Call for Abstracts
Biodiversity Journal Themed Issue: Artificial Night Lighting: Impacts on Biodiversity and Ecosystems
Overview
It is a well-accepted fact that we humans have perpetuated a complete transformation of Earth in a remarkably short period of time. What is not as evident, since it happens while most people are sleeping, is the dramatic change we have made to the night landscape. Life has evolved for billions of years in a consistent rhythm of light days and dark nights. Their biological processes have been upended by artificial lights flooding into ecosystems at night. Biodiversity conservation and environmental assessments need to consider the ecological consequences of lighting the night.
Migratory birds become disoriented by brightly lit urban structures, many of them caught in a circling behavior, dying of exhaustion or by collision with the structures. Sea turtle hatchlings, misdirected from the relative safety of ocean waters by coastal lighting, die from predation or are crushed by vehicles on nearby roads. These are two of the more well-known examples, we want to share further research in this area.
Astronomical light pollution is known more broadly due to dark sky advocates and amateur astronomers. Ecological light pollution has garnered much less attention, even though it has a global reach. Its causes are: sky glow, brightly lit commercial buildings, streetlights, vehicle lights including fishing boats and underwater vessels. Artificial lights at night are impacting entire ecosystems, predator/prey relationships, food chains, insect populations, and nocturnal animals like bats, owls, badgers and small rodents and carnivores.
Traditional environmental assessments rarely address issues of lighting and conservation planning continues to be influenced by a daytime bias.
This themed issue is inviting submissions of abstracts and papers that contribute to our understanding of the following:
- Artificial lights and urban biodiversity
- The impact of skyglow and light trespassing into wild and semi-wild ecosystems
- Artificial lights: effects on behavior of nocturnal species such as foraging and dispersal ranges, predator/prey relationships, food chains
- Mitigation by light shielding, community and coastal lighting ordinances, office building lighting regulations etc.
- Effects of Artificial lights on the following taxa:
- Mammals
- Birds
- Reptiles and amphibians
- Fishes
- Invertebrates
- plants
We also welcome book reviews, opinion pieces for our Forum section, and articles for the On the Ground feature. A Forum article is an ‘opinion piece’ and, as the name suggests, is the author's personal opinion on a subject. It can be informal in style and the word count can range from 500 - 3,500 words. References are optional and it is not peer-reviewed. An On the Ground article is a personal account from biodiversity practitioners working in the field, sharing their experiences and insights. The word count can range from 500 - 3,500 words, photographs are encouraged and references are optional, this is a great way for field researchers to share their experiences with the world.
Contributions from countries within the global south are particularly welcome.
Editor-in-Chief:
Hume Douglas
Managing Editor:
Rebecca Trueman
Editorial Director:
Stephen Aitken
