Mitigating light pollution impacts on arthropods based on light‐emitting diode properties

Nicola van Koppenhagen; Martin M. Gossner; Jörg Haller; Janine Bolliger

doi:10.1111/cobi.70137

journal article Open Access Aug 24, 2025

Mitigating light pollution impacts on arthropods based on light‐emitting diode properties

Nicola van Koppenhagen

Martin M. Gossner

Jörg Haller Janine Bolliger

Conservation Biology Vol. 40 No. 1 · Wiley

View at Publisher Save 10.1111/cobi.70137

Abstract

Abstract
Light pollution from artificial light at night (ALAN) is a significant environmental problem with far‐reaching consequences for ecological systems. Recent innovations in light‐emitting diode (LED) technology may offer sustainable outdoor lighting solutions, but scientific evidence is lacking. We investigated the effects of various LED lighting properties (color temperature, light intensity, and luminaire shape), individually and in combination, on flight‐active and ground‐dwelling arthropods. We therefore conducted a field experiment at 3 forest field sites in Switzerland with standardized LED streetlights. Over the course of 3 summers, we monitored flight‐active insects and ground‐dwelling arthropods with automated flight‐interception and pitfall traps. The absence of light reduced the number of arthropods caught by 91%. However, when lighting was necessary, dimming lights by 50% and using focused luminaires resulted in reductions of 22% and 42%, respectively. Light color influenced arthropod responses only when combined with dimming. Our results underscore the ecological benefits of darkness and the complex interactions among lighting properties. An optimized combination of these properties, particularly well‐focused and dimmed LED luminaires, represents a practical and effective measure to reduce the ecological impacts of ALAN and promote the conservation of nocturnal species.

Topics

No keywords indexed for this article. Browse by subject →

References

62

[1]

Bartoń K.(2024).MuMIn: Multi‐model inference(Version 1.48.4).https://cran.r‐project.org/web/packages/MuMIn/index.html

[2]

Fitting Linear Mixed-Effects Models Using lme4

Douglas Bates, Martin Mächler, Ben Bolker et al.

Journal of Statistical Software 10.18637/jss.v067.i01

[3]

10.1111/1365-2664.13240

[4]

R Packages for Analyzing Spatial Data: A Comparative Case Study with Areal Data

Roger Bivand

Geographical Analysis 10.1111/gean.12319

[5]

10.1371/journal.pone.0229476

[6]

10.1016/j.baae.2022.07.002

[7]

10.1007/s10841-020-00235-1

[8]

10.1016/j.baae.2020.06.003

[9]

10.1111/icad.12476

[10]

10.1016/j.isci.2023.106203

[11]

10.1111/1365-2664.14284

[12]

10.1111/gcb.13615

[13]

10.1016/j.rser.2014.02.029

[14]

10.1038/s42003-024-06304-4

[15]

10.1002/jez.2188

[16]

10.1038/s41467-024-44785-3

[17]

Exposure to Artificial Light at Night and the Consequences for Flora, Fauna, and Ecosystems

Jack Falcón, Alicia Torriglia, Dina Attia et al.

Frontiers in Neuroscience 10.3389/fnins.2020.602796

[18]

10.1016/j.baae.2018.07.005

[19]

10.1098/rstb.2014.0133

[20]

Impact of artificial light at night on diurnal plant-pollinator interactions

Simone Giavi, Colin Fontaine, Eva Knop

Nature Communications 10.1038/s41467-021-22011-8

[21]

10.1111/aab.12440

[22]

10.1371/journal.pone.0185809

[23]

10.3389/fevo.2023.1206404

[24]

Hartig F. Lohse L. &leite M. d. S.(2024).DHARMa: Residual diagnostics for hierarchical (multi‐level /mixed) regression models(Version 0.4.7).https://cran.r‐project.org/web/packages/DHARMa/index.html

[25]

10.1111/j.1365-2656.2012.02003.x

[26]

10.3389/fevo.2021.767177

[27]

10.1016/j.tree.2010.09.007

[28]

10.1126/science.adg3173

[29]

Ambient lighting, use of outdoor spaces and perceptions of public safety: evidence from a survey experiment

Jacob Kaplan, Aaron Chalfin

Security Journal 10.1057/s41284-021-00296-0

[30]

10.1016/j.cois.2022.100950

[31]

10.1002/ps.5536

[32]

Artificial light at night as a new threat to pollination

Eva Knop, Leana Zoller, Remo Ryser et al.

Nature 10.1038/nature23288

[33]

10.1093/icb/icab149

[34]

10.1126/science.abq7781

[35]

10.1126/sciadv.1701528

[36]

10.1111/j.2041-210x.2010.00062.x

[37]

10.1038/s43017-024-00555-9

[38]

10.1016/j.baae.2023.09.002

[39]

10.1890/1540-9295(2004)002[0191:elp]2.0.co;2

[40]

performance: An R Package for Assessment, Comparison and Testing of Statistical Models

Daniel Lüdecke, Mattan Ben-Shachar, Indrajeet Patil et al.

The Journal of Open Source Software 10.21105/joss.03139

[41]

10.1042/etls20190134

[42]

10.1080/10511253.2019.1656757

[43]

10.1111/oik.04696

[44]

10.3389/fenvs.2017.00061

[45]

Oksanen J. Simpson G. L. Blanchet F. G. Kindt R. Legendre P. Minchin P. R. O'Hara R. B. Solymos P. Stevens M. H. H. Szoecs E. Wagner H. Barbour M. Bedward M. Bolker B. Borcard D. Carvalho G. Chirico M. Caceres M. D. Durand S. …Weedon J.(2024).vegan: Community ecology package(Version 2.6‐8).https://cran.r‐project.org/web/packages/vegan/index.html

[46]

10.1016/j.cois.2024.101276

[47]

10.1016/j.biocon.2019.108259

[48]

10.1007/s00442-022-05189-6

[49]

10.1002/ece3.4557

[50]

10.1098/rsos.180205

Showing 50 of 62 references

Metrics

2

Citations

62

References

Details

Published: Aug 24, 2025
Vol/Issue: 40(1)
License: View

Authors

N

Nicola van Koppenhagen

Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL Birmensdorf Switzerland

M

Martin M. Gossner

Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL Birmensdorf Switzerland; Department of Environmental Systems Science, Institute of Terrestrial Ecosystems ETH Zurich Zurich Switzerland

J

Jörg Haller

EKZ Zurich Switzerland

J

Janine Bolliger

Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL Birmensdorf Switzerland; Department of Geography University of Zürich Zurich Switzerland

Cite This Article

Nicola van Koppenhagen, Martin M. Gossner, Jörg Haller, et al. (2025). Mitigating light pollution impacts on arthropods based on light‐emitting diode properties. Conservation Biology, 40(1). https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.70137

Mitigating light pollution impacts on arthropods based on light‐emitting diode properties

You May Also Like