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Reply to: Lunar illuminated fraction is a poor proxy for moonlight exposure

Nature Ecology & Evolution volume 4, pages 320–321 (2020)Cite this article

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The Original Article was published on 03 February 2020

replying to C. C. M. Kyba et al. Nature Ecology & Evolution https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-020-1096-7 (2020)

Kyba et al.1 raise a concern about the adequacy of using the lunar illuminated fraction as a proxy for moonlight, the approach we used to investigate how variation in moonlight affects the hunting and reproductive success of plumage colour morphs in barn owls (Tyto alba)2. We agree with Kyba et al. that using lunar illuminated fraction leaves out important aspects that affect moonlight levels at the ground level, namely Moon elevation. We therefore welcome them raising awareness about lunar illuminance models3, which integrate lunar phase and elevation and can provide us with proxies closer to the actual moonlight levels experienced by nocturnal animals. A reanalysis of our data using the illuminance predicted by these models yielded the same qualitative results, with effect sizes slightly larger than those obtained using lunar illuminated fraction2. This strengthens support for the role that moonlight plays on barn owls with distinct plumage colouration and highlights the advantage of using lunar illuminance models outside astronomy, as Kyba et al. propose. We encourage the use of lunar illuminance models in future studies and call for astronomers to develop the tools to make illuminance models accessible for researchers in biology, ecology, or medicine4.

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References

  1. Kyba, C. C. M., Conrad, J. & Shatwell, T. Lunar illuminated fraction is a poor proxy for moonlight exposure. Nat. Ecol. Evol. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-020-1096-7 (2020).

  2. San-Jose, L. M. et al. Differential fitness effects of moonlight on plumage colour morphs in barn owls. Nat. Ecol. Evol. 3, 1331–1340 (2019).

  3. Janiczek, P. M. & DeYoung, J. A. Computer Programs for Sun and Moon Illuminance with Contingent Tables and Diagrams (US Naval Observatory, 1987); https://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a182110.pdf

  4. Kronfeld-Schor, N. et al. Chronobiology by moonlight. Proc. R. Soc. B 280, 20123088 (2013).

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  5. Hänel, A. et al. Measuring night sky brightness: methods and challenges. J. Quant. Spectrosc. Radiat. Transf. 205, 278–290 (2018).

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Acknowledgements

We thank J. Conrad and T. Shatwell for providing us with the data on predicted illuminance. We acknowledge funding from the Swiss National Science Foundation (grant no. 173178) to A.R.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratoire Évolution & Diversité Biologique, UMR 5174, CNRS, Université Toulouse III Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France

    Luis M. San-Jose

  2. Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland

    Alexandre Roulin

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  1. Luis M. San-Jose
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  2. Alexandre Roulin
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Contributions

L.M.S.-J. reran the statistical models, and L.M.S.-J. and A.R. wrote the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Luis M. San-Jose or Alexandre Roulin.

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San-Jose, L.M., Roulin, A. Reply to: Lunar illuminated fraction is a poor proxy for moonlight exposure. Nat Ecol Evol 4, 320–321 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-020-1097-6

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