Light pollution affects activity differentially across breeding stages in an urban exploiter: An experiment in the house sparrow (Passer domesticus)

May 1, 2024Environmental pollution (Barking, Essex : 1987)

Light pollution changes activity differently during breeding stages in urban house sparrows

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Abstract

Captive House sparrows were active earlier in the morning when exposed to artificial light at night (ALAN).

The time of first activity (TFA) was significantly earlier for sparrows exposed to ALAN during pre-breeding and chick-rearing stages.
There was no difference in the time of last activity (TLA) between sparrows exposed to ALAN and control birds.
The effect of ALAN on TFA did not persist throughout the entire breeding season, indicating possible habituation.
ALAN did not affect reproductive performance metrics such as laying date, clutch size, hatching, or fledging success.
Findings suggest that ALAN may not severely impact reproduction in house sparrows when food availability is sufficient.

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Artificial Light At Night (ALAN) is a major urban perturbation, which can have detrimental effects on wildlife. Recent urban planning has led to an increased use of white light emission diodes (LEDs) in cities. However, little is known about the effects of this type of ALAN on wild vertebrates, especially during reproduction. We designed an experiment to test the impact of ALAN on the activity rhythms (daily time of first activity (TFA) and time of last activity (TLA)) of captive House sparrows (Passer domesticus) during several reproductive stages (from pre-breeding to post-breeding). We also tested the impact of ALAN on reproductive performance (laying date, clutch size, hatching and fledging success). Experimental birds were active earlier in the morning (earlier TFA) relative to controls although experimental and control birds did not differ in their TLA. The effect of ALAN on TFA was apparent during specific stages only (pre-breeding and chick-rearing stages), suggesting that sparrows actively adjust their activity in response to ALAN only during specific periods. This impact of ALAN on activity did not persist through the whole breeding season, suggesting that sparrows may habituate to ALAN. Alternatively, they may not be able to sustain a long-term increased activity in response to ALAN because of sleep deprivation and related physiological costs. Finally, we did not find any impact of ALAN on the reproductive performance of captive house sparrows held under optimal conditions. This suggests that ALAN may not be dramatically detrimental to the reproduction of this urban exploiter, at least when food availability is not constraining.

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Light pollution affects activity differentially across breeding stages in an urban exploiter: An experiment in the house sparrow (Passer domesticus)

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