Study about moths: Diversity provides stability among the animals in the wild

This could help to explain why some insect species in some years are very abundant pests and cause substantial damage in agriculture and forestry.

Moths are a species-rich group of insects that occur in different habitats. The nocturnal moths play an important role as pollinators. Adult moths lay their eggs on plants that the caterpillars feed on during their upbringing. Both the larvae and the fully formed moths are an important food resource for birds and bats. Some species are causing major damage to crops and trees in farming and forestry. It has long been known that the presence of some night butterfly species varies greatly from year to year, but why some species fluctuate and others are stable has been shrouded in mystery.

A research team led by Professor Anders Forsman at Linnaeus University has highlighted the issue through over a period of 11 years collecting moths at a site in southern Sweden with a light trap. The 115.000 individuals are representing 246 different species of moths. The researchers counted how many butterflies of each species they captured in the different years. Then divided the species into three different groups depending on how much colour artwork varies between individuals within each species.

„In general, we captured more individuals of the species that varied greatly in colour drawing, compared to species where individuals were more similar to each other. Additionally the number of individuals fluctuated strongly between different years for species that had little or no colour variation“, says Dr Markus Franzén from the UFZ, who was responsible for the fieldwork.

„The relationship between colour variation and stability was independent of activity period or host plant range, since the more stable species with large variation in colour drawing were not restricted in their activity to a shorter part of the year or to a narrower range of host plants. We are therefore pretty sure that there is variation in colour artwork which affects the dynamics of moth populations“, continues Markus.

The population fluctuations were not synchronised among the different species. This suggests that the changes were caused by biological processes rather than by abiotic differences in, for example weather conditions. Our results may be partly explained by the assumption that variation in coloration makes predators less effective that hunt by sight“, says Prof Anders Forsman from the Linnaeus University. „The individual differences contribute to increased stability of the moths which confirms conclusions from previous studies of frogs, lizards and snakes that colour variation is a key to success in the wild“, he continues.

The findings have practical importance. Information on animal colour drawings can be used in conservation biology to identify which species are particularly threatened and in need of protective measures. “Perhaps our discovery also helps to predict which species might greatly increase in their numerical strength and thus might cause damage to agriculture and forestry”, says Dr Per-Eric Betzholtz from the Linnaeus University who also worked on the study.
Editing: Tilo Arnhold

Publication:
Forsman, A., Betzholtz, P-E., and Franzén, M. (2015): Variable coloration is associated with dampened population fluctuations in noctuid moths. Proceedings of the Royal Society B 282: 20142922.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2014.2922
The study was funded by the Swedish Research Council, the Linnaeus University, the Magnus Bergvalls Foundation and the European Union (FP7, project STEP – Status and Trends of European Pollinators).

Further Information:
Dr. Markus Franzén
Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ)
Tel.: +49 (0)345-558-5315
https://www.ufz.de/index.php?de=32047
and
Prof Anders Forsman / Dr Per-Eric Betzholtz
Linnaeus University
Tel. +46 (0)480-44 61 73, +46 (0)706-27 27 38 / +46 (0)480-44 62 49, +46 (0)725-29 65 90
http://lnu.se/personal/anders.forsman
http://lnu.se/personal/per-eric.betzholtz
or via
Tilo Arnhold, Susanne Hufe (UFZ press office)
Tel.: +49 (0)341-235-1635, -1630
http://www.ufz.de/index.php?en=640
and
Jonas Tenje
Communicators, Linnaeus University
Tel. +46 (0)470-767465, +46 (0)703-08 40 75
http://lnu.se/employee/jonas.tenje?l=en

Links:
EU-Projekt „STEP – Status and Trends of European Pollinators“ (EU FP 7, Collaborative Project, 2010 – 2015
http://www.step-project.net/
Linnaeus University Centre for Ecology and Evolution in Microbial model Systems
http://lnu.se/lnuc/linnaeus-university-centre-for-ecology-and-evolution-in-micro…

Linnaeus University (LNU) (Swedish: Linnéuniversitetet) is a state university in the Småland region of Sweden with more than 35,000 students. It has two campuses, one in Växjö and one in Kalmar. Linnaeus University was established in 2010 by a merger of former Växjö University and Kalmar University (Högskolan i Kalmar), and has been named in honour of botanist Carl Linnaeus. http://lnu.se/

In the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), scientists conduct research into the causes and consequences of far-reaching environmental changes. Their areas of study cover water resources, biodiversity, the consequences of climate change and possible adaptation strategies, environmental technologies and biotechnologies, bio-energy, the effects of chemicals in the environment and the way they influence health, modelling and social-scientific issues. Its guiding principle: Our research contributes to the sustainable use of natural resources and helps to provide long-term protection for these vital assets in the face of global change. The UFZ employs more than 1,100 staff at its sites in Leipzig, Halle and Magdeburg. It is funded by the federal government, Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt. http://www.ufz.de/

The Helmholtz Association contributes to solving major and urgent issues in society, science and industry through scientific excellence in six research areas: Energy, earth and environment, health, key technologies, structure of matter as well as aviation, aerospace and transportation. The Helmholtz Association is the largest scientific organisation in Germany, with 35,000 employees in 18 research centres and an annual budget of around €3.8 billion. Its work is carried out in the tradition of the great natural scientist Hermann von Helmholtz (1821-1894). http://www.helmholtz.de/

http://www.ufz.de/index.php?en=34159