Urban moths learn to head away from the light

Instead of heading towards the light, as the proverb says, moths in areas with many artificial light sources have learnt to avoid death traps such as street lamps, according to zoologists from the Universities of Basel and Zurich.  Nocturnal insects are particularly affected by globally increasing light pollution, since their attraction to artificial light sources generally ends fatally: either they die through direct burning or through increased exposure to predators.  What’s more, artificial light affects the ecosystem of insects by interfering with their natural day-night cycle and influencing behaviour patterns such as feeding and reproduction.  However, a study published in the journal Biology Letters suggests moths in the Basel region have adapted to the changed light conditions.  Swiss researchers, led by Florian Altermatt and Dieter Ebert, assuming that natural selection would favour moths with less propensity to fly to light in urban areas, examined the ...