The Fish Perspective of Artificial Light at Night
Standing
Undergraduate
Type of Proposal
Oral Presentation
Faculty
Faculty of Science
Proposal
Almost all organisms rely on natural cycles of light and dark to provide reliable cues for diverse aspects of their ecology such as foraging, growth, reproduction, and migration. As a result, artificial light sources can have a variety of negative consequences for both plants and animals. The potentially negative effects of artificial light are predicted to become more widespread as the geographic extent of artificial light at night (ALAN) increases by 6% per year. In particular, with one quarter of the human population living with 100 kilometres of a coastline, there is great potential for ALAN to influence the physiology, behaviour, and fitness of fish. Through meta-analysis we quantitatively illustrate that fish have been under-represented in the scientific literature that documents and interprets the effects of ALAN in comparison to birds, mammals, reptiles, and invertebrates. To understand where research has been focused, we partition studies on ALAN in fish by physiology, behaviour, fitness, and other aspects of general ecology and summarize the major research findings in each of these categories. Finally, we provide recommendations for future research that can aim to understand how changing intensity, coverage, and spectral compositions of artificial light could have downstream consequences for fish health and persistence.
Grand Challenges
Healthy Great Lakes
The Fish Perspective of Artificial Light at Night
Almost all organisms rely on natural cycles of light and dark to provide reliable cues for diverse aspects of their ecology such as foraging, growth, reproduction, and migration. As a result, artificial light sources can have a variety of negative consequences for both plants and animals. The potentially negative effects of artificial light are predicted to become more widespread as the geographic extent of artificial light at night (ALAN) increases by 6% per year. In particular, with one quarter of the human population living with 100 kilometres of a coastline, there is great potential for ALAN to influence the physiology, behaviour, and fitness of fish. Through meta-analysis we quantitatively illustrate that fish have been under-represented in the scientific literature that documents and interprets the effects of ALAN in comparison to birds, mammals, reptiles, and invertebrates. To understand where research has been focused, we partition studies on ALAN in fish by physiology, behaviour, fitness, and other aspects of general ecology and summarize the major research findings in each of these categories. Finally, we provide recommendations for future research that can aim to understand how changing intensity, coverage, and spectral compositions of artificial light could have downstream consequences for fish health and persistence.