The impact of Artificial Light at Night (ALAN) on moths (Lepidoptera, Heterocera): A Review of the Literature
Description
The impact of Artificial Light At Night (ALAN) is increasingly recognised as a critical environmental issue, particularly for nocturnal insects such as Lepidoptera Heterocera. To identify key knowledge gaps, we carried out a systematic review of the scientific literature focusing specifically on the effects of ALAN on nocturnal Lepidoptera. Our review encompassed 286 studies, which were categorised according to document type, research methodology, and study objectives. We present here the dataset derived from this literature review (Dataset_S1). Studies were classified based on the taxonomic focus and primary research aim (application, effect, or physiological response). Further categorisation was conducted to determine the level of biological organisation targeted by the research (single species, species group, or community), as well as the type of study (review, laboratory-based, field-based, or combined laboratory and field). For studies addressing Lepidoptera Heterocera in particular, we also recorded the life stage investigated (larval, pupal, adult, or multiple stages). Given the specific objective of this research to focus on nocturnal Lepidoptera, we further categorised the type of effect reported in studies addressing this group (Table_S2). The dataset details the nature of the reported effects (positive, negative, or null), classifying each publication according to the life stage investigated (larval, pupal, adult, or multiple stages) and the research context (field-based or laboratory-based). Moreover, we included a brief description of the observed effects and provided abbreviated citations of the respective authors.
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This systematic review was conducted using the Web of Science (last accessed on April 08, 2024) across all datasets available, adhering to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) protocol. We investigated the existing literature using all possible combinations of the following keywords: light pollution, ALAN, artificial light*, night-time lighting and insect*, moth*, Lepidoptera Heterocera, larva*, larva* instar, caterpillar*, preimmaginal stage. Material was collected by separating the keywords with the operator “AND”, and using the asterisk for the words in plural form or when necessary to include all possible variations of the specific words used. Only English-language scientific articles were considered, with a focus on most academic journals. Moreover, no temporal limit was set in the research in order to consider a broad spectrum of publications. The research scheme adopted was characterised by increasing complexity from the first words to the last. In fact, the review started with the combination “insect* AND light*” which includes all the results concerning a large order and different types of light. The research proceeded by including more specific words with the aim of examining the literature at different levels of depth and specificity. Following the PRISMA protocol, during the second stage, data processing involved rigorous and manual screening of the scientific articles found. We removed off-topic papers by checking and reading the abstracts. Consequently, the abstracts of papers in this sample were read to separate the articles that had elements concerning our purposes and were able to answer the research questions.
Institutions
- Universita degli Studi di Torino Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita e Biologia dei Sistemi