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Q&A ViewAttendees 18

Plant-Insect Ecosystems

Section Symposium

Insects in a Changing World: Urban Systems as a Model for Disturbance

Light pollution affects plant-insect interactions and alters community composition

Sunday, October 31, 2021
1:33 PM – 1:48 PM MT
Location: Colorado Convention Center, Meeting Room 111-113
In-Person

    Presenting Author(s)

  • DV

    Dhaval K. Vyas

    Assistant Professor
    University of Denver
    Denver, Colorado

    • Co-Author(s)

  • Shannon M. Murphy

    Professor
    University of Denver
    Denver, Colorado

  • KG

    Kylee Grenis

    University of Denver
    Denver, Colorado

  • Cesar R. Nufio, Jr.

    Multimedia Content Developer
    BioInteractive, Howard Hughes Medical Institute
    Chevy Chase, Maryland

  • GW

    Gina M. Wimp

    Professor
    Georgetown University
    Washington, District of Columbia

Many studies investigate how light pollution in urban landscapes affects single species but understanding declines in biodiversity requires a community perspective. We have spent the last 10 years studying how Artificial Light at Night (ALAN) affects plant dispersion in urban areas, host plant quality for herbivorous insects, and how these population-level interactions between plants and insects cascade to cause shifts in community composition of moth species that are differentially impacted by their attraction to light. We have found that increased sky glow decreases moth abundance and species richness, and also shifts community composition. However, increased light from local point sources (streetlights) increases moth abundance and species richness, which we suggest creates an ecological trap. Our research shows empirically that ALAN has significant effects on plant and moth communities. It is imperative that we better understand the contrasting effects of types of ALAN to comprehend the overall impacts of light pollution on biodiversity declines.