In collaboration with my graduate student Kylee Grenis, we are studying how light pollution affects moth (Lepidoptera) communities. Light pollution is a global disturbance with important impacts on a wide variety of organisms, but our understanding of these impacts is restricted to relatively few higher vertebrate species. We have found that artificial light from streetlights alters a number of plant traits and may facilitate invasion of natural areas by exotic species (Murphy et al. in review). We also found evidence of both indirect and direct effects of light pollution on an invertebrate herbivore, which indicates that streetlights can have cascading impacts on multiple trophic levels (Grenis and Murphy, 2019).
Although we find that streetlights affect bottom-up selective pressures on Lepidoptera, we have not found any effect of streetlights on top-down selective pressures, such as predation, in our system (Grenis et al. 2015). Our research suggests that light pollution can alter a variety of species interactions and thus may have important community-wide consequences on both moths and plants (Grenis et al., in review, Murphy et al. in review, Vyas et al. in preparation).
Relevant Publications
Murphy, S. M., D. K. Vyas¶, A. A. Sher, and K. Grenis*. 2022. Light pollution affects invasive and native plant traits important to plant competition and herbivorous insects. Biological Invasions 24:599-602.
Murphy, S. M., D. K. Vyas¶, J. L. Hoffman, C. S. Jenck*, B. A. Washburn*, K. E. Hunnicutt*, A. Davidson*, J. M. Andersen*, R. K. Bennet*, A. Gifford§, M. Herrera§, B. Lawler§, S. Lorman§, V. Peacock§, L. Walker§, E. Watkins§, L. Wilkinson§, Z. Williams§, and R. M. Tinghitella. In Press. Streetlights positively affect the presence of an invasive grass species. Ecology and Evolution 11(15) 10320-10326.
*A blog post about this paper can be found here: Vyas et al. 2021
Grenis, K.* and S. M. Murphy. 2019. Direct and indirect effects of light pollution on the performance of an herbivorous insect. Insect Science 26: 770-776.
Grenis, K.*, B. Tjossem** and S. M. Murphy. 2015. Predation of larval Lepidoptera in habitat fragments varies spatially and temporally but is not affected by light pollution. Journal of Insect Conservation 19:559-566.
Although we find that streetlights affect bottom-up selective pressures on Lepidoptera, we have not found any effect of streetlights on top-down selective pressures, such as predation, in our system (Grenis et al. 2015). Our research suggests that light pollution can alter a variety of species interactions and thus may have important community-wide consequences on both moths and plants (Grenis et al., in review, Murphy et al. in review, Vyas et al. in preparation).
Relevant Publications
Murphy, S. M., D. K. Vyas¶, A. A. Sher, and K. Grenis*. 2022. Light pollution affects invasive and native plant traits important to plant competition and herbivorous insects. Biological Invasions 24:599-602.
Murphy, S. M., D. K. Vyas¶, J. L. Hoffman, C. S. Jenck*, B. A. Washburn*, K. E. Hunnicutt*, A. Davidson*, J. M. Andersen*, R. K. Bennet*, A. Gifford§, M. Herrera§, B. Lawler§, S. Lorman§, V. Peacock§, L. Walker§, E. Watkins§, L. Wilkinson§, Z. Williams§, and R. M. Tinghitella. In Press. Streetlights positively affect the presence of an invasive grass species. Ecology and Evolution 11(15) 10320-10326.
*A blog post about this paper can be found here: Vyas et al. 2021
Grenis, K.* and S. M. Murphy. 2019. Direct and indirect effects of light pollution on the performance of an herbivorous insect. Insect Science 26: 770-776.
Grenis, K.*, B. Tjossem** and S. M. Murphy. 2015. Predation of larval Lepidoptera in habitat fragments varies spatially and temporally but is not affected by light pollution. Journal of Insect Conservation 19:559-566.