Hawkmoth Pollination Under Artificial Light: Examining the Impacts on Foraging, Floral Visitation, and Reproductive Success
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Artificial light pollution has emerged as an aggravating environmental issue, particularly affecting nocturnalpollinators like hawkmoths. These insects are essential for plant reproduction by enabling nocturnal pollination.Nonetheless, heightened artificial lighting interferes with their foraging behavior, diminishes floral visitationrates, and adversely affects plant reproductive success. This systematic analysis analyzes the impact of artificiallight on hawkmoth pollination, focusing on foraging efficiency, pollination rates, and species-specific effects. Inaccordance with the PRISMA criteria, pertinent papers published in the past five years were examined toconsolidate essential data about the influence of light intensity and spectral composition on nocturnal pollination.The analysis indicates that artificial illumination reduces flower visitation by as much as 62%, with increased lightintensities and short-wavelength lights (such as blue and white LEDs) producing the greatest interference.Pollination efficacy declines by 30–40% in light-exposed flora, resulting in reduced seed and fruit yield in speciessuch as Oenothera biennis, Datura wrightii, and Agave palmeri. These findings underscore the imperativenecessity for conservation strategies, such as reducing artificial light intensity, transitioning to red-spectrumillumination, and enforcing light curfews in critical pollination environments.
Authors: Jennica Joy Lopena, Mikaela Loraine Jermice, Ashley Gabrielle A. Robis, Gecelene C. Estorico
Language: English
Subfield: Global and Planetary Change
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W6912142841
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