Streetlights attract a broad array of beetle species

ABSTRACT Light pollution on ecosystems is a growing concern, and knowledge about the effects of outdoor lighting on organisms is crucial to understand and mitigate impacts. Here we build up on a previous study to characterize the diversity of all beetles attracted to different commonly used streetlight set ups. We find that lights attract beetles from a broad taxonomic and ecological spectrum. Lights that attract a large number of insect individuals draw an equally high number of insect species. While there is some evidence for heterogeneity in the preference of beetle species to different kinds of light, all species are more attracted to some light radiating ultraviolet. The functional basis of this heterogeneity, however, is not clear. Our results highlight that control of ultraviolet radiation in public lighting is important to reduce the number and diversity of insects attracted to lights.

Artificial lighting as a vector attractant and cause of disease diffusion.

BACKGROUND: Traditionally, epidemiologists have considered electrification to be a positive factor. In fact, electrification and plumbing are typical initiatives that represent the integration of an isolated population into modern society, ensuring the control of pathogens and promoting public health. Nonetheless, electrification is always accompanied by night lighting that attracts insect vectors and changes people's behavior. Although this may lead to new modes of infection and increased transmission of insect-borne diseases, epidemiologists rarely consider the role of night lighting in their surveys. OBJECTIVE: We reviewed the epidemiological evidence concerning the role of lighting in the spread of vector-borne diseases to encourage other researchers to consider it in future studies. DISCUSSION: We present three infectious vector-borne diseases-Chagas, leishmaniasis, and malaria-and discuss evidence that suggests that the use of artificial lighting results in behavioral changes among human populations and changes in the prevalence of vector species and in the modes of transmission. CONCLUSION: Despite a surprising lack of studies, existing evidence supports our hypothesis that artificial lighting leads to a higher risk of infection from vector-borne diseases. We believe that this is related not only to the simple attraction of traditional vectors to light sources but also to changes in the behavior of both humans and insects that result in new modes of disease transmission. Considering the ongoing expansion of night lighting in developing countries, additional research on this subject is urgently needed.

Atração de mosquitos (Diptera: Culicidae) por lâmpadas incandescentes e fluorescentes / Fluorescent and incandescent light attractiveness to mosquitos (Diptera: Culicidae)

Programas de eletrificação rural em áreas isoladas, implantados com base em instalações fotovoltaicas e tradicionais, introduziriam um novo fator antrópico, que levantam suspeitas de associação à transmissão de doenças por culicídeos. Para testar atratividade de mosquitos por diferentes tipos de lâmpadas, foram utilizadas duas armadilhas tipo New Jersey, uma com lâmpada incandescente de 40 watts, e a outra, provida de bulbo fluorescente, compacta e com reator eletrônico de cor de igual intensidade luminosa, de 9 watts, com luz de temperatura de 6.200 K. Essas armadilhas operaram em duas áreas, em tempo e locais padronizados, totalizando 11 coletas, no período de janeiro a abril de 2002. Os resultados mostram que a lâmpada fluorescente atraiu 1,3 vezes mais culicídeos em relação à incandescente nas duas áreas. Foram coletados no total 806 espécimes, destacando-se: Aedes albopictus Skuse, 1894, Ochlerotatus scapularis (Rondani, 1848), Anopheles albitarsis Lynch Arribálzaga, 1878, Culex (Culex) nigripalpus Theobald, 1901, entre outros. Sugere-se que sejam realizados estudos antes da efetivação de programas de eletrificação rural para avaliar as conseqüências epidemiológicas desses empreendimentos.