light at night affects stress levels

What is it about?

Artificial lighting replaces natural nighttime darkness worldwide. Government agencies, companies, and scientists are increasingly interested in finding lighting sources that are pleasing for humans but also environmentally friendly. Using different colors of light might solve this problem. We tested if different light colors affected stress hormones in a small songbird. We found that under white light, stress hormone levels were much higher than in dark, green and red light. Also, in red light, the effect declined with distance to the light source. Therefore, using different light colors might minimize negative effects from artificial light.

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Why is it important?

These results are a first step into gaining insight on how different light colors affect individual physiology in the wild. The effects of light might be diminished by using a different light color. Therefore, we can use these results for urban planning in addition to understanding the mechanisms that regulate circadian function.