Urban light pollution and its impact on nocturnal activity
Tuesday, November 1, 2011 - 08:01
in Biology & Nature
Researchers in Germany have discovered that urban light pollution not only limits the visibility of stars, but also plays havoc with nocturnal animals that depend on a compass-like pattern of polarised light to function. Soon to be published in the Journal of Geophysical Research, their study warns that screening of the celestial compass could decrease the evolutionary fitness of a number of nocturnal creatures like spiders, moths, beetles and crickets. This has the potential to disturb food webs and impact whole ecosystems.