Exposure to artificial light at night increases innate immune activity during development in a precocial bird.

摘要: Abstract Humans have greatly altered Earth's night-time photic environment via the production of artificial light at night (ALAN; e.g. street lights, car traffic, billboards, lit buildings). ALAN is a problem growing importance because it may significantly disrupt seasonal and daily physiological rhythms behaviors animals. There has been considerable interest in impacts on health humans other animals, but most this work centered adults we know comparatively little about effects young We exposed 3-week-old king quail (Excalfactoria chinensis) to constant overnight blue-light regime for 6 weeks assessed weekly bactericidal activity plasma against Escherichia coli – commonly employed metric innate immunity found that chronic exposure increased elevation immune performance manifested different developmental time points males females. Whether short-term increase can be extended wild whether ALAN-mediated increases positive or negative fitness effects, are unknown will provide interesting avenues future studies.