Artificial light at night weakens body condition but does not negatively affect physiological markers of health in great tits.

ABSTRACT: Urbanisation brings many novel challenges for wildlife through changes to the natural environment; one of the most unprecedented of these modifications is artificial light at night (ALAN). ALAN has been shown to have profound effects on the behaviour and physiology of many wildlife species, which in turn have negative consequences for fitness and survival. Despite increasing knowledge of the mechanisms by which ALAN can affect health, studies that have investigated this relationship have found contrasting results. This study investigated the impact of ALAN on health biomarkers in 13 day old great tit (Parus major) nestlings including malondialdehyde levels (a measure of oxidative damage), antioxidant capacity of plasma, feather corticosterone levels and scaled mass index. Immediately after

SUBMITTER: Reid RR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12276810 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature