Some Firefly Species Await a Night That Never Comes (nytimes.com) 9
A study found that while some fireflies shrugged off light pollution, members of other species failed to mate even when males and females could find each other. From a report: As dusk deepens the shadow at the forest's edge, a tiny beacon lights up the gloom. Soon, the twilight is full of drifting lights, each winking a message in peculiar semaphore: "Male seeks female for brief union." This courtship plays out on summer nights the world over among beetles of the Lampyridae family, commonly known as fireflies. The darkness in which fireflies have always pursued their liaisons, however, has been breached by the glare of artificial lights. Humans' love affair with illumination has led to much of the Earth's habitable surfaces suffering light pollution at night. In recent years, scientists who study fireflies have heard from people who are worried that the insects may be in decline, said Avalon Owens, an entomologist at Tufts University. "There's this sense of doom. They seem to not be in places where they used to be," she said.
So little is known about how fireflies live that it is hard to assess whether they are in danger -- and if so, why, said Dr. Owens. But in a study published Wednesday in the journal Royal Society Open Science, she and Sara Lewis, a professor of biology at Tufts University, shone some light on how fireflies respond to artificial illumination. Experiments in forests and fields as well as the lab showed that while some North American fireflies would mate with wild abandon, regardless of illumination, others did not complete a single successful mating under the glare of the lights. Fireflies seem to rely primarily on flashes of light to find each other, which means light pollution could threaten their ability to see mates. In the four common species the study examines, the females hide on the ground and observe as males wander the skies. When a female responds to a male's flashing with her own, the two enter into a dialogue that can end in a meeting, and eventually mating.
So little is known about how fireflies live that it is hard to assess whether they are in danger -- and if so, why, said Dr. Owens. But in a study published Wednesday in the journal Royal Society Open Science, she and Sara Lewis, a professor of biology at Tufts University, shone some light on how fireflies respond to artificial illumination. Experiments in forests and fields as well as the lab showed that while some North American fireflies would mate with wild abandon, regardless of illumination, others did not complete a single successful mating under the glare of the lights. Fireflies seem to rely primarily on flashes of light to find each other, which means light pollution could threaten their ability to see mates. In the four common species the study examines, the females hide on the ground and observe as males wander the skies. When a female responds to a male's flashing with her own, the two enter into a dialogue that can end in a meeting, and eventually mating.
No sex in cites suburbs or highways. (Score:2)
I hate to add this, cause it is sarcasm, and many may not get it.
If the general area votes red, I think fireflys are getting it on fine, no woke fireflys.
Re: (Score:2)
Fireflys are doing fine.
Joss Whedon: "What?" :-)
You're mistaken. (Score:1)
Firefly fans await a reboot that never comes. (Score:3)
Firefly fans await a reboot that never comes, too. That's a lot easier to fix than light pollution, and probably a lot more interesting to Slashdot readers. :-)
But seriously, light pollution is bad for a lot of reasons. It's bad for human sleep patterns, bad for stargazing, bad for animals, bad for plants.... At some point, we need to recognize that lights should be used indoors and on cars, and that's about it. If you're a pedestrian, don't be out at night, but if you have to be out at night, wear something light and reflective. Don't put bright street lights out all along the road just in case. Don't put bright signs in front of your business to get attention. And so on.
Re: (Score:2)
There's been multiple systematic evidence reviews published in recent years strongly supporting a correlation between light pollution and breast cancer, although there's obvious confounding factors.
Systematic reviews also support the association of circadian disruption with obesity.
Nike: "Just do it!" (Score:1)
Being a horny bastard has evolutionary advantages at times.
Re: (Score:1)
Addendum
Or slut.
Evolution (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Evolution happens when there's some breeding. If there's no breeding, then they just die out. And even if there's some breeding, if it is too low, you end up with non-viable populations or populations that are susceptible to predators and disease taking out the small remaining group. Not to mention the follow on effects on other species that depend upon fireflys for food.
Since this is specified as zero breeding events under lights, it is far more than just selection pressure.