Effects of Artificial Light at Night on Animals and Biodiversity: Current Knowledge and Future Goals
A special issue of Biology (ISSN 2079-7737). This special issue belongs to the section "Physiology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2023) | Viewed by 323
Special Issue Editors
Interests: artificial light at night (ALAN); neuroethology; behavioral neurobiology; brain plasciticity; birds; urban ecology; animal welfare
Interests: biological rhythms; sleep disorders; chronobiology; physiology; melatonin; testosterone; circadian rhythms; endocrinology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Natural light/dark cycles control and affect different biological processes. The introduction of pervasive artificial light at night (ALAN) due to global urbanization has vast biological impacts on many organisms, from gene expression to physiology and behavior. Recent findings suggest that light pollution can have negative consequences on biodiversity and health via circadian disruption of the physiological processes and behavior of animals, including humans. Therefore, ALAN can be considered as a new environmental risk factor that animals never experienced during evolution. However, at present, little is still known about the mechanisms of how ALAN affects behavior and physiology, with potential negative consequences on performance, survival and biodiversity.
In this Special Issue, "Effects of Artificial Light at Night on Animals and Biodiversity: Current Knowledge and Future Goals", we aim to include a selection of reviews, combined with research articles, in order to provide a broad overview of the current knowledge of this dynamically evolving research field. We hope that this Special Issue will put together knowledge based on a variety of biological taxa (such as insects, fish, reptiles, birds and mammals). Our aim is to evaluate the effects of ALAN from various points of view: laboratory models and wild species; nocturnal and diurnal species; individual differences and group analysis. Finally, we hope that this Special Issue will define future goals for the study of the effects of ALAN on animals and biodiversity and provide insights relevant to nature conservation, with implications for well-being, performance and health.
Prof. Dr. Anat Barnea
Prof. Dr. Michal Zeman
Guest Editors
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Keywords
- artificial light at night
- ALAN
- light pollution
- animals
- physiology
- behavior
- nature conservation
- biodiversity
- nocturnal
- diurnal
- laboratory models
- wild species
