Artificial Light at Night Affects Microbiota and Growth in the Oyster Crassostrea gigas: Correlations with the Daily Rhythm Robustness

Botté, Audrey; Bellec, Laure; Payton, Laura; Tran, Damien

doi:10.3390/jmse14020163

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Artificial Light at Night Affects Microbiota and Growth in the Oyster Crassostrea gigas: Correlations with the Daily Rhythm Robustness

¹

EPOC, UMR 5805, University of Bordeaux, CNRS, Bordeaux INP, F-33120 Arcachon, France

²

UMR 5602 GÉODE, GDR2202–Lumière & Environnement Nocturne (LUMEN), CNRS, University of Toulouse, F-31058 Toulouse, France

^*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2026, 14(2), 163; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse14020163

Submission received: 11 December 2025 / Revised: 7 January 2026 / Accepted: 8 January 2026 / Published: 12 January 2026

(This article belongs to the Section Marine Biology)

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Abstract

Widespread in coastal environments, artificial light at night (ALAN) is suspected to disrupt organisms’ biological rhythms by altering natural light cycles and thus constitutes a growing threat to these ecosystems. This study evaluates the effects of ALAN exposure at low and realistic intensity (~1 lx) on a coastal keystone species, the oyster Crassostrea gigas. The results reveal that ALAN significantly impairs the expression of core circadian clock genes (CgClock and CgBmal1) as well as the valve opening behavior, affecting rhythmic characteristics such as its robustness and daily profile. At the same time, ALAN leads to a decrease in daily shell growth and to a disruption of the gill microbiota, associated with an obliterated day/night difference in microbial alpha diversity. A direct correlation between a decrease in daily rhythm robustness, limitation of shell growth, and some microbial strands is shown, suggesting that biological rhythm disruption caused by ALAN might have harmful physiological consequences in oysters.

Keywords: artificial light at night; oyster; behavioral daily rhythm; microbiota dysbiosis; shell growth; circadian clock; Crassostrea gigas

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MDPI and ACS Style

Botté, A.; Bellec, L.; Payton, L.; Tran, D. Artificial Light at Night Affects Microbiota and Growth in the Oyster Crassostrea gigas: Correlations with the Daily Rhythm Robustness. J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2026, 14, 163. https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse14020163

AMA Style

Botté A, Bellec L, Payton L, Tran D. Artificial Light at Night Affects Microbiota and Growth in the Oyster Crassostrea gigas: Correlations with the Daily Rhythm Robustness. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering. 2026; 14(2):163. https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse14020163

Chicago/Turabian Style

Botté, Audrey, Laure Bellec, Laura Payton, and Damien Tran. 2026. "Artificial Light at Night Affects Microbiota and Growth in the Oyster Crassostrea gigas: Correlations with the Daily Rhythm Robustness" Journal of Marine Science and Engineering 14, no. 2: 163. https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse14020163

APA Style

Botté, A., Bellec, L., Payton, L., & Tran, D. (2026). Artificial Light at Night Affects Microbiota and Growth in the Oyster Crassostrea gigas: Correlations with the Daily Rhythm Robustness. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering, 14(2), 163. https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse14020163

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Artificial Light at Night Affects Microbiota and Growth in the Oyster Crassostrea gigas: Correlations with the Daily Rhythm Robustness

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