1
|
Levy K, Wegrzyn Y, Moaraf S, Barnea A, Ayali A. When night becomes day: Artificial light at night alters insect behavior under semi-natural conditions. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 926:171905. [PMID: 38531451 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.171905] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2024] [Revised: 02/18/2024] [Accepted: 03/20/2024] [Indexed: 03/28/2024]
Abstract
Light is the most important Zeitgeber for temporal synchronization in nature. Artificial light at night (ALAN) disrupts the natural light-dark rhythmicity and thus negatively affects animal behavior. However, to date, ALAN research has been mostly conducted under laboratory conditions in this context. Here, we used the field cricket, Gryllus bimaculatus, to investigate the effect of ALAN on insect behavior under semi-natural conditions, i.e., under shaded natural lighting conditions, natural temperature and soundscape. Male crickets were placed individually in outdoor enclosures and exposed to ALAN conditions ranging from <0.01 to 1500 lx intensity. The crickets' stridulation behavior was recorded for 14 consecutive days and nights and their daily activity patterns were analysed. ALAN impaired the crickets' stridulation rhythm, evoking a change in the crickets' naturally synchronized daily activity period. This was manifested by a light-intensity-dependent increase in the proportion of insects demonstrating an intrinsic circadian rhythm (free-run behavior). This also resulted in a change in the population's median activity cycle period. These ALAN-induced effects occurred despite the crickets' exposure to almost natural conditions. Our findings provide further validity to our previous studies on ALAN conducted under lab conditions and establish the deleterious impacts of ALAN on animal behavioral patterns. TEASER: Artificial light at night alters cricket behavior and desynchronizes their stridulation even under near-natural conditions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Keren Levy
- School of Zoology, Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv 6997801, Israel
| | - Yoav Wegrzyn
- School of Zoology, Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv 6997801, Israel
| | - Stan Moaraf
- School of Zoology, Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv 6997801, Israel; Department of Natural Sciences, The Open University of Israel, Ra'anana 4353701, Israel
| | - Anat Barnea
- Department of Natural Sciences, The Open University of Israel, Ra'anana 4353701, Israel
| | - Amir Ayali
- School of Zoology, Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv 6997801, Israel; Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv 6997801, Israel.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Levy K, Barnea A, Tauber E, Ayali A. Crickets in the spotlight: exploring the impact of light on circadian behavior. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2024; 210:267-279. [PMID: 38252321 PMCID: PMC10994875 DOI: 10.1007/s00359-023-01686-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2023] [Revised: 12/07/2023] [Accepted: 12/15/2023] [Indexed: 01/23/2024]
Abstract
Crickets serve as a well-established model organism in biological research spanning various fields, such as behavior, physiology, neurobiology, and ecology. Cricket circadian behavior was first reported over a century ago and prompted a wealth of studies delving into their chronobiology. Circadian rhythms have been described in relation to fundamental cricket behaviors, encompassing stridulation and locomotion, but also in hormonal secretion and gene expression. Here we review how changes in illumination patterns and light intensity differentially impact the different cricket behaviors as well as circadian gene expression. We further describe the cricket's circadian pacemaker. Ample anatomical manipulations support the location of a major circadian pacemaker in the cricket optic lobes and another in the central brain, possibly interconnected via signaling of the neuropeptide PDF. The cricket circadian machinery comprises a molecular cascade based on two major transcriptional/translational negative feedback loops, deviating somewhat from the canonical model of Drosophila and emphasizing the significance of exploring alternative models. Finally, the nocturnal nature of crickets has provided a unique avenue for investigating the repercussions of artificial light at night on cricket behavior and ecology, underscoring the critical role played by natural light cycles in synchronizing cricket behaviors and populations, further supporting the use of the cricket model in the study of the effects of light on insects. Some gaps in our knowledge and challenges for future studies are discussed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Keren Levy
- School of Zoology, Tel Aviv University, 6997801, Tel-Aviv, Israel.
| | - Anat Barnea
- Department of Natural Sciences, The Open University of Israel, 4353701, Ra'anana, Israel
| | - Eran Tauber
- Department of Evolutionary and Environmental Biology, Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, 3103301, Haifa, Israel
| | - Amir Ayali
- School of Zoology, Tel Aviv University, 6997801, Tel-Aviv, Israel.
- Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, 6997801, Tel-Aviv, Israel.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Levy K, Wegrzyn Y, Efronny R, Barnea A, Ayali A. Lifelong exposure to artificial light at night impacts stridulation and locomotion activity patterns in the cricket Gryllus bimaculatus. Proc Biol Sci 2021; 288:20211626. [PMID: 34547907 PMCID: PMC8456136 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.1626] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2021] [Accepted: 08/31/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Living organisms experience a worldwide continuous increase in artificial light at night (ALAN), negatively affecting their behaviour. The field cricket, an established model in physiology and behaviour, can provide insights into the effect of ALAN on insect behaviour. The stridulation and locomotion patterns of adult male crickets reared under different lifelong ALAN intensities were monitored simultaneously for five consecutive days in custom-made anechoic chambers. Daily activity periods and acrophases were compared between the experimental groups. Control crickets exhibited a robust rhythm, stridulating at night and demonstrating locomotor activity during the day. By contrast, ALAN affected both the relative level and timing of the crickets' nocturnal and diurnal activity. ALAN induced free-running patterns, manifested in significant changes in the median and variance of the activity periods, and even arrhythmic behaviour. The magnitude of disruption was light intensity dependent, revealing an increase in the difference between the activity periods calculated for stridulation and locomotion in the same individual. This finding may indicate the existence of two peripheral clocks. Our results demonstrate that ecologically relevant ALAN intensities affect crickets' behavioural patterns, and may lead to decoupling of locomotion and stridulation behaviours at the individual level, and to loss of synchronization at the population level.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Keren Levy
- School of Zoology, Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv 6997801, Israel
| | - Yoav Wegrzyn
- School of Zoology, Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv 6997801, Israel
| | - Ronny Efronny
- School of Zoology, Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv 6997801, Israel
| | - Anat Barnea
- Department of Natural and Life Sciences, The Open University of Israel, Ra'anana 43107, Israel
| | - Amir Ayali
- School of Zoology, Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv 6997801, Israel
- Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv 6997801, Israel
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Chipchase KM, Enders AM, Jacobs EG, Hughes MR, Killian KA. Effect of a single cold stress exposure on the reproductive behavior of male crickets. JOURNAL OF INSECT PHYSIOLOGY 2021; 133:104287. [PMID: 34302838 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2021.104287] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2021] [Revised: 06/17/2021] [Accepted: 07/15/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Cold stress is an important abiotic factor that can impact insect physiology, behavior, and overall fitness. Upon exposure to cold temperature, many insects enter a reversible state of immobility called chill coma. If the cold stress is brief and mild enough, insects can recover and regain full mobility upon return to warmer temperatures. However, the long-term impact of sublethal cold stress on insect behavior has been understudied. Here, sexually naïve adult male Acheta domesticus crickets were exposed to a single 0 °C cold stress for 6 h. One week later, the ability of these males to mate with a female was examined. For mating trials, a cold stressed male cricket was paired with a non-cold stressed, control female. Control pairs were comprised of a non-cold stressed control male and control female. Cold exposed males were less successful at mating than control males because most did not carry a spermatophore at the time of their mating trials. However, when these cold stressed males were allowed 1 h of chemosensory contact with a female, most produced a spermatophore. Males that produced spermatophores were given the opportunity to mate once with a female, and stressed males that successfully mated sired as many offspring as did control males. However, our results support that a single cold stress exposure can negatively impact the reproductive fitness of male crickets since it reduced their capacity to carry spermatophores and, as a consequence, to attract females.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kathryn M Chipchase
- Department of Biology, 258 Pearson Hall, Miami University, Oxford, OH 45056, USA
| | - Alexa M Enders
- Department of Biology, 258 Pearson Hall, Miami University, Oxford, OH 45056, USA
| | - Elizabeth G Jacobs
- Department of Biology, 258 Pearson Hall, Miami University, Oxford, OH 45056, USA
| | - Michael R Hughes
- Department of Biology, 258 Pearson Hall, Miami University, Oxford, OH 45056, USA
| | - Kathleen A Killian
- Department of Biology, 258 Pearson Hall, Miami University, Oxford, OH 45056, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Kaniewska MM, Vaněčková H, Doležel D, Kotwica-Rolinska J. Light and Temperature Synchronizes Locomotor Activity in the Linden Bug, Pyrrhocoris apterus. Front Physiol 2020; 11:242. [PMID: 32300305 PMCID: PMC7142227 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2020.00242] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2019] [Accepted: 03/02/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Circadian clocks are synchronized with the external environment by light and temperature. The effect of these cues on behavior is well-characterized in Drosophila, however, little is known about synchronization in non-model insect species. Therefore, we explored entrainment of locomotor activity by light and temperature in the linden bug Pyrrhocoris apterus (Heteroptera), an insect species with a strong seasonal response (reproductive diapause), which is triggered by both photoperiod and thermoperiod. Our results show that either light or temperature cycles are strong factors entraining P. apterus locomotor activity. Pyrrhocoris is able to be partially synchronized by cycles with temperature amplitude as small as 3°C and more than 50% of bugs is synchronized by 5°C steps. If conflicting zeitgebers are provided, light is the stronger signal. Linden bugs lack light-sensitive (Drosophila-like) cryptochrome. Notably, a high percentage of bugs is rhythmic even in constant light (LL) at intensity ∼400 lux, a condition which induces 100% arrhythmicity in Drosophila. However, the rhythmicity of bugs is still reduced in LL conditions, whereas rhythmicity remains unaffected in constant dark (DD). Interestingly, a similar phenomenon is observed after temperature cycles entrainment. Bugs released to constant thermophase and DD display weak rhythmicity, whereas strong rhythmicity is observed in bugs released to constant cryophase and DD. Our study describes the daily and circadian behavior of the linden bug as a response to photoperiodic and thermoperiodic entraining cues. Although the molecular mechanism of the circadian clock entrainment in the linden bug is virtually unknown, our study contributes to the knowledge of the insect circadian clock features beyond Drosophila research.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Magdalena Maria Kaniewska
- Institute of Entomology, Biology Centre of Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, České Budějovice, Czechia.,Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czechia
| | - Hana Vaněčková
- Institute of Entomology, Biology Centre of Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, České Budějovice, Czechia
| | - David Doležel
- Institute of Entomology, Biology Centre of Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, České Budějovice, Czechia.,Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czechia
| | - Joanna Kotwica-Rolinska
- Institute of Entomology, Biology Centre of Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, České Budějovice, Czechia
| |
Collapse
|