LIGHT POLLUTION AT NIGHT

DISRUPTS ECOSYSTEM

Increased exposure to artificial or outdoor light, referred to as light pollution, at night not only raises health concerns for humans but can also significantly harm the entire ecosystem, says a new study.

The study showed that light at night affects species’ composition as well as their food chain length. “Night-time light is having profound impacts that extend to the entire ecosystem,” said Mazeika Sullivan, associate professor from the Ohio State University in the US. Artificial light is a pollutant, changing the natural course of life for people, animals and plants.

“We are experiencing this pollution that we do not think about, but it is all around us and it is chronic and it is happening everywhere. It is also unprecedented in earth’s history,” Sullivan added.

For the study, the team examined the effect of existing artificial light in streams and they manipulated the light in wetlands.

From those areas, they collected a variety of waterdwelling and land-dwelling invertebrate species, including mayflies, water bugs, ants and spiders.