Artificial nighttime lighting impacts visual ecology links between flowers, pollinators and predators.

ABSTRACT: The nighttime environment is being altered rapidly over large areas worldwide through introduction of artificial lighting, from streetlights and other sources. This is predicted to impact the visual ecology of many organisms, affecting both their intra- and interspecific interactions. Here, we show the effects of different artificial light sources on multiple aspects of hawkmoth visual ecology, including their perception of floral signals for pollination, the potential for intraspecific sexual signalling, and the effectiveness of their visual defences against avian predators. Light sources fall into three broad categories: some that prevent use of chromatic signals for these behaviours, others that more closely mimic natural lighting conditions, and, finally, types whose effects vary with

SUBMITTER: Briolat ES 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8260664 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature