Publication
Title
White LED light intensity, but not colour temperature, interferes with mate‐finding by glow‐worm (Lampyris noctiluca L.) males
Author
Abstract
Artificial light at night is an increasing threat to nocturnal biodiversity. Aside from the overall increase in light emission, replacement of old monochromatic streetlighting by broad emission spectrum LED lights may be an additional threat. Studies evaluating the impacts of these artificial lights on the nocturnal European common glow-worm (Lampyris noctiluca L.) are scarce. This study examines the effects of upward facing white LED lights on the mate seeking activity of male glow-worms. Therefore we used traps with dummy females along a distance gradient from LED lights with different intensities and colour temperature (cold and warm white) and counted the number of males attracted per trap. We found that upward facing white LED light negatively impacted the males’ ability to locate the females, at previously unreported low light levels, while colour temperature did not affect the outcomes. More research on the effects of light pollution and their underlying mechanisms is needed to evaluate the impacts of this emerging and widespread threat on mating success and population persistence of glow-worms.
Language
English
Source (journal)
Journal of insect conservation. - London, 1997, currens
Publication
London : Chapman & Hall , 2021
ISSN
1366-638X [print]
1572-9753 [online]
DOI
10.1007/S10841-021-00304-Z
Volume/pages
25 :2 (2021) , p. 339-347
ISI
000629868200001
Full text (Publisher's DOI)
Full text (open access)
Full text (publisher's version - intranet only)
UAntwerpen
Faculty/Department
Research group
Publication type
Subject
Affiliation
Publications with a UAntwerp address
External links
Web of Science
Record
Identifier
Creation 27.04.2021
Last edited 17.11.2024
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