The widespread use of electric lighting has revolutionised society but brought unintended consequences, notably light pollution, impacting ecosystems and human circadian rhythms. Concerns about anthropogenic light at night (ALAN) have prompted innovative solutions, such as spectral tuning of light sources. In Europe, a recent focus involves the enforcement of red light in outdoor settings to minimise ALAN's impact, particularly on bats. This mini review synthesises literature to provide an overview of the advantages and disadvantages of the use of red light outdoors. There is a need for further examination of the potential ecological consequences of red light, considering challenges in lighting design functionality and broader impacts on diverse species.

Insects play a critical role in providing numerous ecosystem services. However, insect diversity and biomass have been declining dramatically, with artificial light being suggested as a contributing factor. Despite the importance of understanding the dose–effect responses of insects to light emissions, these responses have been rarely studied. We examined the dose–effect responses of the greater wax moth (Galleria mellonella L.) to different light intensities (14 treatments and a dark control) by observing their behavioural responses in a light-tight box equipped with a LED light source (4070 K) and infrared cameras. Our findings reveal dose–effect responses to light, as the frequency of walking on the light source increased with higher light intensity. Additionally, moths exhibited jumps in front of the light source and jump frequency increased with light intensity. No direct flight-to-light behaviour or activity suppression in response to light was observed. Based on our analysis of the dose–effect responses, we identified a threshold value of 60 cd/m2 for attraction (walking on the light source) and the frequency of jumps. The experimental design in this study offers a valuable tool for investigating dose–effect relationships and behavioural responses of various species to different light levels or specific light sources.

Anthropogenic light is ubiquitous in areas where humans are present and is showing a progressive increase worldwide. This has far-reaching consequences for most species and their ecosystems. The effects of anthropogenic light on natural ecosystems are highly variable and complex. Many species suffer from adverse effects and often respond in a highly specific manner. Ostensibly surveyable effects such as attraction and deterrence become complicated because these can depend on the type of behavior and specific locations. Here, we considered how solutions and new technologies could reduce the adverse effects of anthropogenic light. A simple solution to reducing and mitigating the ecological effects of anthropogenic light seems unattainable, because frugal lighting practices and turning off lights may be necessary to eliminate them.

The relative contribution of bryophytes to plant diversity, primary productivity, and ecosystem functioning increases towards colder climates. Bryophytes respond to environmental changes at the species level, but because bryophyte species are relatively difficult to identify, they are often lumped into one functional group. Consequently, bryophyte function remains poorly resolved. Here, we explore how higher resolution of bryophyte functional diversity can be encouraged and implemented in tundra ecological studies. We briefly review previous bryophyte functional classifications and the roles of bryophytes in tundra ecosystems and their susceptibility to environmental change. Based on shoot morphology and colony organization, we then propose twelve easily distinguishable bryophyte functional groups. To illustrate how bryophyte functional groups can help elucidate variation in bryophyte effects and responses, we compiled existing data on water holding capacity, a key bryophyte trait. Although plant functional groups can mask potentially high interspecific and intraspecific variability, we found better separation of bryophyte functional group means compared with previous grouping systems regarding water holding capacity. This suggests that our bryophyte functional groups truly represent variation in the functional roles of bryophytes in tundra ecosystems. Lastly, we provide recommendations to improve the monitoring of bryophyte community changes in tundra study sites. © 2022 Canadian Science Publishing

La contribution relative des bryophytes à la diversité végétale, à la productivité primaire et au fonctionnement des écosystèmes s’accroît vers les climats plus froids. Les bryophytes répondent aux changements environnementaux au niveau de l’espèce, mais puisque les espèces de bryophytes sont relativement difficiles à identifier, elles sont souvent regroupées en un seul groupe fonctionnel. Par conséquent, la fonction des bryophytes reste mal résolue. Les auteurs explorent ici comment une meilleure résolution de la diversité fonctionnelle des bryophytes peut être encouragée et mise en œuvre dans les études écologiques de la toundra. Ils passent brièvement en revue les classifications fonctionnelles précédentes des bryophytes et les rôles des bryophytes dans les écosystèmes de la toundra et leur sensibilité aux changements environnementaux. Sur la base de la morphologie des pousses et de l’organisation des colonies, ils proposent ensuite douze groupes fonctionnels de bryophytes faciles à distinguer. Pour illustrer comment les groupes fonctionnels de bryophytes peuvent aider à élucider la variation des effets et des réponses des bryophytes, ils ont compilé les données existantes sur la capacité de rétention d’eau, une caractéristique clé des bryophytes. Bien que les groupes fonctionnels de végétaux puissent masquer une variabilité interspécifique et intraspécifique potentiellement élevée, ils ont constaté une meilleure séparation des moyennes des groupes fonctionnels de bryophytes par rapport aux systèmes de regroupement précédents concernant la capacité de rétention d’eau. Cela suggère que les groupes fonctionnels de bryophytes proposés par les auteurs représentent réellement la variation des rôles fonctionnels des bryophytes dans les écosystèmes de la toundra. Enfin, ils formulent des recommandations pour améliorer la surveillance des changements de la communauté bryophyte dans les sites d’étude de la toundra. [Traduit par la Rédaction]

Global warming is expected to have large impacts on high alpine and Arctic ecosystems in the future. Here we report effects of 18 years of experimental warming on two contrasting high alpine plant communities in subarctic Sweden. Using open-top chambers, we analysed effects of long-term passive experimental warming on a heath and a meadow. We determined the impact on species composition, species diversity (at the level of rare, common and dominant species), and phylogenetic and functional diversity. Long-term warming drove differentiation in species composition in both communities; warmed plots, but not control plots, had distinctly different species composition in 2013 compared with 1995. Beta diversity increased in the meadow, while it decreased in the heath. Long-term warming had significant negative effects on the three orders of phylogenetic Hill diversity in the meadow. There was a similar tendency in the heath, but only phylogenetic diversity of dominant species was significantly affected. Long-term warming caused reductions in forbs in the heath, while evergreen shrubs increased. In the meadow, deciduous and evergreen shrubs showed increased abundance from 2001 to 2013 in warmed plots. Responses in species and phylogenetic diversity to experimental warming varied over both time (medium (7 years) vs long-term (18 years)) and space (between two neighbouring plant communities). The meadow community was more negatively affected in terms of species and phylogenetic diversity than the heath community. A potential driver for the changes in the meadow may be decreased soil moisture caused by long-term warming. © 2021

Shipping is regarded as an important vector for aquatic non-indigenous species (ANIS) worldwide. Less attention has been paid to its role in relation to environmental and economic causes of introduction and establishment, the knowledge of which is necessary to assess effects of changes in regulations on shipping. The purpose of this study was to estimate the impact of shipping on the incidence of ANIS in the Baltic Sea compared with environmental and economic factors. To this end, a production function was estimated with count data on ANIS (response variable) and shipping, environmental and economic factors as explanatory variables. Regression results from different regression models showed that shipping has a significant impact on ANIS incidence and can account for up to 38% of the number of ANIS in the sea. Predictions of the impact of measures implementing the Convention for the Control and Management of Ships' Ballast Water and Sediment indicated a reduction by 17% in the number of ANIS, which was counteracted by an expected increase in shipping traffic. © 2022

Circular economy is becoming an important topic for lighting design, research, and industry. Recent legislation, like the EU's ecodesign regulation, has established circularity, reparability, and recyclability as requirements for the industry. This article investigates what happens at the end-of-life stages of lighting products through questionnaires and interviews conducted with experts in Sweden and France. The focus is on understand the impact of the new EU requirements on industrial practice in France and Sweden. Moreover, the article provides ideas for practical improvement of both product recyclability and waste handling of luminaires and light sources. © 2022 IEEE

Alpine and polar regions are predicted to be among the most vulnerable to changes in temperature, precipitation, and nutrient availability. We carried out a seven-year factorial experiment with warming and nutrient addition in two alpine vegetation communities. We analyzed the relationship between fruit production and monthly mean, maximum, and min temperatures during the fall of the pre-fruiting year, the fruiting summer, and the whole fruit production period, and measured the effects of precipitation and growing and thawing degree days (GDD & TDD) on fruit production. Nutrient addition (heath: 27.88 ± 3.19 fold change at the end of the experiment; meadow: 18.02 ± 4.07) and combined nutrient addition and warming (heath: 20.63 ± 29.34 fold change at the end of the experiment; meadow: 18.21 ± 16.28) increased total fruit production and fruit production of graminoids. Fruit production of evergreen and deciduous shrubs fluctuated among the treatments and years in both the heath and meadow. Pre-maximum temperatures had a negative effect on fruit production in both communities, while current year maximum temperatures had a positive impact on fruit production in the meadow. Pre-minimum, pre-mean, current mean, total minimum, and total mean temperatures were all positively correlated with fruit production in the meadow. The current year and total precipitation had a negative effect on the fruit production of deciduous shrubs in the heath. GDD had a positive effect on fruit production in both communities, while TDD only impacted fruit production in the meadow. Increased nutrient availability increased fruit production over time in the high alpine plant communities, while experimental warming had either no effect or a negative effect. Deciduous shrubs were the most sensitive to climate parameters in both communities, and the meadow was more sensitive than the heath. The difference in importance of TDD for fruit production may be due to differences in snow cover in the two communities. © 2022 The Authors