| Title: | Method to improve the survival of night-swarming mayflies near bridges in areas of distracting light pollution |
| Author(s): | Egri A; Szaz D; Farkas A; Pereszlenyi A; Horvath G; Kriska G; |
| Address: | "MTA Centre for Ecological Research, Danube Research Institute, 1113 Budapest, Karolina ut 29-31, Hungary. Environmental Optics Laboratory, Department of Biological Physics, Physical Institute, ELTE Eotvos Lorand University, 1117 Budapest, Pazmany setany 1, Hungary. Department of Zoology, Hungarian Natural History Museum, Bird Collection, 1083 Budapest, Ludovika ter 2-6, Hungary. Group for Methodology in Biology Teaching, Biological Institute, ELTE Eotvos Lorand University, 1117 Budapest, Pazmany setany 1, Hungary" |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 2054-5703 (Print) 2054-5703 (Electronic) 2054-5703 (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "Numerous negative ecological effects of urban lighting have been identified during the last decades. In spite of the development of lighting technologies, the detrimental effect of this form of light pollution has not declined. Several insect species are affected including the night-swarming mayfly Ephoron virgo: when encountering bridges during their mass swarming, these mayflies often fall victim to artificial lighting. We show a simple method for the conservation of these mayflies exploiting their positive phototaxis. With downstream-facing light-emitting diode beacon lights above two tributaries of the river Danube, we managed to guide egg-laying females to the water and prevent them from perishing outside the river near urban lights. By means of measuring the mayfly outflow from the river as a function of time and the on/off state of the beacons, we showed that the number of mayflies exiting the river's area was practically zero when our beacons were operating. Tributaries could be the sources of mayfly recolonization in case of water quality degradation of large rivers. The protection of mayfly populations in small rivers and safeguarding their aggregation and oviposition sites is therefore important" |
| Keywords: | Ephoron virgo ecological light traps light pollution nature conservation phototaxis visual ecology; |
| Notes: | "PubMed-not-MEDLINEEgri, Adam Szaz, Denes Farkas, Alexandra Pereszlenyi, Adam Horvath, Gabor Kriska, Gyorgy eng England 2018/01/02 R Soc Open Sci. 2017 Nov 15; 4(11):171166. doi: 10.1098/rsos.171166. eCollection 2017 Nov" |
