48
Chinese scientists reveal glowing plants that could light cities
(www.euronews.com)
Subscribe to see new publications and popular science coverage of current research on your homepage
Yes, I think it would mostly be a really cool aesthetic gimmick, not serve a critical function. But probably no harm done in planting plants and LEDs can still be used, if needed. Also I'm not a biologist, but even if those plants inevitably spread to the wild, I assume that the impact on ecosystems from some glowing plants would be minimal. Maybe they could distract insects? But artificial lights already do that and are much brighter. I don't think they would be bright enough to affect most night time animals (owls, rodents, predators hunting rodents, etc.) if they spread to forests, or at least I hope they won't have a harder time hiding. Okay, maybe someone should look into the possible effects on a case by case basis depending on species and region.