Fireflies

Fireflies communicate through bioluminescence, or the light they emit. Their light is mostly used to attract mates but is also a form of communication for other purposes, such as warning about predation. With the addition of artificial light into their landscapes, their mating ritual is disrupted putting the species at risk.

Try this with your students or other learners:

One way to demonstrate this is to use twinkling fairy lights. In the dark, people can view the twinkling. Add in a light source, such as a lamp and discuss how seeing the twinkling lights changes.

Tree Frogs

Tree frog populations are at risk, as these mostly nocturnal animals are exposed to light pollution. Males sing their mating call in the dark. Scientists have discovered that in the presence of light at night, they stop or lessen their calls. Without the calls, the frogs are not reproducing.

Try this with your students or other learners:

To demonstrate this, play sound only when the lights are off and enjoy the beauty of it. Add in an additional light source and notice how the sound lessens or disappears entirely. Discuss how this changes the landscape. Consider asking:

• How does the change in sound affect the way you perceive the environment?
• What other sounds may be in the landscape? Do you think any indicate a healthy ecosystem? Why or why not?
• As populations grow, how would the addition of noise pollution potentially impact the tree frogs?
• What long term impacts could come from this change?

Sea Turtles

When sea turtle hatchlings hatch on the beach, they have to find their way to the ocean. They use the light of the moon to direct them. With the addition of artificial light, hatchlings are led in different directions which makes them more likely to get disoriented, dehydrated, and predated on.

Try this with your students or other learners:

People can experience what this would be like through a simulation where everybody spreads out in an open space and closes their eyes. Turning off all the lights, instruct participants to follow the light when told to do so. Simulate both scenarios: one being multiple lights (representing the presence of multiple light sources) and another time just one light (the moon). Discuss how this changes where they end up going. 

Bats

Nocturnal animals, like bats, rely heavily on the darkness of night. Artificial light delays bat emergence and therefore feeding. Lights can also increase bats’ exposure to predators or cause them to have to move roosts if a new light is added in a previously dark place. These risks threaten bats and their habitats.

Try this with your students or other learners:

To demonstrate the increased risk of predation, a camouflage exercise can be done. Using a photograph of a well camouflaged bat or a backdrop with a bat silhouette that exhibits their camouflage abilities. Add in a light and observe how that impacts seeing the bat.