Blinded by the Light: Artificial Light Lowers Mate Attraction Success in Female Glow-Worms ( Lampyris noctiluca L.)

Nocturnal light pollution from anthropogenic origin is increasing worldwide and is recognised as a major threat for nocturnal biodiversity. We studied the impact of artificial light on the mate attraction success of female common glow-worms ( L.) by daily monitoring their glowing status in the field...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Insects (Basel, Switzerland) Switzerland), 2021-08, Vol.12 (8), p.734
Main Authors: Van den Broeck, Mira, De Cock, Raphaël, Van Dongen, Stefan, Matthysen, Erik
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal reproduction
Anthropogenic factors
Attraction
Biodiversity
female mating success
Females
glow-worms
Human influences
Hypotheses
Lampyris noctiluca
Light
Light pollution
Light sources
Males
mate attraction
Mating
Night
Population decline
Statistical analysis
Success
Survival analysis
Vegetation
Worms
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Summary:Nocturnal light pollution from anthropogenic origin is increasing worldwide and is recognised as a major threat for nocturnal biodiversity. We studied the impact of artificial light on the mate attraction success of female common glow-worms ( L.) by daily monitoring their glowing status in the field, acting as a proxy for mating status throughout the mating season. We found that females in dark surroundings typically stopped glowing after one night, indicating that they had mated, while females in illuminated areas glowed for significantly more nights, in some cases up to 15 nights. Our study confirms previous findings and hypotheses that females exposed to artificial light suffer from a reduced mate attraction success with a negative impact on populations.
ISSN:2075-4450
2075-4450
DOI:10.3390/insects12080734