The speed of sexual development of birds depends on the artificial illumination of cities
Last reviewed: 16.10.2021
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Over time, scientists have planned research on how artificial lighting in city streets can affect the lives and health of people, animals, birds. At the moment, there have been few such studies. Recently, German scientists conducted a series of studies that showed the apparent influence of artificial urban color on the state of European thrushes.
In the process of studying the life of thrushes, ornithologists from Max Planck's research society discovered that the reproductive system develops much earlier in birds that are born in the urban environment.
The European thrush, aka blackbird or Turdus Merula, is common throughout Europe, the European part of Russia, occasionally found in the Caucasus. This is one of the most numerous species of European birds, therefore, before the beginning of the study, specialists stopped choosing it on it. If we talk about the speed of development, then in a city life, not only the reproductive function develops faster.
Being under the rays of artificial illumination, thrushes begin several times faster to molt and sing. Researchers believe that it is urban lighting that affects the development of the bird's body. Such a reaction can be observed not only in birds, but also in animals, the head of the study. It is known that for many species of European birds the most important environmental signals are seasonal changes in the duration of daylight hours. The cycle of sleep or wakefulness, the cycle of reproduction - is daytime and, accordingly, seasonal rhythms that affect the daily routine of birds. People who are related to agriculture have long learned to control birds with the help of changing daylight: with the help of artificial lighting in hen houses it is possible to increase the productivity of eggs (if using lamps to increase the light time of day).
Several birds from the species of blackbirds have been carefully studied, and scientists have followed the average intensity of light at night. Despite the fact that the intensity of light was low enough, the researchers argue that this is enough to ensure that the reproductive system of the bird began to develop earlier than expected. For ten months ornithologists watched the captured city birds, which were under intensive artificial lighting and for birds that lived in normal natural conditions. The results of the experiment pleasantly surprised scientists: gonads, organs of animals that produce germ cells, developed four weeks earlier in those birds that were under constant artificial light.
Scientists explain the result of the research by the fact that using artificial light it is possible to change the seasonal rhythms of any animals, even wild ones. The birds that were under illumination also changed the activity of the song. This feature of ornithologists is associated with the fact that because of the change in the seasonal rhythm, the birds have become ready for reproduction earlier.