Streetlights affect moth orientation beyond flight-to-light behaviour

One of the most dramatic changes occurring on our planet in recent decades is the ever-increasing extensive use of artificial light at night, which drastically altered the environment nocturnal animals are adapted to. One nocturnal species group experiencing marked declines are moths, which are not...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inbioRxiv
Main Authors Degen, Jacqueline, Storms, Mona, Chengfa Benjamin Lee, Jechow, Andreas, Stoeckl, Anna Lisa, Hoelker, Franz, Jakhar, Aryan, Thomas, Walter, Walter, Stefan, Mitesser, Oliver, Hovestadt, Thomas, Degen, Tobias
Format Paper
LanguageEnglish
Published Cold Spring Harbor Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press 08.10.2022
Subjects
Bombycidae
Breeding success
Butterflies & moths
Flight
Food webs
Light pollution
Light sources
Nocturnal
Pollination
Population decline
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Summary:One of the most dramatic changes occurring on our planet in recent decades is the ever-increasing extensive use of artificial light at night, which drastically altered the environment nocturnal animals are adapted to. One nocturnal species group experiencing marked declines are moths, which are not only of great importance for species conservation, but also for their key role in food webs and in ecosystem services such as nocturnal plant pollination. Light pollution has been identified as a driver in the dramatic insect decline of the past years, yet little is known about its impact on natural insect orientation behaviour. Using harmonic radar tracking, we show that the orientation of several species of moths is significantly affected by streetlights, although only 4 % of individuals showed flight-to-light behaviour. We reveal a species-specific barrier effect of streetlights on lappet moths whenever the moon was not available as a natural celestial cue. Furthermore, streetlights increased the tortuosity of flight trajectories for both hawk moths and lappet moths. Our results provide the first spatially resolved experimental evidence for the fragmentation of landscapes by streetlights and demonstrate that light pollution affects movement patterns of moths beyond previously assumed extend, potentially affecting their reproductive success and hampering a vital ecosystem service. Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest.
DOI:10.1101/2022.10.06.511092