JULY 10,
2019
The
popular story about a clownfish that got lost at sea in the movie Finding Nemo
could have a much darker sequel—as artificial light in coral reefs leaves the
famous fish unable to reproduce offspring, according to a new study.
Results
from a new study published in Biology Letters show an increasing
amount of artificial light at
night (ALAN) in coral
reefs, even at relatively low levels, masks natural cues which
trigger clownfish eggs
to hatch after dusk.
Lead
author Dr. Emily Fobert, Research Associate in biodiversity and conservation at
Flinders University, says test eggs that were incubated in the presence of
artificial light had a zero success rate of hatching, with no offspring surviving
as a result.
"The
overwhelming finding is that artificial light pollution can have a devastating
effect on reproductive success of coral reef fish," says Dr. Fobert
"When
ALAN is present, no eggs hatched but when the light was removed during
the recovery
period, eggs from the ALAN exposure hatched like normal, so the
presence of light is clearly interfering with an environmental cue that
initiates hatching in clownfish."
"The
results indicate increasing amounts of light have the potential to
significantly reduce the reproductive fitness of reef fish who settle in a
habitat near shore lines."
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