The rapid urbanization of our world has led to a surge in artificial lighting at night (ALAN), with profound effects on wildlife. Previous research on wildlife's melatonin, a crucial mechanistic indicator and mediator, has yielded inconclusive evidence due to a lack of comparative analysis. We compiled and analysed an evidence base including 127 experiments with 437 observations across 31 wild vertebrates using phylogenetically controlled multilevel meta‐analytic models. The evidence comes mainly from the effects of white light on melatonin suppression in birds and mammals. We show a 36% average decrease in melatonin secretion in response to ALAN across a diverse range of species. This effect was observed for central and peripheral melatonin, diurnal and nocturnal species, and captive and free‐living populations. We also reveal intensity‐, wavelength‐, and timing‐dependent patterns of ALAN effects. Exposure to ALAN led to a 23% rise in inter‐individual variability in melatonin suppression, with important implications for natural selection in wild vertebrates, as some individuals may display higher tolerance to ALAN. The cross‐species evidence has strong implications for conservation of wild populations that are subject to natural selection of ALAN. We recommend measures to mitigate harmful impacts of ALAN, such as using ‘smart’ lighting systems to tune the spectra to less harmful compositions.

中文翻译：

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物种对夜间人造光的敏感性：对褪黑激素抑制的系统发育控制多级荟萃分析

世界的快速城市化导致夜间人工照明（ALAN）激增，对野生动物产生了深远的影响。先前对野生动物褪黑激素（一种重要的机制指标和调节剂）的研究由于缺乏比较分析而没有得出结论性的证据。我们使用系统发育控制的多级荟萃分析模型编译并分析了一个证据库，其中包括 31 种野生脊椎动物的 127 项实验和 437 项观察。证据主要来自白光对鸟类和哺乳动物褪黑激素抑制的影响。我们发现，不同物种对 ALAN 的反应导致褪黑激素分泌平均减少 36%。在中枢和外周褪黑激素、白天和夜间物种以及圈养和自由生活的种群中观察到了这种效应。我们还揭示了 ALAN 效应的强度、波长和时间相关模式。暴露于 ALAN 导致褪黑激素抑制的个体间变异性增加 23%，这对野生脊椎动物的自然选择具有重要意义，因为某些个体可能对 ALAN 表现出更高的耐受性。跨物种证据对于受 ALAN 自然选择影响的野生种群的保护具有重要意义。我们建议采取措施减轻 ALAN 的有害影响，例如使用“智能”照明系统将光谱调整为危害较小的成分。