MikeFAug 5, 2024

Streetlights running all night makes leaves so tough that insects can't eat them, threatening the food chain

https://phys.org/news/2024-08-streetlights-night-tough-insects-threatening.html

#biodiversity #biodiversitydecline #plants #photosynthesis #lightpollution #anthropocene #urban #insects #insectextinction #evolution

Streetlights running all night makes leaves so tough that insects can't eat them, threatening the food chain

Light pollution disrupts circadian rhythms and ecosystems worldwide—but for plants, dependent on light for photosynthesis, its effects could be profound. Now scientists writing in Frontiers in Plant Science have found that exposure to high levels of artificial light at night makes tree leaves grow tougher and harder for insects to eat, threatening urban food chains.

Phys.org
CarolannieJul 13, 2024

Where are all the butterflies this summer? Their absence is telling us something important | Tony Juniper | The Guardian
#ClimateChange #InsectExtinction

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/article/2024/jul/13/butterflies-summer-absence-british-spring-decline-insects

Where are all the butterflies this summer? Their absence is telling us something important

This isn’t down to one wet, cold British spring but a disturbing longer-term decline in Britain’s insects. Thankfully, we can help, says the campaigner Tony Juniper

The Guardian