Rapid declines of common, widespread British moths provide evidence of an insect biodiversity crisis

Conrad, K. F.; Warren, M. S.; Fox, Richard; Parsons, Mark; Woiwod, I. P.

doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2006.04.020

Cited by 446 publications

(387 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…Just how representative A. gamma is of other migrant insects is a matter for future study, but given the similarities in the migration strategies of A. gamma to those of other insects in Europe (24,34), Asia (21), North America (3,5,19,20), and Australia (8,35), it is very likely that the results of the present study will be applicable to a wide range of migrants. We conjecture, therefore, that during a time when most sedentary Lepidoptera (36,37) and many migrant birds (38,39) have experienced dramatic declines, the shared traits of high fecundity (40), polyphagy (26), year-round breeding (26), reduced disease and parasite loads (41,42), and efficient strategies for the use of windborne transport (43) to exploit widely dispersed seasonal resources are the principal factors that have enabled the recent temperature-related range expansions and population increases observed in many species of migrant Lepidoptera (44). Considering the pest status of A. gamma (and many other species of migrant moths), which is facilitated by their polyphagy, it is certainly germane to increase our understanding of the migration systems of such species.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 93%

Seasonal migration to high latitudes results in major reproductive benefits in an insect

Chapman

Bell

Burgin

et al. 2012

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

133

137

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Little is known of the population dynamics of long-range insect migrants, and it has been suggested that the annual journeys of billions of nonhardy insects to exploit temperate zones during summer represent a sink from which future generations seldom return (the "Pied Piper" effect). We combine data from entomological radars and ground-based light traps to show that annual migrations are highly adaptive in the noctuid moth Autographa gamma (silver Y), a major agricultural pest. We estimate that 10-240 million immigrants reach the United Kingdom each spring, but that summer breeding results in a fourfold increase in the abundance of the subsequent generation of adults, all of which emigrate southward in the fall. Trajectory simulations show that 80% of emigrants will reach regions suitable for winter breeding in the Mediterranean Basin, for which our population dynamics model predicts a winter carrying capacity only 20% of that of northern Europe during the summer. We conclude not only that poleward insect migrations in spring result in major population increases, but also that the persistence of such species is dependent on summer breeding in high-latitude regions, which requires a fundamental change in our understanding of insect migration.windborne migration | source-sink dynamics

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 93%

Seasonal migration to high latitudes results in major reproductive benefits in an insect

Chapman

Bell

Burgin

et al. 2012

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

133

137

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…National monitoring schemes for butterfly and moth populations (Conrad et al, 2006) (Feber et al, 1997). The increase in O. lunosa at Wytham may be a response to the increased grassland area and grass species.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of agri-environment schemes in a long-term ecological time series

Taylor

Morecroft

2009

Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment

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We investigated the impact of agri-environment schemes, including organic farming, on contrasting taxa, when the management of a Southern English farm was changed in the middle of a 12 year time series for an ecosystem monitoring programme. Plant species richness, including butterfly larval food plants, increased, whilst grassland productivity decreased. There was no overall difference in butterfly or carabid beetle abundance or species richness after the management changes, but some individual species increased significantly. Moth abundance and species richness significantly increased following changes in management. There were significant longer term increases in butterfly and carabid populations from when monitoring started in 1994, which continued through the change in management. This contrasted with national trends over the same period. Warmer summers generally increased invertebrate abundance, but there was no significant trend in weather variables for the years following the change in management. This study corroborates results from short term comparison of contrasting farms and demonstrates measurable benefits to biodiversity from the implementation of agri-environment schemes, which continue to increase over at least five years.

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“…Defoliating caterpillars of oaks and other species are known to follow longterm cycles of ten years or more (Harding 2000, Hogstad 2005) but there is evidence for long-term decline in common and widespread moth species in the UK (Conrad et al 2006). However, work on Wood Warblers Phylloscopus sibilatrix in Wales suggests that overall abundance of caterpillars has not changed significantly in 25 years (J. Mallord, pers.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Drivers of low breeding success in the Lesser Spotted WoodpeckerDendrocopos minorin England: testing hypotheses for the decline

et al. 2012

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224 Mandeville Rise, Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, AL8 7JU, UK and 3 Natural England, 3rd floor Touthill Close, City Road, Peterborough PE1 1XN, UKCapsule The breeding success of Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers Dendrocopos minor is now lower in England than previously reported and also lower than found in studies elsewhere in Europe. Aims To quantify the breeding success and identify the causes of nest failure. To test the hypotheses that breeding success is related to aspects of food limitation and parental care, and inclement weather during the nesting period, or to interactions with Great Spotted Woodpeckers. Methods Nests were monitored in three regions of England, recording survival and causes of failure. We measured aspects of food limitation and parental care, rainfall and Great Spotted Woodpecker interactions at nests, to explore whether there was any evidence that these factors were related to breeding success. We compared results to other studies from the UK and continental Europe.Results Nest survival was 52%. The average number of chicks produced from successful nests was 2.8. Chick-stage daily nest survival was positively related to provisioning rates, indicating that food supply may be limiting. The most common cause of nest failure was presumed starvation of chicks after the disappearance of an adult. Some females ceased visiting nests, leaving provisioning solely to the male. This behaviour has been reported elsewhere in Europe, but in the present study males were unable to compensate fully by increasing their provisioning rates, leading to poor nest survival. Provisioning rates and chick-stage daily nest survival were negatively associated with rainfall. Nest predation by Great Spotted Woodpeckers occurred but was a less frequent cause of failure. Aggressive interactions were recorded between the two woodpecker species but these were unrelated to breeding parameters. Conclusions Low breeding success is most probably related to food shortages in the breeding period. Simple population modelling using parameters from the present study and from published work shows that if the low productivity that we have observed is replicated throughout Britain, it would be sufficient to account for the observed population decline. However, the possibility that survival rates are also low cannot be ruled out.

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Rapid declines of common, widespread British moths provide evidence of an insect biodiversity crisis

Cited by 446 publications

References 27 publications

Seasonal migration to high latitudes results in major reproductive benefits in an insect

Seasonal migration to high latitudes results in major reproductive benefits in an insect

Effects of agri-environment schemes in a long-term ecological time series

Drivers of low breeding success in the Lesser Spotted WoodpeckerDendrocopos minorin England: testing hypotheses for the decline

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