Abstract: The origin of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is zoonotic. The circadian day-night is the rhythmic clue to organisms for their synchronized body functions. The “development for mankind” escalated the use of artificial light at night (ALAN). In this article, we tried to focus on the possible influence of this anthropogenic factor in human coronavirus (HCoV) outbreak. The relationship between the occurrences of coronavirus and the ascending curve of the night-light has also been delivered. The ALAN influences the physiology and behavior of bat, a known nocturnal natural reservoir of many Coronaviridae. The “threatened” and “endangered” status of the majority of bat species is mainly because of the destruction of their proper habit and habitat predominantly through artificial illumination. The stress exerted by ALAN leads to the impaired body functions, especially endocrine, immune, genomic integration, and overall rhythm features of different physiological variables and behaviors in nocturnal animals. Night-light disturbs “virus-host” synchronization and may lead to mutation in the genomic part of the virus and excessive virus shedding. We also proposed some future strategies to mitigate the repercussions of ALAN and for the protection of the living system in the earth as well.
Keywords: Animals; Human Health; Review; ALAN; Covid-19; HCoVs; bat; melatonin; sustainability
Abstract: The abalone Haliotis discus hannai is a typical nocturnal marine invertebrate. In this study, a quantitative analysis was performed on the motion behaviour characteristics of abalones exposed to different light cycles (0 L:24D, 12 L:12D, 24 L:0D) using infrared camera and behavioural analysis software. A preliminary analysis of the intrinsic correlations between melatonin secretion and abalone behaviour rhythms was also conducted. The results showed that the cumulative moving distance and duration of movement for abalone in the 0 L:24D group were significantly higher than those in the 12 L:12D and 24 L:0D groups (P < 0.05). The mean and maximum moving velocities of abalones in the 12 L:12D group were significantly higher than those in the 0 L:24D group (P < 0.05). The maximum cumulative moving distance and duration of movement for abalone in the 12 L:12D and 24 L:0D groups occurred between 00:00–03:00. In the 0 L:24D group, peak cumulative moving distance and duration movement were recorded between 00:00–03:00 and 15:00–18:00. According to the results of cosine analysis, melatonin content and expression levels of aralkylamine N-acetyl transferase (AANAT) and N-acetylserotonin O-methyltransferase (ASMT) in the 12 L:12D and 24 L:0D groups showed significant circadian cosine rhythms (P < 0.05) and tended to be higher during the day and lower at night. Compared with the variation trend of melatonin, the expression levels of melatonin receptor (MTR) in each group showed significant circadian cosine rhythms (P < 0.05). Especially in the 0 L:24D group, the expression levels of MTR also tended to be higher during the day and lower at night, indicating that MTR may mediate other factors which participate in the regulation of abalone circadian rhythms. The results of this study provide a quantitative description of the motion behaviour characteristics of abalone exposed to different light cycles. The intrinsic correlation between melatonin secretion and abalone motion behaviour rhythms was also examined in this study, which in turn provides a reference for light regulation and feeding strategies in aquaculture production.
Keywords: Animals
Abstract: Context
Artificial light at night (ALAN) represents a significant threat to biodiversity. Given that protected areas (PAs) are in relative darkness compared to the surrounding sites, they could be considered an effective tool towards eliminating the impacts of ALAN. However, the extent to which climate change-induced shifts would drive species out of PAs and thus, alter their exposure to ALAN remains an open question.
Objectives
We assessed the extent and protection coverage of dark areas across the current and future distributions of 39 raptor species of European conservation interest.
Methods
We initially developed a set of distribution models using current and projected climatic variables. Next, we used a satellite dataset of nighttime lights composite to determine the spread of ALAN within the raptors’ ranges. Finally, we applied three indices of proportional changes in the expansion of suitable habitats and dark areas to quantify patterns in ALAN within the current and future raptors’ ranges across Europe.
Results
Our analyses revealed that potential future distribution shifts of raptors will lead to changes in the exposure of species to ALAN, with these patterns being rather unfavourable for most of them. Still, PAs in Europe were found to offer a relative high proportion of dark areas which overlap with the current and future raptors range.
Conclusions
Our findings provided some first insights into the spatial conflict between species ranges and ALAN, considering potential distribution shifts driven by climate change. The proposed methodology offers the means to identify potential dark refugia towards prioritizing conservation actions.
Artificial light at night (ALAN) represents a significant threat to biodiversity. Given that protected areas (PAs) are in relative darkness compared to the surrounding sites, they could be considered an effective tool towards eliminating the impacts of ALAN. However, the extent to which climate change-induced shifts would drive species out of PAs and thus, alter their exposure to ALAN remains an open question.
Objectives
We assessed the extent and protection coverage of dark areas across the current and future distributions of 39 raptor species of European conservation interest.
Methods
We initially developed a set of distribution models using current and projected climatic variables. Next, we used a satellite dataset of nighttime lights composite to determine the spread of ALAN within the raptors’ ranges. Finally, we applied three indices of proportional changes in the expansion of suitable habitats and dark areas to quantify patterns in ALAN within the current and future raptors’ ranges across Europe.
Results
Our analyses revealed that potential future distribution shifts of raptors will lead to changes in the exposure of species to ALAN, with these patterns being rather unfavourable for most of them. Still, PAs in Europe were found to offer a relative high proportion of dark areas which overlap with the current and future raptors range.
Conclusions
Our findings provided some first insights into the spatial conflict between species ranges and ALAN, considering potential distribution shifts driven by climate change. The proposed methodology offers the means to identify potential dark refugia towards prioritizing conservation actions.
Keywords: Animals; Remote sensing
Abstract: Alternation of day and night is the oldest cycle on Earth, which is increasingly disturbed by the accelerating rate of urbanization and technological development. Despite the ubiquity of light pollution in cities, many aspects of its influence on urban ecosystems are still poorly understood. Here we studied the effect of artificial light at night (ALAN) on the biomass of arboreal caterpillar populations, which are a major component of the diet of many insectivorous animals. We predicted that increasing ALAN intensity is associated with reduced caterpillar biomass, because ALAN may increase predation risk for both caterpillars and adult lepidopterans (i.e. moths), and can also hinder the moths’ reproductive rate. We estimated caterpillar biomass from frass samples (n = 3061) collected from 36 focal trees in two cities in Hungary during four consecutive years. To quantify ALAN we measured light intensity during night at each focal tree (range of illumination: 0.69–3.18 lx). We found that caterpillar biomass of individual trees was repeatable over the four years. This temporal consistency in prey biomass production may be important for birds because it can help predict territory quality, especially in cities where caterpillar abundance is generally low. Our results did not support the negative effect of ALAN on urban caterpillar populations, because ALAN intensity was not related to caterpillar biomass, and this lack of effect was consistent between study sites and tree species. We suggest that the effect of ALAN on urban caterpillar biomass is either weak and thus can be masked by other, local environmental factors, or light pollution may have antagonistic effects acting during different stages of the lepidopteran life cycle. Another explanation could be that even the lower levels of our sites’ public lighting are strong enough to cause serious detrimental effects for caterpillars, resulting in their uniformly low biomass.
Keywords: Animals