Underwood Charlotte N, Ford Alex T, Robson Samuel C, Wijnen Herman
School of Biological Sciences and Institute for Life Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom.
Institute of Marine Sciences Laboratories, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, United Kingdom.
PLoS One. 2025 Aug 7;20(8):e0329449. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0329449. eCollection 2025.
Artificial light at night (ALAN) is proliferating at an alarming rate across the globe, particularly around aquatic habitats. Natural and predictable light cycles dictate much of an individual organism's life by acting as a major signal for their circadian clock, driving rhythmic behaviours and physiological changes throughout the body. Light cycles also help populations coordinate group behaviour and greatly impact the interspecies dynamics of a community. Research into the ecological impacts of ALAN has highlighted numerous effects on these biological processes, including higher predation rates, impaired growth and development, and diminished reproductive success. Invertebrates play an undeniable role in ecosystem functioning and show robust daily rhythms. As such, it is vital to understand how ALAN may disrupt their behavioural patterns. The aim of this study was to monitor the impacts of increasing levels of light at night (0 lux - 80 lux), as well as constant light and constant darkness, on the behavioural rhythms of the intertidal amphipod, Marinogammarus marinus, and the freshwater species, Gammarus pulex. Gammarus pulex activity was not strongly synchronised to any of the light at night treatments. Marinogammarus marinus, however, exhibited strong behavioural rhythmicity in diurnal cycles with dark night periods. All the ALAN treatments resulted in a significant decrease in M. marinus rhythmicity and overall activity. Moreover, ALAN between 1-50 lux disrupted nocturnality in this species. These results indicate that while some amphipods show some adaptive plasticity when it comes to light pollution, others may experience strong direct impacts on their activity. This may be relevant to individual and population level fitness of vulnerable species in more heavily urbanised areas.
夜间人造光(ALAN)正在全球范围内以惊人的速度扩散,尤其是在水生栖息地周围。自然且可预测的光照周期通过作为生物体昼夜节律钟的主要信号,决定了个体生物体生命的大部分时间,驱动着全身的节律性行为和生理变化。光照周期还帮助种群协调群体行为,并极大地影响群落中的物种间动态。对ALAN生态影响的研究突出了其对这些生物过程的众多影响,包括更高的捕食率、生长和发育受损以及繁殖成功率降低。无脊椎动物在生态系统功能中起着不可否认的作用,并表现出强烈的日常节律。因此,了解ALAN如何扰乱它们的行为模式至关重要。本研究的目的是监测夜间光照水平增加(0勒克斯 - 80勒克斯)以及持续光照和持续黑暗对潮间带双足虾虎鱼Marinogammarus marinus和淡水物种Gammarus pulex行为节律的影响。Gammarus pulex的活动与任何夜间光照处理都没有强烈同步。然而,Marinogammarus marinus在有黑暗夜晚的昼夜周期中表现出强烈的行为节律性。所有ALAN处理都导致Marinogammarus marinus的节律性和总体活动显著下降。此外,1 - 50勒克斯的ALAN扰乱了该物种的夜行性。这些结果表明,虽然一些双足虾虎鱼在光污染方面表现出一定的适应性可塑性,但其他双足虾虎鱼可能会受到其活动的强烈直接影响。这可能与城市化程度更高地区脆弱物种的个体和种群水平适应性有关。