Havel, Germany
| | - Gregor Kalinkat
- Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB), Müggelseedamm 310, 12587, Berlin, Germany
| | - Sibylle Schroer
- Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB), Müggelseedamm 310, 12587, Berlin, Germany
| | - Birte Saathoff
- Institute of Energy and Automation Technology, Technische Universität Berlin, Marchstraße 23, 10587, Berlin, Germany
| | - Franz Hölker
- Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB), Müggelseedamm 310, 12587, Berlin, Germany
- Institute of Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise-Straße 1-3, 14195, Berlin, Germany
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7
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He Y, Ganguly A, Lindgren S, Quispe L, Suvanto C, Zhao K, Candolin U. Carry-over effect of artificial light at night on daytime mating activity in an ecologically important detritivore, the amphipod Gammarus pulex. J Exp Biol 2024; 227:jeb246682. [PMID: 38516876 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.246682] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2023] [Accepted: 03/16/2024] [Indexed: 03/23/2024]
Abstract
Artificial light at night (ALAN) is a growing environmental problem influencing the fitness of individuals through effects on their physiology and behaviour. Research on animals has primarily focused on effects on behaviour during the night, whereas less is known about effects transferred to daytime. Here, we investigated in the lab the impact of ALAN on the mating behaviour of an ecologically important freshwater amphipod, Gammarus pulex, during both daytime and nighttime. We manipulated the presence of ALAN and the intensity of male-male competition for access to females, and found the impact of ALAN on mating activity to be stronger during daytime than during nighttime, independent of male-male competition. At night, ALAN only reduced the probability of precopula pair formation, while during the daytime, it both decreased general activity and increased the probability of pair separation after pair formation. Thus, ALAN reduced mating success in G. pulex not only directly, through effects on mating behaviour at night, but also indirectly through a carry-over effect on daytime activity and the ability to remain in precopula. These results emphasise the importance of considering delayed effects of ALAN on organisms, including daytime activities that can be more important fitness determinants than nighttime activities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuhan He
- Organismal and Evolutionary Biology, University of Helsinki, PO Box 65, Helsinki 00014, Finland
| | - Anirban Ganguly
- Organismal and Evolutionary Biology, University of Helsinki, PO Box 65, Helsinki 00014, Finland
| | - Susan Lindgren
- Organismal and Evolutionary Biology, University of Helsinki, PO Box 65, Helsinki 00014, Finland
| | - Laura Quispe
- Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Villeurbanne 69622, France
| | - Corinne Suvanto
- Organismal and Evolutionary Biology, University of Helsinki, PO Box 65, Helsinki 00014, Finland
| | - Kangshun Zhao
- Donghu Experimental Station of Lake Ecosystems, State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology of China, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, China
| | - Ulrika Candolin
- Organismal and Evolutionary Biology, University of Helsinki, PO Box 65, Helsinki 00014, Finland
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Ślusarczyk M, Bednarska A, Zebrowski ML, Tałanda J. Artificial light at night bans Chaoborus from vital epilimnetic waters. Sci Rep 2024; 14:7995. [PMID: 38580701 PMCID: PMC10997633 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-58406-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2023] [Accepted: 03/28/2024] [Indexed: 04/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Artificial light at night (ALAN) is known to affect organisms in terrestrial ecosystems and adjacent litoral habitats. In the present study, we tested the effect of ALAN on the spatial distribution of organisms in open waters, using the insect larvae of Chaoborus flavicans as an example. During the day C. flavicans typically hide from visually hunting fish in deep, dark, anoxic waters. On safer nights, they forage in rich subsurface waters. Nighttime field tests revealed that light from an HPS street lamp mounted on a boat anchored in open water attracted planktivorous fish, but deterred planktonic Chaoborus from rich but risky surface waters. Chaoborus did not descend to the safest, anoxic hypolimnion, but remained in hypoxic mid-depth metalimnion, which does not appear to be a perfect refuge. Neither light gradient nor food distribution fully explained their mid-depth residence under ALAN conditions. A further laboratory test revealed a limited tolerance of C. flavicans to anoxia. Half of the test larvae died after 38 h at 9 °C in anoxic conditions. The trade-off between predation risk and oxygen demand may explain why Chaoborus did not hide in deep anoxic waters, but remained in the riskier metalimnion with residual oxygen under ALAN conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mirosław Ślusarczyk
- Department of Hydrobiology, Institute of Functional Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Biology, Biological and Chemical Research Centre, University of Warsaw, Żwirki I Wigury 101, 02-089, Warsaw, Poland
- Hydrobiological Station, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, Pilchy 5, 12-200, Pisz, Poland
| | - Anna Bednarska
- Department of Hydrobiology, Institute of Functional Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Biology, Biological and Chemical Research Centre, University of Warsaw, Żwirki I Wigury 101, 02-089, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Marcin Lukasz Zebrowski
- Department of Hydrobiology, Institute of Functional Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Biology, Biological and Chemical Research Centre, University of Warsaw, Żwirki I Wigury 101, 02-089, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Joanna Tałanda
- Department of Hydrobiology, Institute of Functional Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Biology, Biological and Chemical Research Centre, University of Warsaw, Żwirki I Wigury 101, 02-089, Warsaw, Poland.
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9
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Hirt MR, Evans DM, Miller CR, Ryser R. Light pollution in complex ecological systems. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2023; 378:20220351. [PMID: 37899008 PMCID: PMC10613538 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2022.0351] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2023] [Accepted: 10/02/2023] [Indexed: 10/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Light pollution has emerged as a burgeoning area of scientific interest, receiving increasing attention in recent years. The resulting body of literature has revealed a diverse array of species-specific and context-dependent responses to artificial light at night (ALAN). Because predicting and generalizing community-level effects is difficult, our current comprehension of the ecological impacts of light pollution on complex ecological systems remains notably limited. It is critical to better understand ALAN's effects at higher levels of ecological organization in order to comprehend and mitigate the repercussions of ALAN on ecosystem functioning and stability amidst ongoing global change. This theme issue seeks to explore the effects of light pollution on complex ecological systems, by bridging various realms and scaling up from individual processes and functions to communities and networks. Through this integrated approach, this collection aims to shed light on the intricate interplay between light pollution, ecological dynamics and humans in a world increasingly impacted by anthropogenic lighting. This article is part of the theme issue 'Light pollution in complex ecological systems'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Myriam R. Hirt
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstr. 4, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
- Institute of Biodiversity, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, Jena, 07743, Germany
| | - Darren M. Evans
- School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 4LB, UK
| | - Colleen R. Miller
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
- Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, 14850, USA
| | - Remo Ryser
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstr. 4, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
- Institute of Biodiversity, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, Jena, 07743, Germany
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