The effect of artificial light on bat richness and nocturnal soundscapes along an urbanization gradient in an arid landscape of central Peru

Urbanization Reduces Phyllosphere Microbial Network Complexity and Species Richness of Camphor Trees

Studies on microbial communities associated with foliage in natural ecosystems have grown in number in recent years yet have rarely focused on urban ecosystems. With urbanization, phyllosphere microorganisms in the urban environment have come under pressures from increasing human activities. To explore the effects of urbanization on the phyllosphere microbial communities of urban ecosystems, we investigated the phyllosphere microbial structure and the diversity of camphor trees in eight parks along a suburban-to-urban gradient. The results showed that the number of ASVs (amplicon sequence variants), unique on the phyllosphere microbial communities of three different urbanization gradients, was 4.54 to 17.99 times higher than that of the shared ASVs. Specific microbial biomarkers were also found for leaf samples from each urbanization gradient. Moreover, significant differences (R² = 0.133, p = 0.005) were observed in the phyllosphere microbial structure among the three urbanization gradients. Alpha diversity and co-occurrence patterns of bacterial communities showed that urbanization can strongly reduce the complexity and species richness of the phyllosphere microbial network of camphor trees. Correlation analysis with environmental factors showed that leaf total carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and sulfur (S), as well as leaf C/N, soil pH, and artificial light intensity at night (ALIAN) were the important drivers in determining the divergence of phyllosphere microbial communities across the urbanization gradient. Together, we found that urbanization can affect the composition of the phyllosphere bacterial community of camphor trees, and that the interplay between human activities and plant microbial communities may contribute to shaping the urban microbiome.

A review of the effects of artificial light at night in urban areas on the ecosystem level and the remedial measures

This paper attempts to realize the balance between humans and ecology in designing the nighttime light environment of urban parks by clarifying the influence of nighttime artificial light on the ecosystem of urban parks. Firstly, we reviewed the effects of nighttime artificial light on individual predation and reproduction of animals and personal growth and reproduction of plants. Secondly, we discuss the impact of individual changes caused by artificial lighting on ecosystem function at the ecosystem and analyze its advantages and disadvantages. The results showed that nighttime artificial light had a double-sided impact on the ecosystem, which would hurt the ecosystem function, but had a positive effect on the green space, which lacked natural light and had high plant density. This paper focuses on the areas with increased application of artificial lighting and rich species of animals and plants in night cities, such as urban forest parks and urban green spaces. It discusses how to reduce the intrusion of artificial lighting on ecosystems and how to make better use of the positive effect of artificial light.