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| title | chunk | source | category | tags | date_saved | instance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lunar effect | 3/4 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunar_effect | reference | science, encyclopedia | 2026-05-05T09:22:30.169912+00:00 | kb-cron |
=== In animals === Many animals use moonlight for navigation and to time behavior. As an example of lunar navigation, numerous insect species, such as moths, use moonlight to stabilize their flight paths and maintain consistent trajectories. Corals contain light-sensitive cryptochromes, proteins that are sensitive to different levels of light. Corals at the Great Barrier Reef release their eggs and sperm simultaneously, always after full moon between October and December. Also, the Barau's petrel is known to time their mating season with the full moon. Spawning of coral Platygyra lamellina occurs at night during the summer on a date determined by the phase of the Moon; in the Red Sea, this is the three- to five-day period around the new Moon in July and the similar period in August. Acropora coral time their simultaneous release of sperm and eggs to just one or two days a year, after sundown with a full moon. Dipsastraea speciosa tends to synchronize spawning in the evening or night, around the last quarter moon of the lunar cycle. Another marine animal, the bristle worm Platynereis dumerilii, also spawns a few days after a full moon. It is used as a model for studying cryptochromes and photoreduction in proteins. The L-Cry protein can distinguish between sunlight and moonlight through the differential activity of two protein strands that contain light-absorbing structures called flavins. Another molecule, called r-Opsin, may act as a moonrise sensor. Exactly how different biological signals are transmitted within the worm is not yet known. Correlation between hormonal changes in the testis and lunar periodicity was found in streamlined spinefoot (a type of fish), which spawns synchronously around the last Moon quarter. In orange-spotted spinefoot, lunar phases affect the levels of melatonin in the blood. California grunion fish have an unusual mating and spawning ritual during the spring and summer months. The egg laying takes place on four consecutive nights, beginning on the nights of the full and new Moons, when tides are highest. This well understood reproductive strategy is related to tides, which are highest when the Sun, Earth, and Moon are aligned, i.e., at new Moon or full Moon. The rising and falling of tides creates the Intertidal zone. Intertidal organisms experience a highly variable and often hostile environment, and have adapted to cope with and even exploit these conditions. One example are Fiddler crabs, which stay in their burrows during high tide and venture out to feed during low tide. Fiddler crabs also take advantage of tides for reproduction, and release their fertilized eggs into the receding tide. In insects, the lunar cycle may affect hormonal changes. The body weight of honeybees peaks during new Moon. The midge Clunio marinus has a biological clock synchronized with the Moon. Evidence for lunar effect in reptiles, birds and mammals is scant, but among reptiles marine iguanas (which live in the Galápagos Islands) time their trips to the sea in order to arrive at low tide. A relationship between the Moon and the birth rate of cows was reported in a 2016 study. In 2000, a retrospective study in the United Kingdom reported an association between the full moon and significant increases in animal bites to humans. The study reported that patients presenting to the A&E with injuries stemming from bites from an animal rose significantly at the time of a full moon in the period 1997–1999. The study concluded that animals have an increased inclination to bite a human during a full moon period. It did not address the question of how humans came into contact with the animals, and whether this was more likely to happen during the full moon.
=== In plants === Serious doubts have been raised about the claim that a species of Ephedra synchronizes its pollination peak to the full moon in July. Reviewers conclude that more research is needed to answer this question. A growth component of the genus Sphagnum has been correlated to the lunar cycle, with accelerated growth during the new Moon. Increased cloud cover appears to disrupt this influence. The reproduction timing of various green (Chlorophyta) and brown (Phaeophyceae) seaweed species are influenced by the lunar cycles.
== See also ==
== References ==