How being social around ALAN can affect bird brains

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2025-07-02 09:01

International

Image by Monika Baechler from Pixabay

Artificial light at night (ALAN) disrupts natural rhythms in animals in a similar way to a pollutant, according to international researchers, who studied the effect of dim ALAN on social and isolated birds. They found that social birds started daily activities earlier and had more disrupted natural rhythms in their brains compared to isolated birds when impacted by ALAN. The authors say social interactions exacerbate the effects of ALAN, and suggest that the social context should be considered in future biological studies.

Media release

From: The Royal Society

Birds of a feather flock together: Social context exacerbates the effects of light pollution on circadian disruption

Artificial light at night (ALAN) disrupts natural rhythms in animals, acting as a widespread pollutant. A study on zebra finches showed that dim ALAN affects social and isolated birds differently, altering behavior and gene expression. Social birds under ALAN started daily activities earlier and had more disrupted circadian gene patterns in their brain and liver compared to isolated birds or controls. While melatonin levels remained unchanged, social interactions worsened ALAN’s effects, emphasizing the importance of considering social contexts in biological research. This highlights how ALAN and social dynamics together impact animals’ internal clocks.

Journal/
conference: Proceedings of the Royal Society B

Research:Paper

Organisation/s: University of Nevada Reno, USA

Funder: No funding has been received for this article.

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