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Artificial light at night not only alters the landscape, but also profoundly disrupts natural ecosystems. A recent study by the RPTU University Kaiserslautern-Landau shows that light pollution can significantly disrupt the exchange of energy and nutrients between bodies of water and their surrounding habitats – sometimes even more than non-native species. Thus, lighting along riverbanks or streams can have far-reaching ecological consequences. The results were published in the journal “Functional Ecology“.
Increasing human activity along rivers and streams disrupts the natural connections between water and land. In particular, artificial light at night, such as from street lighting, is increasing sharply worldwide. At the same time, invasive species such as the signal crayfish native to North America, are spreading further into European rivers and streams. These factors are major stressors for freshwater ecosystems, with consequences that extend beyond the water bodies themselves.
To investigate this issue, the researchers examined how nighttime lighting and invasive signal crayfish affect the feeding behavior of predatory spiders along the banks. These spiders are a key part of terrestrial food webs and primarily feed on insects that emerge from the water. "Our results show that human interventions in aquatic ecosystems can have far-reaching effects on adjacent terrestrial ecosystems," emphasizes lead author and environmental scientist Collins Ogbeide.
For their study, the research team used a specialized experimental facility in Landau featuring 16 artificial streams and adjacent riparian zones that realistically simulate interconnected aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Using nitrogen and carbon isotopes, which are well-suited for studying food webs, the researchers tracked the transport of energy and nutrients between the two habitats: water and land.
The results showed that, while aquatic prey accounted for a large portion of the spiders’ diet in both the control group and under light pollution and the presence of invasive crayfish, light pollution significantly altered the composition of the diet. Under nighttime lighting, the spiders consumed a greater variety of prey. The invasive signal crayfish also altered its feeding behavior under light pollution, feeding more heavily on chironomid larvae and small crustaceans (gammarids). This increased predation pressure on chironomid larvae affects spiders on land by reducing the hatching of these insects. Overall, light pollution had a significantly greater impact on food webs than the invasive species.
"The results make it clear that light pollution has been underestimated as an environmental factor, especially against the backdrop of increasing urbanization and infrastructure development along riverbanks," explains environmental scientist Ralf Schulz.
"It significantly alters the flow of energy and the transport of nutrients between water and land, even when other stressors, such as invasive species, are present." Artificial lighting affects not only individual species, but also entire ecosystem connections.
"This study provides valuable insights for nature conservation and water management," says Ogbeide. In an increasingly urbanized world, seemingly local interventions, such as lighting along riverbanks, can have far-reaching ecological consequences. The researchers say that light pollution should be better considered in conservation and planning measures to preserve biodiversity along rivers and streams over the long term.
Ralf Schulz
RPTU University Kaiserslautern-Landau (RPTU)
Institute of Environmental Sciences (iES) Landau
+49 (0) 6341 280-31327
r.schulz@rptu.de
Ogbeide, C., Arias, M., Bollinger, E., Burgazzi, G., Burgis, F., Manfrin, A., Schirmel, J., Schreiner, V. C., Bundschuh, M., & Schulz, R. (2026). "Artificial Light at Night and Invasive Signal Crayfish Alter Aquatic-Terrestrial Food Webs." Functional Ecology. DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.70335
https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1365-2435.70335
Lighting along riverbanks or streams at night disrupts the exchange of energy and nutrients between ...
Quelle: Kerstin Theilmann
Copyright: RPTU
In a globally unique experimental facility, researchers in Landau are studying the interaction betwe ...
Quelle: Hans-Georg Merkel
Copyright: RPTU, Hans-Georg Merkel
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