New research: Light pollution significantly alters moth activity disrupting their role as pollinators

New research: Light pollution significantly alters moth activity disrupting their role as pollinators

(PRESS RELEASE) YORK, 21-Jan-2019 — /EuropaWire/ — Switching off street lights in the middle of the night to save money and energy could have a positive knock-on effect on nocturnal pollinators, according to new research.

Lead author of the study, Dr Callum Macgregor, from the Department of Biology at the University of York, said: “Often, as conservationists, we have to make difficult trade-offs between development and environmental protection.

“However, our study suggests that turning off street lights in the middle of the night is a win-win scenario, saving energy and money for local authorities whilst simultaneously helping our nocturnal wildlife.”

The study, led by experts from the universities of York and Newcastle, has shown that turning off street lights even for just part of the night is effective at restoring the natural behaviour of moths.

Study supervisor, Dr Darren Evans from Newcastle University, said: “Artificial light at night is an increasingly important driver of global environmental change and sky brightness is increasing by about 6% a year.

“Understanding the ecological impact of this artificial light on the ecosystem is vital.

“We know that light pollution significantly alters moth activity and this in turn is disrupting their role as pollinators. But what our study showed was that while full-night lighting caused significant ecological disruption, part-night lighting did not appear to have any strong effect on pollination success or quality.”

The important role moths play in the pollination of plants – potentially even including key food crops such as peas, soybean and oilseed rape – is often overlooked. But recent studies show that moths supplement the day-time work of bees and other pollinating insects.

Night-lighting disrupts nocturnal pollination by attracting moths upwards, away from the fields and hedgerows so they spend less time feeding and therefore pollinating.

The light pollution study also found there was no difference in pollination success between part-night lighting and full darkness.

In the last decade, many local authorities have changed their street lighting regime in a bid to cut costs and save energy.  This includes switching off or dimming the lights at certain times of the night as well as replacing the traditional high-pressure sodium (HPS) bulbs with energy-efficient light-emitting diodes (LEDs).

In the study, the team analysed the impact of a range of scenarios on the pollination of moth-pollinated flowers placed underneath street lights. These included both types of lighting (HPS and LED), run either all night or switched off at midnight. Results were compared to pollination under natural darkness.

They found that regardless of the type of light, full-night light caused the greatest ecological disruption. There was no difference between LED and HPS bulbs in the part-night scenarios and in both cases, the disruption to the plants’ pollination was minimal compared to full darkness.

Ecological light pollution is increasingly linked to adverse effects on human health and wildlife.  Research suggests that in disrupting the natural patterns of light and dark, artificial light has the potential to affect every level of biological organisation, from cells to whole communities.

SOURCE: University of York

Related pollinators stories:

BASF receives global registrations in Australia and India for the new active ingredient, Inscalis® insecticide

Derived from a natural fermentation process, Inscalis® insecticide has a favorable environmental profile exhibiting minimal impact to important beneficial arthropods and pollinators.

Registration now open for BayG.A.P. online training on Good Agricultural Practices

The BayG.A.P online course comprises eleven modules including Integrated Pest Management (IPM), safe use of crop protection, application technology and food safety. Due to the fundamental importance of pollinators for agriculture, the online training also includes a module on bee health.

University of Sussex Buzzing Balconies project bagged the most votes in the latest round of Tesco Bags of Help

Dr Ellen Rotheray, also a teaching fellow in Evolution, Behaviour and Environment at the University of Sussex and member of the Buzzing Balconies project team, said: “Pollinators are responsible for providing one out of every three mouthfuls of food that we eat, but we know they are facing some really serious threats to their health and survival.

Survival of Bumblebee Families Linked to Flower-rich Habitats

The results, which come from the largest ever study of its kind on wild bumblebee populations, will help farmers and policy makers manage the countryside more effectively to provide for these vital but declining pollinators

More news stories and press releases on pollinators…

Follow EuropaWire on Google News
EDITOR'S PICK:

Comments are closed.