Many animals adjust their behaviors in response to changes in light levels and tides, affecting reproduction, migration, and more, say scientists in a new study.
A full moon rises behind a statue of an eagle at the Liberty Memorial World War I museum in Kansas City, Mo., on June 23. The so-called supermoon appeared up to 14 percent larger than normal as our celestial neighbor swung closer to Earth, reaching its closest distance early Sunday morning. In a recent study, scientists have found many direct and indirect ways the lunar cycle drives animal behaviors.
Charlie Riedel/AP
EnlargePlenty of myths and fables have tried to explain the loony effects the moon seems to have on animals, but far fewer scientific reports have formally addressed the issue. Now, in a comprehensive review, scientists have found the indirect, and sometimes direct, ways the lunar cycle drives animal behaviors.
Skip to next paragraph' +
google_ads[0].line2 + '
' +
google_ads[0].line3 + '
Subscribe Today to the Monitor
The review also suggests light pollution, which can block out some of the moon's glow, may disrupt natural patterns associated with Earth's only satellite.
Those who believe in?true lunacy?? the craziness stirred in animals by the lunar cycle ? will be disappointed to learn that many animals simply adjust their behaviors in response to changes in light levels and tides, rather than to anything?supernatural. Still, other behaviors do follow more mysterious circadian clocks controlled by the lunar cycle, the team reports today (July 2) in the journal the Proceedings of the Royal Society B.?
"The moon may act as a synchronizing cue between individuals, as a cue for other environmental parameters ? spring tides, food availability ? or simply allow animals to use vision," said Noga Kronfeld-Schor, a biologist at Tel Aviv University and co-author on the report. "The behaviors it affects are wide and diverse, ranging from long-term processes such as timing reproduction and migration to direct response to light levels."
Animal lunacy
In order to understand the broad effects of natural moonlight on nocturnal creatures, the team organized the effects into the categories of reproduction, communication, and foraging/predation, and addressed each of these categories across a variety of animal groups.
One of the most stunning behaviors the team covers in their report is a moon-induced mass-spawning event that occurs every December in?Australia's Great Barrier Reef. Each year, hundreds of species of coral spawn together at the same time. A variety of environmental factors ? including temperature, salinity and food availability ? likely contribute to the timing of the event, but the level of moonlight appears to be the main trigger. When the light is right, hundreds of corals release their sperm and eggs in synchrony, increasing the probability of fertilization.
In other cases, the moon's effects are more mundane. Communication patterns, for example, change with increased light availability at night for certain species of birds. Eagle owls use white throat feathers to communicate with other birds at night, and tend to increase this activity during nights surrounding?the full moon?when their feathers are more visible. Other owls, on the other hand, avoid activity during full moons, a behavior that scientists think helps them avoid predators.
Pope John Paul II Galaxy S4 google reader carnival cruise nfl nfl wes welker
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.