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Author |
Gaston, K.J.; Bennie, J.; Davies, T.W.; Hopkins, J. |

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Title |
The ecological impacts of nighttime light pollution: a mechanistic appraisal |
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Journal Article |
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Year |
2013 |
Publication |
Biological Reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society |
Abbreviated Journal |
Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc |
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Volume |
88 |
Issue |
4 |
Pages |
912-927 |
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Keywords |
dark; information; light; moonlight; night; pollution; resources; rhythms; time |
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Abstract |
The ecological impacts of nighttime light pollution have been a longstanding source of concern, accentuated by realized and projected growth in electrical lighting. As human communities and lighting technologies develop, artificial light increasingly modifies natural light regimes by encroaching on dark refuges in space, in time, and across wavelengths. A wide variety of ecological implications of artificial light have been identified. However, the primary research to date is largely focused on the disruptive influence of nighttime light on higher vertebrates, and while comprehensive reviews have been compiled along taxonomic lines and within specific research domains, the subject is in need of synthesis within a common mechanistic framework. Here we propose such a framework that focuses on the cross-factoring of the ways in which artificial lighting alters natural light regimes (spatially, temporally, and spectrally), and the ways in which light influences biological systems, particularly the distinction between light as a resource and light as an information source. We review the evidence for each of the combinations of this cross-factoring. As artificial lighting alters natural patterns of light in space, time and across wavelengths, natural patterns of resource use and information flows may be disrupted, with downstream effects to the structure and function of ecosystems. This review highlights: (i) the potential influence of nighttime lighting at all levels of biological organisation (from cell to ecosystem); (ii) the significant impact that even low levels of nighttime light pollution can have; and (iii) the existence of major research gaps, particularly in terms of the impacts of light at population and ecosystem levels, identification of intensity thresholds, and the spatial extent of impacts in the vicinity of artificial lights. |
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Environment and Sustainability Institute, University of Exeter, Penryn, Cornwall, TR10 9EZ, U.K |
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0006-3231 |
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PMID:23565807 |
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IDA @ john @ |
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14 |
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Kyba, C.C.M.; Wagner, J.M.; Kuechly, H.U.; Walker, C.E.; Elvidge, C.D.; Falchi, F.; Ruhtz, T.; Fischer, J.; Hölker, F. |

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Title |
Citizen science provides valuable data for monitoring global night sky luminance |
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Journal Article |
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Year |
2013 |
Publication |
Scientific Reports |
Abbreviated Journal |
Sci Rep |
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3 |
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Pages |
1835 |
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The skyglow produced by artificial lights at night is one of the most dramatic anthropogenic modifications of Earth's biosphere. The GLOBE at Night citizen science project allows individual observers to quantify skyglow using star maps showing different levels of light pollution. We show that aggregated GLOBE at Night data depend strongly on artificial skyglow, and could be used to track lighting changes worldwide. Naked eye time series can be expected to be very stable, due to the slow pace of human eye evolution. The standard deviation of an individual GLOBE at Night observation is found to be 1.2 stellar magnitudes. Zenith skyglow estimates from the “First World Atlas of Artificial Night Sky Brightness” are tested using a subset of the GLOBE at Night data. Although we find the World Atlas overestimates sky brightness in the very center of large cities, its predictions for Milky Way visibility are accurate. |
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Institute for Space Sciences, Freie Universitat Berlin, Berlin, Germany. christopher.kyba@wew.fu-berlin.de |
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2045-2322 |
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PMID:23677222; PMCID:PMC3655480 |
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IDA @ john @ |
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13 |
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Bedrosian, T.A.; Vaughn, C.A.; Galan, A.; Daye, G.; Weil, Z.M.; Nelson, R.J. |

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Title |
Nocturnal light exposure impairs affective responses in a wavelength-dependent manner |
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Journal Article |
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Year |
2013 |
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The Journal of Neuroscience : the Official Journal of the Society for Neuroscience |
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J Neurosci |
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33 |
Issue |
32 |
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13081-13087 |
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Analysis of Variance; Animals; Circadian Rhythm/*physiology; Cricetinae; Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation; Female; Food Deprivation/physiology; Food Preferences/physiology/radiation effects; Fourier Analysis; Gene Expression Regulation/radiation effects; Hippocampus/pathology/radiation effects; Immobility Response, Tonic/radiation effects; Light/*adverse effects; Mood Disorders/*etiology/pathology; Motor Activity/physiology/radiation effects; Phodopus; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos/metabolism; Social Behavior; Suprachiasmatic Nucleus/metabolism; Time Factors |
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Life on earth is entrained to a 24 h solar cycle that synchronizes circadian rhythms in physiology and behavior; light is the most potent entraining cue. In mammals, light is detected by (1) rods and cones, which mediate visual function, and (2) intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs), which primarily project to the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) in the hypothalamus to regulate circadian rhythms. Recent evidence, however, demonstrates that ipRGCs also project to limbic brain regions, suggesting that, through this pathway, light may have a role in cognition and mood. Therefore, it follows that unnatural exposure to light may have negative consequences for mood or behavior. Modern environmental lighting conditions have led to excessive exposure to light at night (LAN), and particularly to blue wavelength lights. We hypothesized that nocturnal light exposure (i.e., dim LAN) would induce depressive responses and alter neuronal structure in hamsters (Phodopus sungorus). If this effect is mediated by ipRGCs, which have reduced sensitivity to red wavelength light, then we predicted that red LAN would have limited effects on brain and behavior compared with shorter wavelengths. Additionally, red LAN would not induce c-Fos activation in the SCN. Our results demonstrate that exposure to LAN influences behavior and neuronal plasticity and that this effect is likely mediated by ipRGCs. Modern sources of LAN that contain blue wavelengths may be particularly disruptive to the circadian system, potentially contributing to altered mood regulation. |
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Department of Neuroscience, Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio 43210, USA. Bedrosian.2@osu.edu |
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0270-6474 |
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PMID:23926261 |
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IDA @ john @ |
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27 |
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Fonken, L.K.; Aubrecht, T.G.; Melendez-Fernandez, O.H.; Weil, Z.M.; Nelson, R.J. |

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Dim light at night disrupts molecular circadian rhythms and increases body weight |
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Journal Article |
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Year |
2013 |
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Journal of Biological Rhythms |
Abbreviated Journal |
J Biol Rhythms |
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28 |
Issue |
4 |
Pages |
262-271 |
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Animals; Blood Glucose/metabolism; Body Weight/*physiology; CLOCK Proteins/biosynthesis/genetics; Circadian Rhythm/*physiology; Corticosterone/metabolism; Feeding Behavior/physiology; Immunohistochemistry; Light; *Lighting; Male; Mice; Motor Activity; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Suprachiasmatic Nucleus/metabolism/physiology; clock genes; feeding rhythm; light pollution; obesity |
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With the exception of high latitudes, life has evolved under bright days and dark nights. Most organisms have developed endogenously driven circadian rhythms that are synchronized to this daily light/dark cycle. In recent years, humans have shifted away from the naturally occurring solar light cycle in favor of artificial and sometimes irregular light schedules produced by electric lighting. Exposure to unnatural light cycles is increasingly associated with obesity and metabolic syndrome; however, the means by which environmental lighting alters metabolism are poorly understood. Thus, we exposed mice to dim light at night and investigated changes in the circadian system and metabolism. Here we report that exposure to ecologically relevant levels of dim (5 lux) light at night altered core circadian clock rhythms in the hypothalamus at both the gene and protein level. Circadian rhythms in clock expression persisted during light at night; however, the amplitude of Per1 and Per2 rhythms was attenuated in the hypothalamus. Circadian oscillations were also altered in peripheral tissues critical for metabolic regulation. Exposure to dimly illuminated, as compared to dark, nights decreased the rhythmic expression in all but one of the core circadian clock genes assessed in the liver. Additionally, mice exposed to dim light at night attenuated Rev-Erb expression in the liver and adipose tissue. Changes in the circadian clock were associated with temporal alterations in feeding behavior and increased weight gain. These results are significant because they provide evidence that mild changes in environmental lighting can alter circadian and metabolic function. Detailed analysis of temporal changes induced by nighttime light exposure may provide insight into the onset and progression of obesity and metabolic syndrome, as well as other disorders involving sleep and circadian rhythm disruption. |
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Department of Neuroscience and Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research, Wexner Medical Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA. fonken.1@osu.edu |
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0748-7304 |
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PMID:23929553; PMCID:PMC4033305 |
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IDA @ john @ |
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28 |
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Author |
Kronfeld-Schor, N.; Dominoni, D.; de la Iglesia, H.; Levy, O.; Herzog, E.D.; Dayan, T.; Helfrich-Forster, C. |

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Title |
Chronobiology by moonlight |
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Journal Article |
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Year |
2013 |
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Proceedings. Biological Sciences / The Royal Society |
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Proc Biol Sci |
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280 |
Issue |
1765 |
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20123088 |
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Animals; Behavior, Animal/physiology; Circadian Rhythm/physiology; Feeding Behavior/*physiology; Invertebrates/*physiology; *Light; *Moon; Predatory Behavior/physiology; Reproduction/physiology; Vertebrates/physiology; communication; foraging; light pollution; lunar cycle; predation; reproduction |
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Most studies in chronobiology focus on solar cycles (daily and annual). Moonlight and the lunar cycle received considerably less attention by chronobiologists. An exception are rhythms in intertidal species. Terrestrial ecologists long ago acknowledged the effects of moonlight on predation success, and consequently on predation risk, foraging behaviour and habitat use, while marine biologists have focused more on the behaviour and mainly on reproduction synchronization with relation to the Moon phase. Lately, several studies in different animal taxa addressed the role of moonlight in determining activity and studied the underlying mechanisms. In this paper, we review the ecological and behavioural evidence showing the effect of moonlight on activity, discuss the adaptive value of these changes, and describe possible mechanisms underlying this effect. We will also refer to other sources of night-time light ('light pollution') and highlight open questions that demand further studies. |
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Department of Zoology, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel. nogaks@tauex.tau.ac.il |
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0962-8452 |
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PMID:23825199; PMCID:PMC3712431 |
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IDA @ john @ |
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29 |
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