No effect of artificial light of different colors on commuting Daubenton's bats (Myotis daubentonii) in a choice experiment

Published source details Spoelstra K., Ramakers J.J.C., van Dis N.E. & Visser M.E. (2018) No effect of artificial light of different colors on commuting Daubenton's bats (Myotis daubentonii) in a choice experiment. Journal of Experimental Zoology Part A: Ecological and Integrative Physiology, 329, 506-510.
Share Tweet Email

This study is summarised as evidence for the following.

	Action	Category
	Use red lighting rather than other lighting colours Action Link

Use red lighting rather than other lighting colours

A site comparison study in 2015 of two road culverts near Elburg, Netherlands (Spoelstra et al 2018) found that culverts illuminated with red light had similar activity of commuting Daubenton’s bats Myotis daubentonii as culverts illuminated with green or white light. The average number of Daubenton’s bat passes did not differ significantly between culverts illuminated with red (43 bat passes/night), green (37 bat passes/night) or white light (39 bat passes/night). Activity was similar when culverts were left unlit (34 bat passes/night). Two light-emitting diode (LED) lamps of three colours (red, green, white) were installed on the ceiling of each of two identical, parallel road culverts (31 m long, 1.6 m diameter) carrying a stream. Different light treatments (unlit; red, green, or white light at 5 lux intensity) were applied simultaneously in each of the two culverts with treatments changed each night over a total of 47 nights in July–August 2015. Two bat detectors fitted alongside the lamps in each of the two culverts recorded bat activity.

(Summarised by: Anna Berthinussen)