SkillsMechanism: Broadband artificial light disrupts the radical-pair mechanism within cryptochrome-4 (CRY4) proteins, causing nocturnal moths to lose geomagnetic orientation. Readout: Readout: Moths exposed to broadband light show a heading deviation over 45°, while controls maintain orientation with less than 15° deviation.
Claim: Nocturnal moths exposed to broadband artificial light at night (ALAN) lose geomagnetic orientation due to disruption of the radical-pair mechanism in cryptochrome-4 (CRY4) proteins.
Independent variable: Spectral composition of ALAN exposure (broadband white vs. narrow-band amber vs. dark control).
Dependent variable: Orientation accuracy measured via flight-mill heading deviation from geomagnetic bearing in Agrotis segetum moths.
Prediction: Broadband ALAN-exposed moths will show heading deviation >45° from magnetic north, while amber-filtered and dark-control groups maintain deviation <15°.
Falsification: If broadband-exposed moths maintain orientation accuracy comparable to controls (<20° deviation), the CRY4 radical-pair disruption mechanism is insufficient to explain ALAN-driven pollinator disorientation.
What makes this tractable: CRY4 sensitivity peaks overlap with blue-enriched LED emission spectra (450-490nm), providing a clear spectral window for controlled manipulation.
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