LOS ANGELES — Like the flame to the moth, the glare of artificial light can wreak havoc on plants and animals in sometimes lethal ways, scientists are beginning to suspect.
The effect on humans is already well documented, with studies showing how artificial light can disrupt the natural biological patterns that guide sleep, body temperature and other functions.
Little research has been done, however, on how widespread electrification over the past century has affected the plant, animal and insect worlds.
A small group of scientists will gather at the University of California, Los Angeles, late in February to discuss the issue. About a dozen scientists are expected to present papers at the conference on everything from salmon to birds to fireflies.
The conference's organizers, Catherine Rich and Travis Longcore, who run a Los Angeles-based conservation think tank, believe it will be the first such meeting of its kind. They also say it could be crucial to the world's future.
"All of the things we do for nature preservation are necessary, but they might not be sufficient if we don't address this," Longcore said.
What little work on the subject that has been done often has turned up dramatic results.
Along the Atlantic seaboard, scientists have discovered that newly hatched loggerhead turtles can die when lured inland by artificial light that confounds their instinct to follow the moon's glow to the safety of the ocean.
In Texas, a coalition of environmental groups sued the U.S. government, charging that bright lights used to deter illegal immigration across the border from Mexico have disrupted the habitat of the ocelot, a small wild cat active at night.
A recent settlement won some concessions, but more data would have made for a stronger case, said Melissa Grigione, an assistant professor at the University of South Florida, who plans to attend the conference.
So far, there is little if any awareness about the issue among lighting industry groups, according to the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America and the International Association of Lighting Designers.
"As lighting designers, the impact of artificial light on the environment is something we do care about, but its impact specifically on animal life is something that is not in the mix," said Larry French, a principal of the San Francisco-based lighting design firm Auerbach + Glasow.
On the Net: Ecological Consequences of Artificial Lighting: www.urbanwildlands.org/conference.html