Restless roosts: Light pollution affects behavior, sleep, and physiology in a free-living songbird

TY - JOUR

T1 - Restless roosts: Light pollution affects behavior, sleep, and physiology in a free-living songbird

AU - Ouyang, Jenny Q.

AU - de Jong, Maaike

AU - van Grunsven, Roy H. A.

AU - Matson, Kevin D.

AU - Haussmann, Mark F.

AU - Meerlo, Peter

AU - Visser, Marcel E.

AU - Spoelstra, Kamiel

N1 - 6356 AnE; Data archiving: data archived in MDA

PY - 2017

Y1 - 2017

N2 - The natural nighttime environment is increasingly polluted by artificial light. Several studies have linked artificial light at night to negative impacts on human health. In free-living animals, light pollution is associated with changes in circadian, reproductive, and social behavior, but whether these animals also suffer from physiologic costs remains unknown. To fill this gap, we made use of a unique network of field sites which are either completely unlit (control), or are artificially illuminated with white, green, or red light. We monitored nighttime activity of adult great tits, Parus major, and related this activity to within-individual changes in physiologic indices. Because altered nighttime activity as a result of light pollution may affect health and well-being, we measured oxalic acid concentrations as a biomarker for sleep restriction, acute phase protein concentrations and malaria infection as indices of immune function, and telomere lengths as an overall measure of metabolic costs. Compared to other treatments, individuals roosting in the white light were much more active at night. In these individuals, oxalic acid decreased over the course of the study. We also found that individuals roosting in the white light treatment had a higher probability of malaria infection. Our results indicate that white light at night increases nighttime activity levels and sleep debt and affects disease dynamics in a free-living songbird. Our study offers the first evidence of detrimental effects of light pollution on the health of free-ranging wild animals.

AB - The natural nighttime environment is increasingly polluted by artificial light. Several studies have linked artificial light at night to negative impacts on human health. In free-living animals, light pollution is associated with changes in circadian, reproductive, and social behavior, but whether these animals also suffer from physiologic costs remains unknown. To fill this gap, we made use of a unique network of field sites which are either completely unlit (control), or are artificially illuminated with white, green, or red light. We monitored nighttime activity of adult great tits, Parus major, and related this activity to within-individual changes in physiologic indices. Because altered nighttime activity as a result of light pollution may affect health and well-being, we measured oxalic acid concentrations as a biomarker for sleep restriction, acute phase protein concentrations and malaria infection as indices of immune function, and telomere lengths as an overall measure of metabolic costs. Compared to other treatments, individuals roosting in the white light were much more active at night. In these individuals, oxalic acid decreased over the course of the study. We also found that individuals roosting in the white light treatment had a higher probability of malaria infection. Our results indicate that white light at night increases nighttime activity levels and sleep debt and affects disease dynamics in a free-living songbird. Our study offers the first evidence of detrimental effects of light pollution on the health of free-ranging wild animals.

KW - activity

KW - artificial light

KW - great tit

KW - haptoglobin

KW - malaria

KW - oxalic acid

KW - telomeres

KW - international

UR - http://mda.vliz.be/directlink.php?fid=VLIZ_00000444_5c499bb7020f4

U2 - 10.1111/gcb.13756

DO - 10.1111/gcb.13756

M3 - Article

SN - 1365-2486

VL - 23

SP - 4987

EP - 4994

JO - Global Change Biology

JF - Global Change Biology

IS - 11

ER -