How ecological communities respond to artificial light at night. 2018

Dirk Sanders, and Kevin J Gaston
Environment and Sustainability Institute, University of Exeter, Penryn, United Kingdom.

Many ecosystems worldwide are exposed to artificial light at night (ALAN), from streetlights and other sources, and a wide range of organisms has been shown to respond to this anthropogenic pressure. This raises concerns about the consequences for major ecosystem functions and their stability. However, there is limited understanding of how whole ecological communities respond to ALAN, and this cannot be gained simply by making predictions from observed single species physiological, behavioral, or ecological responses. Research needs to include an important building block of ecological communities, namely the interactions between species that drive ecological and evolutionary processes in ecosystems. Here, we summarize current knowledge about community responses to ALAN and illustrate different pathways and their impact on ecosystem functioning and stability. We discuss that documentation of the impact of ALAN on species interaction networks and trait distributions provides useful tools to link changes in community structure to ecosystem functions. Finally, we suggest several approaches to advance research that will link the diverse impact of ALAN to changes in ecosystems.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D008027 Light That portion of the electromagnetic spectrum in the visible, ultraviolet, and infrared range. Light, Visible,Photoradiation,Radiation, Visible,Visible Radiation,Photoradiations,Radiations, Visible,Visible Light,Visible Radiations
D008029 Lighting The illumination of an environment and the arrangement of lights to achieve an effect or optimal visibility. Its application is in domestic or in public settings and in medical and non-medical environments. Illumination
D017753 Ecosystem A functional system which includes the organisms of a natural community together with their environment. (McGraw Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms, 4th ed) Ecosystems,Biome,Ecologic System,Ecologic Systems,Ecological System,Habitat,Niche, Ecological,System, Ecological,Systems, Ecological,Biomes,Ecological Niche,Ecological Systems,Habitats,System, Ecologic,Systems, Ecologic
D058448 Biota The spectrum of different living organisms inhabiting a particular region, habitat, or biotope. Community Composition, Ecological,Community Structure, Ecological,Biocenose,Biological Community,Biotic Community,Ecological Community,Biocenoses,Biological Communities,Biotic Communities,Communities, Biological,Communities, Biotic,Communities, Ecological,Community Compositions, Ecological,Community Structures, Ecological,Community, Biological,Community, Biotic,Community, Ecological,Ecological Communities,Ecological Community Composition,Ecological Community Compositions,Ecological Community Structure,Ecological Community Structures,Structure, Ecological Community

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