Artificial lights found to suppress pollination, contributing to destruction of ecosystem
08/08/2017 // Jhoanna Robinson // Views

A team from the Institute of Ecology and Evolution at the University of Bern in Switzerland that was led by Eva Knop found out that nocturnal pollination can in fact be disrupted by artificial lighting.

As it is possible that light-sensitive insects have already disappeared in regions with high levels of light pollution, we conducted our study in the still relatively dark Prealps,” Knop said.

According to the study that the team conducted in the Bernese Prealps, the flowers on the meadows that were lighted with street lamps were visited two-thirds less frequently by pollinator insects like beetles and flies than those that were not illuminated by any sort of artificial light source.

Within the last 20 years, light emissions all over the world have increased around 70 percent, particularly in residential areas. At night time, around 300 insect species visited the flowers of around 60 plant species in rural meadows that have no artificial sources of lighting nearby, the research showed.

However, on meadows with experimentally set-up street lamps, nocturnal pollination that was happening in the area decreased by 62 percent, and the area was visited by 29 percent fewer pollinator species. (Related: Many invasive pests necessary for pollination of plants, eliminating them could cause global devastation.)

The study also found that the activity of nocturnal pollinators have an indirect effect on the activities of diurnal – or those who pollinate during the day – pollinators. This could be that due to the activity of nocturnal pollinators at night, diurnal pollinators are provided with more nutrition. Therefore, a loss in nocturnal pollination also spells a loss in day-time pollination.

Read up on more stories such as this one at HomeGardeningNews.com.

Sources include:

ScienceDaily.com

PerfScience.com

 



Take Action:
Support Natural News by linking to this article from your website.
Permalink to this article:
Copy
Embed article link:
Copy
Reprinting this article:
Non-commercial use is permitted with credit to NaturalNews.com (including a clickable link).
Please contact us for more information.
Free Email Alerts
Get independent news alerts on natural cures, food lab tests, cannabis medicine, science, robotics, drones, privacy and more.
App Store
Android App
eTrust Pro Certified

This site is part of the Natural News Network © 2022 All Rights Reserved. Privacy | Terms All content posted on this site is commentary or opinion and is protected under Free Speech. Truth Publishing International, LTD. is not responsible for content written by contributing authors. The information on this site is provided for educational and entertainment purposes only. It is not intended as a substitute for professional advice of any kind. Truth Publishing assumes no responsibility for the use or misuse of this material. Your use of this website indicates your agreement to these terms and those published here. All trademarks, registered trademarks and servicemarks mentioned on this site are the property of their respective owners.

This site uses cookies
Natural News uses cookies to improve your experience on our site. By using this site, you agree to our privacy policy.
Learn More
Close
Get 100% real, uncensored news delivered straight to your inbox
You can unsubscribe at any time. Your email privacy is completely protected.