Response of insects to light at night - Linking sensory systems to spatial and temporal behaviour

Light at night has been increasing worldwide for decades, and simultaneously insect populations are declining rapidly. Light pollution may be a large contributor to this effect, which is why I will research many aspects of light in my project. Insects are very important components for healthy ecosystems; they pollinate plants, and serve as food for larger animal species. Therefore we need to protect them further.

I aim to link the behaviors of insects in response to light at night, with their corresponding sensory ecology. Specifically, I will be looking at how light characteristics such as light intensity and spectrum affect insect behavior and circadian rhythms. By utilizing light emitting diode (LED) technology we can carefully tune light characteristics (wavelength/intensity) and potentially mitigate the impact of light pollution on insects!