Saving moths may be just as important as saving the bees

Date:
June 5, 2023
Source:
University of Sheffield
Summary:
Night-time pollinators such as moths may visit just as many plants
as bees, and should also be the focus of conservation and protection
efforts, a new study suggests.


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FULL STORY ========================================================================== Night-time pollinators such as moths may visit just as many plants as
bees, and should also be the focus of conservation and protection efforts,
a new study from the University of Sheffield suggests.

The study found that moths under pressure from urbanisation may also be
less resilient than bees, due to their more complex life cycle and more specific plant requirements.

It also revealed that despite this threat, moths play a crucial role
in supporting urban plant communities, accounting for a third of all pollination in flowering plants, crops and trees.

The researchers suggest that when planning or redeveloping urban areas, supporting the introduction of plant species that are beneficial for
moths, as well as bees, will become increasingly important for the health
of urban ecosystems.

Dr Emilie Ellis, lead author from the University of Sheffield's Grantham Institute for Sustainable Futures, and now the Research Centre for
Ecological Change (REC) at the University of Helsinki, said: "Our study
found that in more urbanised areas the diversity of pollen being carried
by moths and bees decreases, meaning that urban pollinators may have
less flower resources available to them.

"As moths and bees both rely on plants for survival, plant populations
also rely on insects for pollination. Protecting urban green spaces and ensuring they are developed in such a way that moves beyond bee-only conservation but also supports a diverse array of wildlife, will ensure
both bee and moth populations remain resilient and our towns and cities
remain healthier, greener places." In the study, Dr Ellis and her
co-authors showed that bees and moths are visiting significantly different plant communities. Along with the usual pale and fragrant flower species
moths are known to frequent, the study showed that moths were found to
be carrying more pollen than previously thought, and visiting more types
of tree and fruit crops than previously identified.

In urbanised areas, there can sometimes be an overabundance of
non-native plant species, or just an overall reduction in the diversity
of plant species; this may result in lower insect interactions for less attractive plant species, having negative effects on both plant and
insect populations.

Dr Ellis says the research demonstrates just how crucial moths are at pollinating plants, including crops, and that the study has implications
for wildlife-friendly gardening initiatives, urban planners and policy
makers responsible for developing urban green spaces for parks or urban horticulture.

Dr Ellis said: "People don't generally appreciate moths so they can
often be overlooked compared to bees when talking about protection
and conservation, but it's becoming apparent that there needs to be a
much more focused effort to raise awareness of the important role moths
play in establishing healthy environments, especially as we know moth populations have drastically declined over the past 50 years.

"When planning green spaces, consideration needs to be given to ensure
planting is diverse and moth-friendly as well as bee-friendly, to ensure
both our plants and insects remain resilient in the face of the climate
crisis and further losses." Dr Stuart Campbell, from the University
of Sheffield's School of Biosciences, and a senior author on the study,
said: "Most plants depend on insects for pollination, but knowing which
insects do the pollinating is actually a really difficult question to
answer. There are about 250 species of bee in the UK, and we know quite
a bit about some of these species, but we also have over 2,500 species
of moth which visit flowers mostly at night. So, as you might expect,
we know a lot less about these.

"What we were able to do in this study is use DNA sequencing to
identify the pollen that gets stuck to night-flying moths when they
visit flowers. We found that moths are probably pollinating a range of
plant species, many of them wild, that are unlikely to be pollinated by
bees -- and vice versa. It's clear from this study that pollination is
achieved by complex networks of insects and plants, and these networks
may be delicate, and sensitive to urbanisation. We can also learn which
plant species might be the best sources of food for different insects, including nocturnal ones like adult moths, and use that information to
better provide for all our pollinators."
* RELATED_TOPICS
o Plants_&_Animals
# Insects_(including_Butterflies) # Endangered_Plants #
Botany # Nature
o Earth_&_Climate
# Exotic_Species # Sustainability # Ecology #
Environmental_Awareness
* RELATED_TERMS
o Bee o Conservation_ethic o Conservation_biology o
Pollination_management o Marine_conservation o Beekeeping o
Africanized_bee o Moth

========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_Sheffield. Note:
Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Emilie E. Ellis, Jill L. Edmondson, Kathryn H. Maher, Helen
Hipperson,
Stuart A. Campbell. Negative effects of urbanisation on diurnal
and nocturnal pollen-transport networks. Ecology Letters, 2023 DOI:
10.1111/ ele.14261 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/06/230605181342.htm

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