☆ 4.7 Article

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

INSECTS (2021)

Journal

INSECTS

Volume 12, Issue 8, Pages -

Publisher

MDPI

DOI: 10.3390/insects12080734

Keywords

Lampyris noctiluca; glow-worms; light pollution; mate attraction; female mating success

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Abstract

Nocturnal light pollution is a growing worldwide issue, and our study shows that female common glow-worms exposed to artificial light have a longer glowing duration, leading to reduced mating success and potentially declining populations.

Simple Summary Nocturnal light pollution is a worldwide growing problem, threatening nocturnal biodiversity. We studied the impact of streetlights on mating success of the female common glow-worm, a bioluminescent nocturnal beetle (Lampyris noctiluca L.) that uses light signals for sexual communication. We monitored individual females daily and assumed that when they stopped glowing, they had effectively mated. We found that females in dark surroundings typically stopped glowing after one night, while females in illuminated areas glowed for significantly more nights, in some cases up to 15 nights. Our study confirms previous hypotheses that females exposed to artificial light suffer from a reduced mate attraction success, which can lead to population declines. Our findings represent valuable information that can be used by policy makers and managers to conserve the iconic glow-worms. 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 (Lampyris noctiluca 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.

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White LED light intensity, but not colour temperature, interferes with mate-finding by glow-worm (Lampyris noctiluca L.) males

Mira van den Broeck, Raphael De Cock, Stefan Van Dongen, Erik Matthysen

Summary: Artificial light at night poses an increasing threat to nocturnal biodiversity, with LED lights potentially impacting the mate-seeking activities of glow-worms. This study found that upward facing white LED lights negatively affected male glow-worms' ability to locate females, emphasizing the need for further research on the effects of light pollution.

JOURNAL OF INSECT CONSERVATION (2021)