| Topic | Effects of artificial lighting on Namib Desert bats |
| Presented by | Angela Curtis |
| Language | English |
| Date | 11th April 2019 |
| Time | At 7pm |
| Place | Swakopmund Museum Lecture Hall |
On Thursday the 11th of April at 7pm Angela Curtis from the Gobabeb Research and Training Center will present a lecture about the research into the effects of artificial light on Namib Desert bats. The speaker will be presenting in English.
The Topic
The widespread use of artificial lighting has only occurred within the last 100 years and is estimated to be increasing at a rate of 6% annually.
Life on earth has evolved over millions of years exposed to natural cycles of light and darkness which control hormone release, migration, breeding, feeding, predation, navigation and periods of activity for most species.
The change in timing of dark and light periods affects many different animal and plant taxa. Bats are one taxon of animals affected by artificial lighting. Some species avoid lighting while others thrive on the insects aggregated around lights.
As insectivorous bats occupy a high trophic level in the ecosystem, changes in bat assemblage species composition and prey species selection can have far reaching impacts at lower trophic levels.
