Cao Yu, Zhang Shuang, Ma Ke-Ming
State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
Front Plant Sci. 2024 Aug 5;15:1392262. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2024.1392262. eCollection 2024.
Artificial light at night (ALAN) is exerting growing pressure on natural ecosystems, but its impact on biological interactions remains unclear. This study aimed to assess how ALAN influences leaf functional traits and herbivory in two prevalent street tree species ( (L.) Schott and ) through field surveys and paired experiments in the urban areas of Beijing, China. We found that ALAN led to increased leaf toughness and decreased levels of leaf herbivory. Additionally, ALAN showed species-specific effects on leaf nutrients, size as well as defense substances. The findings illustrate that ALAN can significantly alter some key functional traits and ecological processes (nutrient cycling, energy flow). In general, we suggest that high ALAN intensity will be detrimental to the energy flow from urban plants to higher trophic levels, posing a potential threat to the maintenance of biodiversity (e.g., arthropod diversity, bird diversity) in urban ecosystems.
夜间人造光（ALAN）对自然生态系统的压力日益增大，但其对生物相互作用的影响仍不明确。本研究旨在通过在中国北京城区进行实地调查和配对实验，评估夜间人造光如何影响两种常见行道树种（[树种一拉丁学名]（L.）肖特和[树种二拉丁学名]）的叶片功能性状和食草作用。我们发现，夜间人造光导致叶片韧性增加，叶片食草水平降低。此外，夜间人造光对叶片养分、大小以及防御物质表现出物种特异性影响。研究结果表明，夜间人造光可显著改变一些关键功能性状和生态过程（养分循环、能量流动）。总体而言，我们认为高夜间人造光强度将不利于城市植物到更高营养级别的能量流动，对城市生态系统中生物多样性（如节肢动物多样性、鸟类多样性）的维持构成潜在威胁。
