Credit: Sulema Castro/Smithsonian
Artificial light at night (ALAN) is a major factor in global insect decline. In a paper published today in
Insect Conservation and Diversity, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) scientists and partners found that using amber-colored filters to remove the blue spectra of light from warm white LED (light-emitting diode) lamps drastically reduces insect attraction to nocturnal lighting in a tropical forest. This is the first study to validate quantitative predictions of how lamp color affects insect attraction and provide clear recommendations to mitigate the negative impacts of ALAN on wildlife in rainforest ecosystems. While many people aren t necessarily fond of bugs, their importance in our everyday lives is indisputable, said Jessica Deichmann, first author and research scientist with the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute and the Smithsonian Conservation Commons Working Land and Seascapes Initiative. The essenti
NASA
Researchers examined an area in the Amazon basin that had never before been exposed to artificial light.
Insects make our lives better they are an important piece of the food chain and they pollinate the plants we use for food and backyard ambiance. But humans make those jobs more difficult, in part because the artificial light we use alters insects’ normal behavior.
New research by UCLA and the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute shows how the kind of light people use makes a big difference, even in one of the buggiest places on Earth the Amazon River basin. The study, published March 16 in Insect Conservation and Diversity, reveals that a certain kind of light minimizes humans’ impact on natural systems.
Study reveals which outdoor lighting minimizes harm to insects ucla.edu - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from ucla.edu Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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The varied and beautiful butterfly species that dot the West are being cut down by the climate crisis, new research has found, with rising temperatures helping cause a steep decline in butterfly numbers over the past 40 years.
There has been a 1.6% reduction in the total number of butterflies observed west of the Rocky Mountain range each year since 1977, researchers calculated, which amounts to a staggering loss of butterflies over the timespan of the study period.
“Certainly many butterfly species are becoming so rare it’s hard for some people to see what were once widespread, common species.”
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