To reduce the impacts of outdoor lighting on birds, research should investigate how spectral composition of white light influences bird attraction, orientation, and habitat selection.Īrtificial light is growing worldwide, with diverse biological and ecological impacts. The efficacy of lasers as deterrents could be evaluated through systematic review, though more studies are needed for UV/violet lasers. Further experiments should investigate whether specific types of light can reduce collisions by increasing the detectability of structures with artificial lights.
There may be sufficient evidence for a review of the weather and lunar conditions associated with collisions, which could help identify nights when reduction of artificial light is most important. Our database can be used to answer the secondary questions we identified and other questions about the effects of artificial light on bird movement and resulting changes to distribution. We identified 56 distinct response variables and organized them into 3 categories (behaviour, distribution, and avian community), showing the diversity in bird responses to light. Much of the evidence was concentrated in particular locations (Northern hemisphere), taxonomic orders ( Passeriformes, Charadriiformes, and others), and light wavelengths (red and white). We manually screened 26,208 articles and coded meta-data for 490 eligible studies in a searchable database, organizing the literature to facilitate future reviews and evidence-based management. We used these meta-data to identify relevant evidence for each secondary question and describe aspects of our secondary questions that may support reviews (evidence clusters) and others that require more research (knowledge gaps). We evaluated the quantity of available evidence based on meta-data fields related to study context, population traits, light source characteristics, and outcome variables. In our map, we included all studies reporting eligible populations (birds), interventions/exposures (artificial light), and outcomes (movement through space, behaviour preceding movement, or distribution). We searched multidisciplinary citation indices as well as databases and websites specific to conservation, pest management, transportation, and energy. Using the principles of systematic reviews and methods published in an earlier protocol, we conducted an extensive and interdisciplinary literature search. We identify and describe the evidence available for four secondary questions relevant to conservation or management: aggregation/mortality at structures with artificial lights, evidence that light attracts and/or disorients birds, light-based deterrent efficacy, and the influence of continuous illumination on habitat selection. Our systematic map provides a comprehensive, searchable database of evidence of the effects of artificial light on bird movement and distribution, increasing both the quantity and diversity of studies that are accessible for further comparison and synthesis. Studies documenting aggregation, deterrence, and habitat selection are typically considered separate literature bodies, but they actually study a common set of populations, interventions/exposures, and responses. Artificial light can also change birds’ perceptions of habitat quality, resulting in selection or avoidance of illuminated areas. In other contexts, birds are repelled by light-based deterrents, including lasers and spotlights.
Birds flying at night are known to aggregate around artificial light and collide with illuminated objects, which may result from attraction and/or disorientation. Artificial light is ubiquitous in the built environment with many known or suspected impacts on birds.
0 kommentar(er)
