Abstract
Artificial light at night (ALAN) is an increasing phenomenon worldwide. It causes a wealth of biological and ecological effects that may eventually affect populations and ecosystems. Despite the growing concern about ALAN, little is known about the light levels species are exposed to at night, especially for wetlands and underwater habitats. We determined nocturnal irradiance in urban and peri-urban wetlands above and under water, and assessed the effect of cloud cover on the variability of ALAN across the urban gradient. Even in aquatic habitats, cloud cover could increase irradiance beyond values observed during clear full moon nights. We report a negative relationship between baseline irradiance and the increase in irradiance during overcast nights. According to this result and previous studies, we propose that the change in the variation regime of ALAN between the urban center and rural land at its periphery is a usual feature. We discuss the ecological and evolutionary implications of this spatial variation in the urban and peri-urban environment.
Highlights
Artificial light at night (ALAN) is observed in most ecosystems across the World [1,2]
ALAN alters a wealth of biological functions in organisms ranging from physiology, to behaviour [3,4,5,6,7,8]
We took in situ measurements of ALAN in 26 ponds and 2 river sites in Angers Loire Metropole
Summary
Artificial light at night (ALAN) is observed in most ecosystems across the World [1,2]. It is associated with the use of electricity for lighting, and as such has been steadily increasing worldwide for decades with the economic development and growth of the human population [2]. The rapid environmental change in the nocturnal environment has elicited warnings about the ecological consequences of ALAN as effects on individuals may propagate up to the population, community and ecosystem level [6,9,10,11].
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