Light pollution alters the skeletal morphology of coral juveniles and impairs their light capture capacity

Netanel Kramer, Raz Tamir, Claudia Tatiana Galindo-Martínez, Daniel Wangpraseurt, Yossi Loya

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

1 Scopus citations

Abstract

Urbanization and infrastructure development have changed the night-time light regime of many coastal marine habitats. Consequently, Artificial Light at Night (ALAN) is becoming a global ecological concern, particularly in nearshore coral reef ecosystems. However, the effects of ALAN on coral architecture and their optical properties are unexplored. Here, we conducted a long-term ex situ experiment (30 months from settlement) on juvenile Stylophora pistillata corals grown under ALAN conditions using light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and fluorescent lamps, mimicking light-polluted habitats. We found that corals exposed to ALAN exhibited altered skeletal morphology that subsequently resulted in reduced light capture capacity, while also gaining better structural and optical modifications to increased light levels than their ambient-light counterparts. Additionally, light-polluted corals developed a more porous skeleton compared to the control corals. We suggest that ALAN induces light stress in corals, leading to a decrease in the solar energy available for photosynthesis during daytime illumination.

Original languageEnglish
Article number115212
JournalMarine Pollution Bulletin
Volume193
DOIs
StatePublished - Aug 2023
Externally publishedYes

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 Elsevier Ltd

Funding

We are grateful to the Interuniversity Institute for Marine Sciences in Eilat (IUI) for making its facilities available. We thank S. Ellenbogen from the Dan David Center for Human Evolution and Biohistory Research for her technical assistance with the μCT. This work was supported by the joint United States National Science Foundation (NSF) and United States-Israel Binational Science Foundation (NSF-BSF) grant No. 2021647 to Y.L., and No. 2149925 to D.W., and by the PADI Foundation No. 74641 to N.K. We are grateful to the Interuniversity Institute for Marine Sciences in Eilat (IUI) for making its facilities available. We thank S. Ellenbogen from the Dan David Center for Human Evolution and Biohistory Research for her technical assistance with the μCT. This work was supported by the joint United States National Science Foundation (NSF) and United States-Israel Binational Science Foundation (NSF-BSF) grant No. 2021647 to Y.L. and No. 2149925 to D.W. and by the PADI Foundation No. 74641 to N.K.

FundersFunder number
NSF-BSF2149925, 2021647
PADI74641
National Science Foundation
Interuniversity Institute for Marine Sciences in Eilat
United States-Israel Binational Science Foundation

    Keywords

    • Artificial light at night (ALAN)
    • Bio-optics
    • Coral morphology
    • Coral reefs
    • Light harvesting
    • Photophysiology

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