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Declines in moth populations stress the need for conserving dark nights |
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| Authors: | Frank van Langevelde Marijke Braamburg‐Annegarn Martinus E. Huigens Rob Groendijk Olivier Poitevin Jurriën R. van Deijk Willem N. Ellis Roy H. A. van Grunsven Rob de Vos Rutger A. Vos Markus Franzén Michiel F. WallisDeVries |
| Affiliation: | 1. Resource Ecology Group, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands;2. De Vlinderstichting/Dutch Butterfly Conservation, Wageningen, The Netherlands;3. Working Group Lepidoptera Faunistics, Section 4. Entomology, Zoological Museum, Amsterdam, The Netherlands;5. Leibniz‐Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Berlin, Germany;6. Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation Group, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands;7. Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Leiden, The Netherlands;8. Department of Community Ecology, UFZ Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Halle, Germany;9. Center for Ecology and Evolution in Microbial Model Systems, Department of Biology and Environmental Science, Linnaeus University, Kalmar, Sweden |
| Abstract: | Given the global continuous rise, artificial light at night is often considered a driving force behind moth population declines. Although negative effects on individuals have been shown, there is no evidence for effects on population sizes to date. Therefore, we compared population trends of Dutch macromoth fauna over the period 1985–2015 between moth species that differ in phototaxis and adult circadian rhythm. We found that moth species that show positive phototaxis or are nocturnally active have stronger negative population trends than species that are not attracted to light or are diurnal species. Our results indicate that artificial light at night is an important factor in explaining declines in moth populations in regions with high artificial night sky brightness. Our study supports efforts to reduce the impacts of artificial light at night by promoting lamps that do not attract insects and reduce overall levels of illumination in rural areas to reverse declines of moth populations. |
| Keywords: | artificial light at night ecological traits ecology of the night Lepidoptera light pollution phototaxis |