Effect of field margins on moths depends on species mobility: Field-based evidence for landscape-scale conservation

Merckx, Thomas; Feber, Ruth E.; Dulieu, Rebecca L.; Townsend, M. C.; Parsons, Mark; Bourn, Nigel A. D.; Riordan, Philip; Macdonald, David W.

doi:10.1016/j.agee.2008.10.004

Cited by 100 publications

(80 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…MRR studies on moths tend to yield low percentages of recapture (Nieminen, 1996;Keil et al, 2001;Merckx et al, 2009Merckx et al, , 2010, which are in accordance with our results. The reasons for low percentages of recapture are poorly known.…”

Section: Percentage Recapture Of Mothssupporting

confidence: 82%

Attraction to light - from how far do moths (Lepidoptera) return to weak artificial sources of light?

Truxa¹,

Fiedler²

2012

Eur. J. Entomol.

121

109

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Abstract. Moths are frequently used as indicators of biodiversity or habitat quality. Light traps are the most effective and widely used method for gathering data on moth communities. Knowing the distance from which moths are drawn to a light trap is therefore essential for the ecological interpretation of such data. Two community-wide mark-release-recapture experiments were carried out in forest habitats in central Europe in order to investigate whether the percentage of marked moths recaptured at weak artificial light sources (2 × 15 W UV-light tubes) is dependent on the distance they were released from the light source. Altogether 2,331 moths belonging to 167 species were caught at light traps and released at distances of 2-100 m. Of these moths 313 returned to the light trap within 5 min of release. Percentage recapture was generally low (gross rate 13.4%) and strongly decreased with increase in the distance at which they were released. Percentage recapture was not significantly affected by ambient temperature or the sex of the moths. Only for the Geometroidea was the percentage recaptured slightly greater for the larger species. We found no significant differences between moth super-families with regard to the distance dependence of their attraction to light. Our data confirm that the radius of attraction of low powered light traps for moths is very small often even below 10 m. Thus, moths are good indicators of habitat quality and fragmentation as they are rarely attracted from distant habitats to such light traps.

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Section: Percentage Recapture Of Mothssupporting

confidence: 82%

Attraction to light - from how far do moths (Lepidoptera) return to weak artificial sources of light?

Truxa¹,

Fiedler²

2012

Eur. J. Entomol.

121

109

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“…Landscape patterns can strongly influence butterfly and moths species number, and effects of farming practice may differ between different landscapes (e.g. Weibull et al 2003, Rundlöff and Smith 2006, Merckx et al 2009a. It is therefore important to analyse monitoring data in a stratified approach on a regional level, which also decreases the necessary sample size to detect a given effect (Lang and Büh-ler 2012).…”

Section: General Discussion and Conclusionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Brunzel and Plachter 1999, Virtanen and Neuvonen 1999, Nowicki et al 2008, Pascher et al 2009), most recently as one of the major indicators to monitor and assess biodiversity change in Europe (EEA 2007(EEA , 2010; but see Fleishman and Murphy 2009 for a critical evaluation). For example, the monitoring data of Lepidoptera have been successfully used to detect declines of species and species richness (Maes and Van Dyck 2001, Conrad et al 2004, Wenzel et al 2006, Nilsson et al 2008, to assess the effects of agri-environmental schemes (Aviron et al 2007b, Merckx et al 2009a, to monitor the impact of land use change (Ricketts et al 2001, Feber et al 2007, Merckx et al 2009b, Stefanescu et al 2009, van Dyck et al 2009), to record direct effects of management measurements in arable land (Field et al 2005, Dover et al 2010, to indicate adverse effects of pesticide use (Johnson et al 1995, Longley and Sotherton 1997, Severns 2002, Russell and Schultz 2010, or to assess the effects of climate change , VanSwaay et al 2008a, Pearman et al 2011.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Standardised methods for the GMO monitoring of butterflies and moths: the whys and hows

Lang¹,

Theißen²,

Dolek³

2013

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Citation: Lang A, Theißen B, Dolek M (2013) Standardised methods for the GMO monitoring of butterflies and moths: the whys and hows. BioRisk 8: 15-38. doi: 10.3897/biorisk.8.3244 Abstract Butterflies and moths (Lepidoptera) are related to many biotic and abiotic characteristics of the environment, and are widely accepted as relevant protection goals. Adverse effects on butterflies and moths through genetically modified (GM) crops have been demonstrated, by both insect-resistant and herbicidetolerant events. Thus, Lepidoptera are considered suitable bio-indicators for monitoring the potential adverse effects due to the cultivation of GM crops, and guidelines were developed under the umbrella of the Association of German Engineers VDI (Verein Deutscher Ingenieure), entitled "Monitoring the effects of genetically modified organisms (GMO) -Standardised monitoring of butterflies and moths (Lepidoptera): transect method, light trap and larval survey". Here, the background and rationale of the VDI guidelines are presented, including a summary of the methods described in the guidelines. Special emphasis is given to the discussion of underlying reasons for the selection and adjustment of the applied methodology with respect to the GMO monitoring of day-active Lepidoptera, of night-active moths and of the recording of lepidopteran larvae, as well as to sample design and strategy. Further aspects possibly interfering with monitoring quality are treated such as landscape patterns, low species number and abundance in agro-ecosystems, or high year-to-year fluctuations of populations of Lepidoptera. Though specifically designed for GM crops, the VDI guidelines may also serve as a template to monitor the effects of a wider range of adverse factors on Lepidoptera in agriculture.

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“…Mark-Release-Recapture experiments have frequently been used to analyse the dispersal of insects such as butterflies. This method has been adapted for moths, using light traps to capture and recapture moth species and study their dispersal around landscapes (Merckx et al 2009a;Merckx et al 2010a;Slade et al 2013). This method could be used to investigate moth dispersal around farm landscapes, however it requires a large amount of human resources and has a low return rate (around 5 % with regards Merckx et al 2009a;Slade et al 2013) and was therefore not chosen for this study.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The use of hedgerows as flight paths by moths in intensive farmland landscapes

2016

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Linear boundary features such as hedgerows are important habitats for invertebrates in agricultural landscapes. Such features can provide shelter, larval food plants and nectar resources. UK butterflies are known to rely on such features, however their use by moths is understudied. With moth species suffering from significant declines, research into their ecology is important. This research aimed to determine whether UK moth species are using hedgerows as flight paths in intensive farmland. The directional movements of moths were recorded along hedgerows at 1, 5 and 10 m from the hedgerow face. The majority of moths recorded within the study were observed at 1 m from the hedgerow (68 %), and of these individuals, 69 % were moving parallel in relation to the hedge. At further distances, the proportion of parallel movements was reduced. These results suggest that hedgerows may be providing sheltered corridors for flying insects in farmland landscapes, as well as likely providing food plants and nectar resources, emphasising the importance of resourcebased approaches to conservation for Lepidoptera.

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Effect of field margins on moths depends on species mobility: Field-based evidence for landscape-scale conservation

Cited by 100 publications

References 27 publications

Attraction to light - from how far do moths (Lepidoptera) return to weak artificial sources of light?

Attraction to light - from how far do moths (Lepidoptera) return to weak artificial sources of light?

Standardised methods for the GMO monitoring of butterflies and moths: the whys and hows

The use of hedgerows as flight paths by moths in intensive farmland landscapes

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