2022 Fall Seminar Series Presents

Dr. Brett Seymoure

Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences, University of Texas at El Paso. El Paso, TX

The dark side of light: Consequences of disrupting natural light
for the behavioral ecology of arthropods.

Light cycles are integral to biology as changes in both light intensity and color have drastic effects on organismal behavior such as circadian rhythms, migration, reproduction, foraging and predation. Furthermore, humans are erasing natural light cycles due to artificial light night, which is becoming pervasive globally. In this talk, I introduce the importance of light cycles for organisms and how artificial light affects myriad organisms. Then I will dive into how artificial light at night is concerning relative to arthropod declines. I highlight a few studies: tropical nocturnal bees and visual physiology, moths of the Rocky Mountains and predation under street lights, and then an ongoing study investigating lighting effects of spider-fly interactions. This talk will emphasize the importance of understanding the implications of light for conserving habitats and what measures individuals can take to reduce their contribution to the pollution of light. 

Everyone is welcome to join the seminar, please email jacki.craig@ucdenver.edu to receive the Zoom link. Requests can be submitted any time before the seminar but not after 10:00am the day of the seminar.