General > General Technical Chat

The effect of artificial light on plants/wildlife

(1/6) > >>

Zero999:
TLDR: Artificial light is messing with the seasonal cycle of plants.

I was cycling to work yesterday and had to stop because something fell out of my bag. I noticed one the one of the nearby bushes still has leaves and flowers growing near the lamps and the rest are completely dormant. I thought it was strange but didn't have time to stop to take a picture, so I took one on the way back home, when the light was on and another one today in daylight, with the light off.

It's an LED lamp, not incandescent, so I don't think it produces enough heat to keep the plant growing. It's more likely the light is fooling the plant into thinking it's summer, so it hasn't gone dormant. We have had some cold weather, with lows of -7°C and according to the Met Office, this month has been slightly colder than average, with an average temperature of 3°, highs of 6°C and lows of freezing, but it hasn't been enough to damage the plant or stop it growing. Yes, I know it's nothing compared to America and we've had much colder weather before.

It's a dasiphora fruticosa, a hardy plant native to northern Eurasia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dasiphora_fruticosa?useskin=vector

I've read about artificial lighting causing problems for wildlife, but this is the first time I've seen it affect a plant.

Zero999:
With the light off, you can see the green parts corellate well with light exposure. The lamp is on all night and has a sensor.

Analog Kid:
Certainly looks like a problem to me. How serious a problem I can't say.
Just another second-order effect of the Hue-mon cancer metastasizing over the planet, I guess.

SiliconWizard:
Yes, it does mess with insects and birds as well.

Analog Kid:
Those circadian rhythms are pretty goddamn important.
Mess with them and ...

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page

There was an error while thanking
Thanking...
Go to full version
Powered by SMFPacks Advanced Attachments Uploader Mod