We know of course that light from the sun is a fundamental component to making life possible on earth because of the energy it provides. Does the light that is reflected off of the moon make a significant impact on the earth as well?
For example - at night, would it be at lot colder on earth without moonlight? And would it basically be pitch-dark on earth without moonlight? Or do stars and other astronomical entities provide a significant amount of light compared to the moon?
One significant biological event that requires a specific "type" of moonlight is the reproduction of corals in Great Barrier Reef, in Australia.
'One week each year in spring, after a full moon, millions of corals release eggs and sperm in what Bill Leggat, a co-author of the new study, called "a slow symphony."'
'An ancient light-sensitive gene has been isolated that appears to act as a trigger for the annual mass spawning of corals across a third of a million square kilometres of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, shortly after a full moon.'
