Meeting Abstract
Animals in urban areas may be exposed to constant ambient light at night (ALAN), which could affect stress levels within these individuals. Glucocorticoids are hormones that mobilize glucose in the bloodstream, and thus energy, so that animals can respond to environmental stressors. The objective of this experiment was to examine the effects of ALAN on glucocorticoid levels in green anoles (Anolis carolinensis) that are exposed to ALAN and control lighting. We hypothesized that baseline glucocorticoid levels will be elevated as a result of the stress that ALAN induces, and due to the chronic nature of this stressor, stress responsiveness may be reduced. To address this question, we reared 24 A. carolinensis in two treatment groups. The Control Group was exposed to a 12:12 Light:Dark cycle. The Experimental Group was exposed to twenty-four hours of ambient light. Both groups were exposed to similar temperatures, humidity levels, and UV light. After six weeks, we drew blood and performed competitive immunoassays to measure baseline glucocorticoid levels. Additionally, we measured stress responsiveness by measuring glucocorticoid levels following a 30-minute stressor. Of the 12 A. carolinensis in each group, we measured glucocorticoid levels for half of the sample size at midday and the other half at midnight. Results from this study may demonstrate the effects of increasing urbanization and inform our understanding of an environment’s effect on the animals’ physiology.
