Introduction of artificial light at night increases the abundance of predators, scavengers, and parasites in arthropod communities

Jeffrey A Brown; Julie L Lockwood; Max R Piana; Caroline Beardsley

doi:10.1016/j.isci.2023.106203

Introduction of artificial light at night increases the abundance of predators, scavengers, and parasites in arthropod communities

iScience. 2023 Feb 14;26(3):106203. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.106203. eCollection 2023 Mar 17.

Authors

Jeffrey A Brown¹, Julie L Lockwood², Max R Piana³, Caroline Beardsley⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Biology, La Salle University, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
² Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA.
³ Northern Research Station, USDA Forest Service, Amherst, MA, USA.
⁴ Research Assistant Program, Aresty Research Center, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA.

Abstract

While recent studies explore the negative impacts of light pollution on arthropods, few studies investigated community-level responses to artificial light. Using an array of landscaping lights and pitfall traps, we track community composition over 15 consecutive days and nights, including a five-night pre-light period, a five-night during-light period, and a five-night post-light period. Our results highlight a trophic-level response to artificial nighttime lighting with shifts in the presence and abundance of predators, scavengers, parasites, and herbivores. We show that associated trophic shifts occurred immediately upon the introduction of artificial light at night and are limited to nocturnal communities. Lastly, trophic levels reverted to their pre-light state, suggesting many short-term changes in communities are likely the result of behavioral shifts. These trophic shifts may become common as light pollution increases, implicating artificial light as a cause of global arthropod community change and highlighting light pollution's role in global herbivorous arthropod decline.

Keywords: Ecology; Entomology; Environmental science.