Artificial light reduces the orientation of insects. Why do they flutter in front of it?

2024-01-30 17:51:36

artificial light can impair the ability of insects to orient themselves correctlyaccording to a new study that shows that this type of lighting causes an erratic correction of the flight path of moths, dragonflies or fruit flies, causing them vertigo.

The research results are published in the journal Nature Communications and, according to the authors, could help understand why flying insects gather around of artificial lights.

It has been known for many years that the artificial light attracts flying insects and there are written records from the Roman Empire describing the use of light to catch insects. However, the reason for this phenomenon remains unclear, recalls a summary of the magazine.

The explanations of why nocturnal insects fly erratically around bonfires y lamps They have included proposals such as that they may interpret artificial light as an escape route or that the light source blinds them, but these theories do not contain 3D flight data to rigorously test them.

How did you investigate the behavior?

For try to clarify this strange behaviorthe teams of Samuel Fabian of Imperial College London and Yash Sondhi of Florida International University used high-speed infrared cameras to track three-dimensional flight of insects, both in their natural environment and under laboratory conditions.

Thus, they examined a series of insects – such as moths, dragonflies and fruit flies – in different lighting conditions, including ultraviolet, point and diffuse light sources.

Artificial and natural light

Contrary to what many think, the insects did not go directly towards the light sourcebut they corrected their course of flight by turning the back towards it, the authors describe in their article.

Con natural light sourcesthis answer makes the insect maintain a proper flight pathregular and controlled, correctly oriented with its horizon.

However, near artificial sourcesthis behavior – known as “dorsal light response” – can produce a continuous direction around the light and trap the insect, reducing your ability to orient yourself.

Artificial light causes erratic correction and continuous flight path, causing vertigo to the insect and producing what is seen as attraction to artificial light, the authors point out.

“Our guidance model shows that this dorsal inclination is sufficient to create the trajectories “seemingly erratic flight patterns of insects near lights and is the most plausible model to explain why flying insects congregate at artificial lights.”

However, the researchers conclude that More work examining long-distance effects is needed of artificial light, and remember that insect habitats can be improved by reducing unnecessary artificial lighting at night.