Artificial light from major coastal cities can disrupt the nighttime biology of sharks, according to new research that provides the first-ever measurements of melatonin—a hormone tied to biological rhythms—in wild sharks.
Artificial light from major coastal cities can disrupt the nighttime biology of sharks, according to new research that provides the first-ever measurements of melatonin—a hormone tied to biological rhythms—in wild sharks.
The study, published in Science of the Total Environment, found that sharks living in brightly lit coastal waters near large urban areas had altered melatonin levels at night compared to sharks living in darker, less developed environments. The findings reveal that artificial light at night, an often-overlooked form of pollution, can influence marine predators and may have broader implications for ocean ecosystems.
Artificial light at night, or ALAN, is one of the most pervasive environmental effects of urbanization. While previous studies have shown that ALAN can suppress melatonin in bony fishes, its effects on sharks and other elasmobranchs had not been examined until now.
Read More at: University of Miami Rosenstiel
