Artificial Light at Night as a Driver of Evolution Across Urban–Rural Landscapes

Title

Artificial Light at Night as a Driver of Evolution Across Urban–Rural Landscapes

Identifier

fac_pubs/47

Date

9/13/2018

Abstract

Light is fundamental to biological systems, affecting the daily rhythms of bacteria, plants, and animals. Artificial light at night ( ALAN ), a ubiquitous feature of urbanization, interferes with these rhythms and has the potential to exert strong selection pressures on organisms living in urban environments. ALAN also fragments landscapes, altering the movement of animals into and out of artificially lit habitats. Although research has documented phenotypic and genetic differentiation between urban and rural organisms, ALAN has rarely been considered as a driver of evolution. We argue that the fundamental importance of light to biological systems, and the capacity for ALAN to influence multiple processes contributing to evolution, makes this an important driver of evolutionary change, one with the potential to explain broad patterns of population differentiation across urban–rural landscapes. Integrating ALAN ’ s evolutionary potential into urban ecology is a targeted and powerful approach to understanding the capacity for life to adapt to an increasingly urbanized world.

Publisher

The Ecological Society of America

Language

eng

Type

Text; Image; StillImage

department or school name within institution

Biology

Source

Frontiers in Ecology & the Environment

volume

16

issue

8

page start

472

page end

479

note

Copyright by the Ecological Society of America.

funded by

Supported by an Australian Research Council (DP150101191) grant.

Creator

Jennifer L. Hughes

Debi Brannan

Bradley Cannon

Amber M. Anthenien

Subject

artificial

light

night

evolution

urban

rural

ALAN