Effects of artificial light at night on the diversity and growth of invasive alien and native plants

doi:10.17520/biods.2024553

Abstract

Abstract:

Aims:The negative impacts of light pollution, resulting from excessive artificial light at night (ALAN), on various organisms and ecological processes, have garnered significant attention. However, the impact of ALAN on the frequency of invasive alien plants and its effects on plant community composition and the growth performance of both invasive alien and native species remain poorly understood.

Methods:We carried out a field investigation in Changchun City to compare areas with and without ALAN exposure, focusing on the frequency of invasive alien plants, the composition, and biodiversity of both invasive alien and native plant communities, as well as the average plant height and relative coverage of these plants.

Results:We found that: (1) ALAN did not significantly influence the frequency of invasive alien plants; (2) While ALAN did not significantly affect the diversity of invasive alien and native plant communities, it significantly increased the richness of invasive alien plants; (3) ALAN significantly enhanced the average height and relative cover of invasive alien plants and decreased the relative cover of native plants, but had no significant effect on the average height of native plants.

Conclusions:These results suggest that ALAN may further bolster the competitive advantage of invasive alien plants and increase their invasion risk. Therefore, future management strategies for plant invasion should incorporate ALAN as a potential contributing factor.

Key words: artificial light at night, urban vegetation, alien plant invasion, plant diversity, plant growth

Zhang Haobin, Xiao Lu, Liu Yanjie. Effects of artificial light at night on the diversity and growth of invasive alien and native plants[J]. Biodiv Sci, 2025, 33(4): 24553.

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URL: https://www.biodiversity-science.net/EN/10.17520/biods.2024553

https://www.biodiversity-science.net/EN/Y2025/V33/I4/24553

Figures/Tables 4

Table 1 Average frequency of main invasive alien and native plants under different levels of artificial light at night

	外来入侵植物 Invasive alien plants		本地植物 Native plants
	物种 Species	频度 Frequency (%)	物种 Species	频度 Frequency (%)
全部植物 All plants	豚草 Ambrosia artemisiifolia	39.13	狗尾草 Setaria viridis	69.57
	三裂叶豚草 Ambrosia trifida	31.88	稗 Echinochloa crus-galli	50.72
	反枝苋 Amaranthus retroflexus	18.84	马唐 Digitaria sanguinalis	47.83
	牛膝菊 Galinsoga parviflora	17.39	萹蓄 Polygonum aviculare	40.58
	一年蓬 Erigeron annuus	11.59	苦荬菜 Ixeris polycephala	39.13
有路灯(亮) LIT POLES	三裂叶豚草 Ambrosia trifida	40.74	狗尾草 Setaria viridis	74.07
	豚草 Ambrosia artemisiifolia	33.33	萹蓄 Polygonum aviculare	55.56
	牛膝菊 Galinsoga parviflora	25.93	马唐 Digitaria sanguinalis	51.85
	反枝苋 Amaranthus retroflexus	22.22	稗 Echinochloa crus-galli	48.15
	小蓬草 Erigeron canadensis	14.81	苦荬菜 Ixeris polycephala	44.44
有路灯(不亮) UNLIT POLES	豚草 Ambrosia artemisiifolia	80.00	稗 Echinochloa crus-galli	60.00
	三裂叶豚草 Ambrosia trifida	40.00	狗尾草 Setaria viridis	60.00
	反枝苋 Amaranthus retroflexus	20.00	藜 Chenopodium album	50.00
	苘麻 Abutilon theophrasti	10.00	野大豆 Glycine soja	50.00
	/	/	金色狗尾草 Setaria pumila	40.00
无路灯 NO POLES	豚草 Ambrosia artemisiifolia	31.25	狗尾草 Setaria viridis	68.75
	三裂叶豚草 Ambrosia trifida	21.88	稗 Echinochloa crus-galli	50.00
	反枝苋 Amaranthus retroflexus	15.63	马唐 Digitaria sanguinalis	46.88
	牛膝菊 Galinsoga parviflora	15.63	蒲公英 Taraxacum mongolicum	46.88
	一年蓬 Erigeron annuus	12.50	大籽蒿 Artemisia sieversiana	37.50

Fig. 1 NMDS analysis results of β diversity differences between the communities of invasive alien plants (a) and native plants (b), based on the Bray-Curtis distance. The areas lacking direct illumination from streetlights (NO POLES); The areas where streetlights on poles are not lit (UNLIT POLES); The areas where streetlights on poles are lit (LIT POLES).

Fig. 2 The impacts of artificial light at night on α-diversity indices (richness, Shannon-Wiener diversity index, and Pielou evenness index) of invasive alien plants and native plants. The areas lacking direct illumination from streetlights (NO POLES); The areas where streetlights on poles are not lit (UNLIT POLES); The areas where streetlights on poles are lit (LIT POLES). The values are the mean ± SE. Different letters indicate significant differences in the same index among different levels of artificial light at night (P < 0.05). The regression plots in the upper left corner illustrate the relationships between the α-diversity indices of invasive alien plants or native plants and the intensity of artificial light at night. For models showing significant and marginally significant relationships, the R², P values, and regression fit lines are displayed.

Fig. 3 The impacts of artificial light at night on the average plant height and relative cover of invasive alien plants and native plants. The areas lacking direct illumination from streetlights (NO POLES). The areas where streetlights on poles are not lit (UNLIT POLES). The areas where streetlights on poles are lit (LIT POLES). The values are the mean ± SE. Different letters indicate significant differences in the same index among different levels of artificial light at night (P < 0.05). The regression plots in the upper left corner illustrate the relationships between the growth indices of invasive alien plants or native plants and the intensity of artificial light at night. For models showing significant and marginally significant relationships, the R², P values, and regression fit lines are displayed.

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