KEVIN J GASTON

Chang, C.-C., Cox, D.T.C., Fan, Q., Le Nghiem, T.P., Tan, C.L.Y., Oh, R.R.Y., Lin, B.B., Shanahan, D.F., Fuller, R.A., Gaston, K.J. & Carrasco, R.L. 2022. People’s desire to be in nature and how they experience it are partially heritable. PLoS Biology 20, e3001500.

Nature experiences have been linked to mental and physical health. Despite the importance of understanding what determines individual variation in nature experience, the role of genes has been overlooked. Here, using a twin design (TwinsUK, number of individuals = 2,306), we investigate the genetic and environmental contributions to a person’s nature orientation, opportunity (living in less urbanized areas), and different dimensions of nature experience (frequency and duration of public nature space visits and frequency and duration of garden visits). We estimate moderate heritability of nature orientation (46%) and nature experiences (48% for frequency of public nature space visits, 34% for frequency of garden visits, and 38% for duration of garden visits) and show their genetic components partially overlap. We also find that the environmental influences on nature experiences are moderated by the level of urbanization of the home district. Our study demonstrates genetic contributions to individuals’ nature experiences, opening a new dimension for the study of human–nature interactions.

Jarić, I., Roll, U., Bonaiuto, M., Brook, B.W., Courchamp, F., Firth, J.A., Gaston, K.J., Heger, T., Jeschke, J.M., Ladle, R.J., Meinard, Y., Roberts, D.L., Sherren, K., Soga, M., Soriano-Redondo, A., Veríssimo, D. & Correia, R.A. 2022. Societal extinction of species. Trends in Ecology and Evolution, online early.

The ongoing global biodiversity crisis not only involves biological extinctions, but also the loss of experience and the gradual fading of cultural knowledge and collective memory of species. We refer to this phenomenon as ‘societal extinction of species’ and apply it to both extinct and extant taxa. We describe the underlying concepts as well as the mechanisms and factors that affect this process, discuss its main implications, and identify mitigation measures. Societal extinction is cognitively intractable, but it is tied to biological extinction and thus has important consequences for conservation policy and management. It affects societal perceptions of the severity of anthropogenic impacts and of true extinction rates, erodes societal support for conservation efforts, and causes the loss of cultural heritage.

Soga, M. & Gaston, K.J. 2022. Towards a unified understanding of human-nature interactions. Nature Sustainability, online early.

Interest in the direct interactions between individual people and nature has grown rapidly. This attention encompasses multiple academic disciplines and practical perspectives. A central challenge thus lies in creating a rich cross-disciplinary understanding of these interactions, rather than one that might become characterized by little conceptual, terminological and methodological unity. Here, to facilitate the former outcome, we bring together concepts and theories about direct human–nature interactions drawn from diverse disciplines within a unified conceptual framework. Using this framework, we discuss the linkages among key concepts and theories, identify important knowledge gaps and suggest directions for future research.

Sutherland, W.J., Atkinson, P.W., Butchart, S., Capaja, M., Dicks, L.V., Fleishman, E., Gaston, K.J., Hails, R.S., Hughes, A.C., Le Anstey, B., Le Roux, X., Lickorish, F.A., Maggs, L., Noor, N., Oldfield, T.E.E., Palardy, J.E., Peck, L.S., Pettorelli, N., Pretty, J., Spalding, M.D., Tonneijck, F.H., Truelove, G., Watson, J.E.M., Wentworth^, J., Wilson, J.D & Thornton, A. 2022. A horizon scan of global biological conservation issues for 2022. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 37, 95-104.

We present the results of our 13th annual horizon scan of issues likely to impact on biodiversity conservation. Issues are either novel within the biological conservation sector or could cause a substantial step-change in impact, either globally or regionally. Our global panel of 26 scientists and practitioners identified 15 issues that we believe to represent the highest priorities for tracking and action. Many of the issues we identified, including the impact of satellite megaconstellations and the use of long-distance wireless energy transfer, have both elements of threats and emerging opportunities. A recent state-sponsored application to commence deep-sea mining represents a significant step-change in impact. We hope that this horizon scanwill increase research and policy attention on the highlighted issues.

Gaston, K.J., Ackermann, S., Bennie, J., Cox, D.T.C., Phillips, B.B., Sánchez de Miguel, A. & Sanders, D. 2021. Pervasiveness of biological impacts of artificial light at night. Integrative and Comparative Biology 61, 1098-1110.

Artificial light at night (ALAN) and its associated biological impacts have regularly been characterized as predominantly urban issues. Although far from trivial, this would imply that these impacts only affect ecosystems that are already heavily modified by humans and are relatively limited in their spatial extent, at least as compared with some key anthropogenic pressures on the environment that attract much more scientific and public attention, such as climate change or plastic pollution. However, there are a number of reasons to believe that ALAN and its impacts are more pervasive, and therefore need to be viewed from a broader geographic perspective rather than an essentially urban one. Here we address, in turn, 11 key issues when considering the degree of spatial pervasiveness of the biological impacts of ALAN. First, the global extent of ALAN is likely itself commonly underestimated, as a consequence of limitations of available remote sensing data sources and how these are processed. Second and third, more isolated (rural) and mobile (e.g., vehicle headlight) sources of ALAN may have both very widespread and important biological influences. Fourth and fifth, the occurrence and impacts of ALAN in marine systems and other remote settings, need much greater consideration. Sixth, seventh, and eighth, there is growing evidence for important biological impacts of ALAN at low light levels, from skyglow, and over long distances (because of the altitudes from which it may be viewed by some organisms), all of which would increase the areas over which impacts are occurring. Ninth and tenth, ALAN may exert indirect biological effects that may further expand these areas, because it has a landscape ecology (modifying movement and dispersal and so hence with effects beyond the direct extent of ALAN), and because ALAN interacts with other anthropogenic pressures on the environment. Finally, ALAN is not stable, but increasing rapidly in global extent, and shifting toward wavelengths of light that often have greater biological impacts.

Sánchez de Miguel, A., Zamorano, J., Aube, M., Bennie, J., Gallego, J., Ocaa, F., Pettit, D.R., Stefanov, W.L. & Gaston, K.J. Colour remote sensing of the impact of artificial light at night (II): calibration of DSLR-based images from the International Space Station. Remote Sensing of Environment 264, 112611.

Nighttime images taken with DSLR cameras from the International Space Station (ISS) can provide valuable information on the spatial and temporal variation of artificial nighttime lighting on Earth. In particular, this is the only source of historical and current visible multispectral data across the world (DMSP/OLS and SNPP/VIIRS-DNB data are panchromatic and multispectral in the infrared but not at visible wavelengths). The ISS images require substantial processing and proper calibration to exploit intensities and ratios from the RGB channels. Here we describe the different calibration steps, addressing in turn Decodification, Linearity correction (ISO dependent), Flat field/Vignetting, Spectral characterization of the channels, Astrometric calibration/georeferencing, Photometric calibration (stars)/Radiometric correction (settings correction – by exposure time, ISO, lens transmittance, etc) and Transmittance correction (window transmittance, atmospheric correction). We provide an example of the application of this processing method to an image of Spain. 

Briolat, E.S., Gaston, K.J., Bennie, J., Rosenfeld, E.J. & Troscianko, J. 2021. Artificial nighttime lighting impacts visual ecology links between flowers, pollinators and predators. Nature Communications 12, 4163. [Image copyright: J. Troscianko]

The nighttime environment is being altered rapidly over large areas worldwide through introduction of artificial lighting, from streetlights and other sources. This is predicted to impact the visual ecology of many organisms, affecting both their intra- and interspecific interactions. Here, we show the effects of different artificial light sources on multiple aspects of hawkmoth visual ecology, including their perception of floral signals for pollination, the potential for intraspecific sexual signalling, and the effectiveness of their visual defences against avian predators. Light sources fall into three broad categories: some that prevent use of chromatic signals for these behaviours, others that more closely mimic natural lighting conditions, and, finally, types whose effects vary with light intensity and signal colour. We find that Phosphor Converted (PC) amber LED lighting – often suggested to be less harmful to nocturnal insects – falls into this third disruptive group, with unpredictable consequences for insect visual ecology depending on distance from the light source and the colour of the objects viewed. The diversity of impacts of artificial lighting on hawkmoth visual ecology alone argues for a nuanced approach to outdoor lighting in environmentally sensitive areas, employing intensities and spectra designed to limit those effects of most significant concern.