The ecological impacts of nighttime light pollution: a mechanistic appraisal
TL;DR: A framework that focuses on the cross‐factoring of the ways in which artificial lighting alters natural light regimes (spatially, temporally, and spectrally), and the ways that light influences biological systems, particularly the distinction between light as a resource and light as an information source is proposed.
Abstract: The ecological impacts of nighttime light pollution have been a longstanding source of concern, accentuated by realized and projected growth in electrical lighting. As human communities and lighting technologies develop, artificial light increasingly modifies natural light regimes by encroaching on dark refuges in space, in time, and across wavelengths. A wide variety of ecological implications of artificial light have been identified. However, the primary research to date is largely focused on the disruptive influence of nighttime light on higher vertebrates, and while comprehensive reviews have been compiled along taxonomic lines and within specific research domains, the subject is in need of synthesis within a common mechanistic framework. Here we propose such a framework that focuses on the cross-factoring of the ways in which artificial lighting alters natural light regimes (spatially, temporally, and spectrally), and the ways in which light influences biological systems, particularly the distinction between light as a resource and light as an information source. We review the evidence for each of the combinations of this cross-factoring. As artificial lighting alters natural patterns of light in space, time and across wavelengths, natural patterns of resource use and information flows may be disrupted, with downstream effects to the structure and function of ecosystems. This review highlights: (i) the potential influence of nighttime lighting at all levels of biological organisation (from cell to ecosystem); (ii) the significant impact that even low levels of nighttime light pollution can have; and (iii) the existence of major research gaps, particularly in terms of the impacts of light at population and ecosystem levels, identification of intensity thresholds, and the spatial extent of impacts in the vicinity of artificial lights.
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TL;DR: The MFO algorithm is compared with other well-known nature-inspired algorithms on 29 benchmark and 7 real engineering problems and the statistical results show that this algorithm is able to provide very promising and competitive results.
Abstract: In this paper a novel nature-inspired optimization paradigm is proposed called Moth-Flame Optimization (MFO) algorithm. The main inspiration of this optimizer is the navigation method of moths in nature called transverse orientation. Moths fly in night by maintaining a fixed angle with respect to the moon, a very effective mechanism for travelling in a straight line for long distances. However, these fancy insects are trapped in a useless/deadly spiral path around artificial lights. This paper mathematically models this behaviour to perform optimization. The MFO algorithm is compared with other well-known nature-inspired algorithms on 29 benchmark and 7 real engineering problems. The statistical results on the benchmark functions show that this algorithm is able to provide very promising and competitive results. Additionally, the results of the real problems demonstrate the merits of this algorithm in solving challenging problems with constrained and unknown search spaces. The paper also considers the application of the proposed algorithm in the field of marine propeller design to further investigate its effectiveness in practice. Note that the source codes of the MFO algorithm are publicly available at http://www.alimirjalili.com/MFO.html.
2,892 citations
Cites methods from "The ecological impacts of nighttime..."
...In this method, a moth flies by maintaining a fixed angle with respect to the moon, a very effective mechanism for travelling long distances in a straight path [47,48]....
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TL;DR: A global study of anthropogenic effects on mammal diel activity patterns, conducting a meta-analysis of 76 studies of 62 species from six continents revealed a strong effect of humans on daily patterns of wildlife activity.
Abstract: Rapid expansion of human activity has driven well-documented shifts in the spatial distribution of wildlife, but the cumulative effect of human disturbance on the temporal dynamics of animals has not been quantified. We examined anthropogenic effects on mammal diel activity patterns, conducting a meta-analysis of 76 studies of 62 species from six continents. Our global study revealed a strong effect of humans on daily patterns of wildlife activity. Animals increased their nocturnality by an average factor of 1.36 in response to human disturbance. This finding was consistent across continents, habitats, taxa, and human activities. As the global human footprint expands, temporal avoidance of humans may facilitate human-wildlife coexistence. However, such responses can result in marked shifts away from natural patterns of activity, with consequences for fitness, population persistence, community interactions, and evolution.
599 citations
University of Queensland1, Hebrew University of Jerusalem2, Leibniz Association3, University of Potsdam4, Sun Yat-sen University5, University of Exeter6, Complutense University of Madrid7, Spanish National Research Council8, Universities Space Research Association9, Wuhan University10, University of Haifa11, Marshall Space Flight Center12, Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere13, University of Maryland, College Park14, Goddard Space Flight Center15, Colorado School of Mines16, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration17
TL;DR: In this article, the authors outline the historical development of night-time optical sensors up to the current state-of-the-art sensors, highlight various applications of night light data, discuss the special challenges associated with remote sensing of night lights with a focus on the limitations of current sensors, and provide an outlook for the future of remote sensing.
369 citations
TL;DR: Daily, lunar and seasonal cycles of natural light have been key forms of environmental variation across the Earth's surface since the first emergence of life.
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TL;DR: In this paper, a novel Moth Swarm Algorithm (MSA) inspired by the orientation of moths towards moonlight was proposed to solve constrained optimal power flow (OPF) problem.
340 citations
References
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TL;DR: It is shown that retinal ganglion cells innervating the SCN are intrinsically photosensitive, and depolarized in response to light even when all synaptic input from rods and cones was blocked.
Abstract: Light synchronizes mammalian circadian rhythms with environmental time by modulating retinal input to the circadian pacemaker-the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) of the hypothalamus. Such photic entrainment requires neither rods nor cones, the only known retinal photoreceptors. Here, we show that retinal ganglion cells innervating the SCN are intrinsically photosensitive. Unlike other ganglion cells, they depolarized in response to light even when all synaptic input from rods and cones was blocked. The sensitivity, spectral tuning, and slow kinetics of this light response matched those of the photic entrainment mechanism, suggesting that these ganglion cells may be the primary photoreceptors for this system.
3,052 citations
"The ecological impacts of nighttime..." refers background in this paper
...…composition of light may be derived from several photoreceptors with varying spectral sensitivities (Kelber, Vorobyev & Osario, 2003), and in mammals retinal ganglion cells that are independent of the visual system may be involved in entraining circadian clocks (Berson, Dunn & Takao, 2002)....
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TL;DR: This review deals with UV-induced DNA damage and the associated repair mechanisms as well as methods of detectingDNA damage and its future perspectives.
Abstract: Increases in ultraviolet radiation at the Earth's surface due to the depletion of the stratospheric ozone layer have recently fuelled interest in the mechanisms of various effects it might have on organisms. DNA is certainly one of the key targets for UV-induced damage in a variety of organisms ranging from bacteria to humans. UV radiation induces two of the most abundant mutagenic and cytotoxic DNA lesions such as cyclobutane–pyrimidine dimers (CPDs) and 6–4 photoproducts (6–4PPs) and their Dewar valence isomers. However, cells have developed a number of repair or tolerance mechanisms to counteract the DNA damage caused by UV or any other stressors. Photoreactivation with the help of the enzyme photolyase is one of the most important and frequently occurring repair mechanisms in a variety of organisms. Excision repair, which can be distinguished into base excision repair (BER) and nucleotide excision repair (NER), also plays an important role in DNA repair
in several organisms with the help of a number of glycosylases and polymerases, respectively. In addition, mechanisms such as mutagenic repair or dimer bypass, recombinational repair, cell-cycle checkpoints, apoptosis and certain alternative repair pathways are also operative in various organisms. This review deals with UV-induced DNA damage and the associated repair mechanisms as well as methods of detecting DNA damage and its future perspectives.
1,655 citations
"The ecological impacts of nighttime..." refers background in this paper
...…blue to UV-A portion of the spectrum is necessary for DNA repair through photoreactivation via the photolyase enzyme (with maximum absorption at 380 and 440 nm), while ‘dark repair’ through the excision repair pathways is independent of light (Sutherland, 1981; Britt, 1996; Sinha & Häder, 2002)....
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TL;DR: An interim synthesis of the phytochromes, a small family of diverse photochromic protein photoreceptors whose origins have been traced to the photosynthetic prokaryotes, is proposed.
Abstract: For plants, the sensing of light in the environment is as important as vision is for animals. Fluctuations in light can be crucial to competition and survival. One way plants sense light is through the phytochromes, a small family of diverse photochromic protein photoreceptors whose origins have been traced to the photosynthetic prokaryotes. During their evolution, the phytochromes have acquired sophisticated mechanisms to monitor light. Recent advances in understanding the molecular mechanisms of phytochromes and their significance to evolutionary biology make possible an interim synthesis of this rapidly advancing branch of photobiology.
1,303 citations
"The ecological impacts of nighttime..." refers background in this paper
...The phytochrome system plays a key role in detecting shade and measuring day length, and has been shown to influence vegetative growth and architecture, the timing of germination, flowering, bud burst and dormancy and senescence, and the allocation of resources to roots, stems and leaves (Smith, 2000)....
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...…phytochrome system plays a key role in detecting shade and measuring day length, and has been shown to influence vegetative growth and architecture, the timing of germination, flowering, bud burst and dormancy and senescence, and the allocation of resources to roots, stems and leaves (Smith, 2000)....
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...Pfr is converted back to Pr on absorbing far-red photons, so under steady light of a given red/far-red ratio the active form of phytochrome reaches equilibrium (Lin, 2000; Neff et al., 2000; Smith, 2000)....
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TL;DR: The more subtle influences of artificial night lighting on the behavior and community ecology of species are less well recognized, and constitute a new focus for research in ecology and a pressing conservation challenge.
Abstract: Ecologists have long studied the critical role of natural light in regulating species interactions, but, with limited exceptions, have not investigated the consequences of artificial night lighting. In the past century, the extent and intensity of artificial night lighting has increased such that it has substantial effects on the biology and ecology of species in the wild. We distinguish “astronomical light pollution”, which obscures the view of the night sky, from “ecological light pollution”, which alters natural light regimes in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Some of the catastrophic consequences of light for certain taxonomic groups are well known, such as the deaths of migratory birds around tall lighted structures, and those of hatchling sea turtles disoriented by lights on their natal beaches. The more subtle influences of artificial night lighting on the behavior and community ecology of species are less well recognized, and constitute a new focus for research in ecology and a pressing conservation challenge.
1,098 citations
"The ecological impacts of nighttime..." refers background in this paper
...…sections on mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians, fishes, invertebrates, plants), by different processes and/or levels of biological organization (Longcore & Rich, 2004 – with sections on behavioural and population ecology, community ecology, ecosystem effects; Longcore & Rich, 2006 – with…...
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...…environmental pressure, disrupting natural cycles of light and darkness (Verheijen, 1958, 1985; Outen, 1998; Health Council of the Netherlands, 2000; Longcore & Rich, 2004; Rich & Longcore, 2006a; Navara & Nelson, 2007; Hölker et al., 2010a,b; Bruce-White & Shardlow, 2011; Perkin et al., 2011)....
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...However, a much broader set of implications has been identified (Longcore & Rich, 2004; Hölker et al., 2010a; Perkin et al., 2011)....
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TL;DR: Sequence comparison indicates that the plant and animal cryptochrome families have distinct evolutionary histories, with the plant cryptochromes being of ancient evolutionary origin and the animal cryptchromes having evolved relatively recently.
Abstract: Cryptochromes are blue, ultraviolet-A photoreceptors. They were first characterized for Arabidopsis and are also found in ferns and algae; they appear to be ubiquitous in the plant kingdom. They are flavoproteins similar in sequence to photolyases, their presumptive evolutionary ancestors. Cryptochromes mediate a variety of light responses, including entrainment of circadian rhythms in Arabidopsis, Drosophila, and mammals. Sequence comparison indicates that the plant and animal cryptochrome families have distinct evolutionary histories, with the plant cryptochromes being of ancient evolutionary origin and the animal cryptochromes having evolved relatively recently. This process of repeated evolution may have coincided with the origin in animals of a modified circadian clock based on the PERIOD, TIMELESS, CLOCK, and CYCLE proteins.
943 citations
"The ecological impacts of nighttime..." refers background in this paper
...In addition, blue and ultraviolet light receptors called cryptochromes influence light responses in many species of algae, higher plants, and animals (Cashmore et al., 1999), and have been shown to play a role in regulating circadian clocks in mammals (Thresher et al....
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...In addition, blue and ultraviolet light receptors called cryptochromes influence light responses in many species of algae, higher plants, and animals (Cashmore et al., 1999), and have been shown to play a role in regulating circadian clocks in mammals (Thresher et al., 1998)....
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