Ecological alterations of promenade lighting on crustacean assemblage: A real-scale study

Coastal shallow habitats are greatly exposed to artificial light at night (ALAN). Although the ecological impacts of light pollution have been tested in some marine species, few studies have been conducted at assemblage level. Our study is a real-scale approach to the effects of ALAN from seaside promenade lighting to the crustacean assemblage of the water column. Beach lighting of a coastal town remained on and off and samples were collected both at night and day on each scenario. There was a significant biomass reduction in certain crustacean taxa in ALAN presence. Moreover, some species were particularly sensitive to light pollution, such as the copepod Acartia (Acartiura) clausi or the mysid Mesopodopsis slabberi. Changes in crustacean parameters were detected although nights with the lighting on and off were very close, highlighting the potential recovery capacity. These results are proposed for light pollution management in coastal shallow habitats dominated by crustaceans.