2023-07-05 07:37:20
If light pollution can impact our sleep cycle, it changes the behavior of animals, especially mosquitoes.
In summer, several elements are feared such as high temperatures or sunburn. However, the most feared threat of all remains the mosquito bite. From early evening until the next morning, the insect annoys with the sound of its flight and itches once it has bitten.
Certain factors can increase the risk of mosquito bites. The best known are the presence of water points or the smell of our perspiration. But a study has brought to light a hitherto unknown factor that seems difficult to fight against. In effect, mosquitoes would be impacted by light pollution in cities.
However, this excess of light would have an influence on the duration of hibernation of insects. In fact, they would sting earlier in the season, but also more often. The study in question and its conclusions were published earlier this year in the specialist journal Insects.
Pollution that could promote the proliferation of certain viruses transmitted by mosquitoes
The study was not carried out in France, but in the United States, in Ohio. In this state, a variety of mosquitoes are feared because they can transmit West Nile virus. Mosquitoes transmit the virus to humans after biting birds infected with this disease. But recently, researchers have noticed that the mosquitoes were biting more than usual towards the end of the summer.
In order to understand the origin of this behavior, they therefore studied the life cycle of the mosquitoes concerned. However, they noticed that the life cycle of the latter was disrupted. Usually these mosquitoes go into hibernation in late summer when the weather becomes cooler. However, that was not the case.
Even worse : females continued to bite humans and reproduce. The researchers then discovered that the origin of this discrepancy was the significant nocturnal light activity. As in humans, it would disrupt the life cycles of mosquitoes. However, at a time when the tiger mosquito is very present in France, the proliferation of diseases can be aggravated.
Less time to hibernate and less reserves to survive this period
But this disruption of the hibernation phase of insects has another unexpected consequence. As females continue to lay eggs and bite, their stores of glycogen (a carbohydrate usually stored by the body) are depleted. However, they cannot survive their hibernation phase without these reserves. Fact, the species is more likely to die.
Light pollution could therefore have a profound impact on populations and lead to the extinction of certain species if no action is taken.
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