Shima, J. S., Osenberg, C. W., Noonburg, E. G., Alonzo, S. H., & Swearer, S. E. (2021). Lunar rhythms in growth of larval fish. Proc Biol Sci, 288(1942), 20202609.
Abstract: Growth and survival of larval fishes is highly variable and unpredictable. Our limited understanding of this variation constrains our ability to forecast population dynamics and effectively manage fisheries. Here we show that daily growth rates of a coral reef fish (the sixbar wrasse, Thalassoma hardwicke) are strongly lunar-periodic and predicted by the timing of nocturnal brightness: growth was maximized when the first half of the night was dark and the second half of the night was bright. Cloud cover that obscured moonlight facilitated a 'natural experiment', and confirmed the effect of moonlight on growth. We suggest that lunar-periodic growth may be attributable to light-mediated suppression of diel vertical migrations of predators and prey. Accounting for such effects will improve our capacity to predict the future dynamics of marine populations, especially in response to climate-driven changes in nocturnal cloud cover and intensification of artificial light, which could lead to population declines by reducing larval survival and growth.
|
|
Stathakis, D., & Liakos, L. (2020). Median Shift Lunar Correction for VIIRS. IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Letters, , in press.
Abstract: Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) 24-h data are substantially affected by lunar illumination. A new method is proposed to correct this distortion and be able to form a consistent time series. The method has the advantage of being relatively simple in its deployment while at the same time effective. The results show that the proposed method removes periodical illumination noise due to the lunar circle while preserving meaningful information, in the test sites applied.
|
|
Evens, R., Kowalczyk, C., Norevik, G., Ulenaers, E., Davaasuren, B., Bayargur, S., et al. (2020). Lunar synchronization of daily activity patterns in a crepuscular avian insectivore. Ecol Evol, 10(14), 7106–7116.
Abstract: Biological rhythms of nearly all animals on earth are synchronized with natural light and are aligned to day-and-night transitions. Here, we test the hypothesis that the lunar cycle affects the nocturnal flight activity of European Nightjars (Caprimulgus europaeus). We describe daily activity patterns of individuals from three different countries across a wide geographic area, during two discrete periods in the annual cycle. Although the sample size for two of our study sites is small, the results are clear in that on average individual flight activity was strongly correlated with both local variation in day length and with the lunar cycle. We highlight the species' sensitivity to changes in ambient light and its flexibility to respond to such changes in different parts of the world.
|
|
Fallows, C., Fallows, M., & Hammerschlag, N. (2016). Effects of lunar phase on predator-prey interactions between white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) and Cape fur seals (Arctocephalus pusillus pusillus). Environ Biol Fish, 99(11), 805–812.
Abstract: Predator-prey relationships can be influenced by environmental conditions, including changes in moon phase and associated lunar illumination. Two primary hypotheses have been proposed underlying the effects of moonlight on predator-prey interactions: the predation risk hypothesis and visual acuity hypothesis. However, few studies have tested these hypotheses during twilight hours or involved large mobile aquatic species. In the present study, we evaluated these hypotheses using data collected over 16 years on predator-prey interactions between white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) and Cape fur seals (Arctocephalus pusillus pusillus) at sunrise. Data from 1476 natural predation events demonstrated shark attack frequency and seal capture success was significantly higher at sunrise during periods of low (0–10 %) versus high (90–100 %) lunar illumination, which is consistent with the visual acuity hypothesis. We propose that during full moon periods, white sharks at night are at a visual and tactical advantage over seals which are silhouetted at the surface in the moonlight and thus easier to isolate in darkness, while sharks remain camouflaged hunting from below through deep water. However, at sunrise, we hypothesize this advantage shifts to seals as the added lunar illumination, combined with emerging sunlight, may decrease shark stealth and increase the ability of seals to detect and avoid sharks. These finding suggest that lunar effects on predator-prey dynamics can be context specific, likely moderated by visual acuity of predators and prey which may change according to the photoperiod.
|
|
Dominy, N. J., & Melin, A. D. (2020). Liminal Light and Primate Evolution. Annu. Rev. Anthropol., 49(1).
Abstract: The adaptive origins of primates and anthropoid primates are topics of enduring interest to biological anthropologists. A convention in these discussions is to treat the light environment as binary—night is dark, day is light—and to impute corresponding selective pressure on the visual systems and behaviors of primates. In consequence, debate has tended to focus on whether a given trait can be interpreted as evidence of nocturnal or diurnal behavior in the primate fossil record. Such classification elides the variability in light, or the ways that primates internalize light in their environments. Here, we explore the liminality of light by focusing on what it is, its many sources, and its flux under natural conditions. We conclude by focusing on the intensity and spectral properties of twilight, and we review the mounting evidence of its importance as a cue that determines the onset or offset of primate activities as well as the entrainment of circadian rhythms.
|
|