Massive seasonal high- altitude migrations of nocturnal insects above the agricultural plains of East China

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Huang, Jianrong; Feng, Hongqiang; Drake, V. Alistair; Reynolds, Don R.; Gao, Boya; Chen, Fajun; Zhang, Guoyan; Zhu, Junsheng; Gao, Yuebo; Zhai, Baoping; Li, Guoping; Tian, Caihong; Huang, Bo; Hu, Gao; Chapman, Jason W.
• 署名单位: Henan Academy of Agricultural Sciences; University of Exeter; University of New South Wales Sydney; University of Canberra; University of Greenwich; UK Research & Innovation (UKRI); Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC); Rothamsted Research; Nanjing Agricultural University; Jilin Academy of Agricultural Sciences
• 刊物名称: PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0027-13954
• DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2317646121
• 发表日期: 2024-04-30
• 关键词: helicoverpa-armigera lepidoptera; radar observations; autumn migration; noctuidae; flight; moths; TECHNOLOGY; midsummer; algorithm; patterns

摘要

Long - distance migrations of insects contribute to ecosystem functioning but also have important economic impacts when the migrants are pests or provide ecosystem services. We combined radar monitoring, aerial sampling, and searchlight trapping, to quantify the annual pattern of nocturnal insect migration above the densely populated agricultural lands of East China. A total of - 9.3 trillion nocturnal insect migrants (15,000 t of biomass), predominantly Lepidoptera, Hemiptera, and Diptera, including many crop pests and disease vectors, fly at heights up to 1 km above this 600 km - wide region every year. Larger migrants (>10 mg) exhibited seasonal reversal of movement directions, comprising northward expansion during spring and summer, followed by southward movements during fall. This north-south transfer was not balanced, however, with southward movement in fall 0.66x that of northward movement in spring and summer. Spring and summer migrations were strongest when the wind had a northward component, while in fall, stronger movements occurred on winds that allowed movement with a southward component; heading directions of larger insects were generally close to the track direction. These findings indicate adaptations leading to movement in seasonally favorable directions. We compare our results from China with similar studies in Europe and North America and conclude that ecological patterns and behavioral adaptations are similar across the Northern Hemisphere. The predominance of pests among these nocturnal migrants has severe implications for food security and grower prosperity throughout this heavily populated region, and knowledge of their migrations is potentially valuable for forecasting pest impacts and planning timely management actions.