[ad_1]
Scientists have discovered that moths can play a much larger role as plant pollinators than previously thought.
A joint study from the Universities of York, Newcastle and Hull suggests that moths play an important but neglected ecological role by distributing pollen over great distances under cover of darkness.
The team of scientists, working with collaborators at Butterfly Conservation and the Center for Ecology & Hydrology, observed moths at a Yorkshire farm, using a new pollen detection method called metabarcodage to identify different types of pollen that they carried.
The study found that moths supplement the daily work of bees and other pollinating insects, suggesting that plants with the ability to be pollinated by moths and bees can be beneficial.
The lead author, Dr. Callum Macgregor, of the Department of Biology at the University of York, said: "The use of advanced techniques to distinguish different types of pollen has allowed us to better understanding the important plant species for nectar can therefore benefit from pollination after dark.
"More than half of the plant species we detected were not previously known by moths, and it was particularly interesting for butterflies to carry pollen from many plant species visited by bees, hoverflies and butterflies. "
Pollen grains from crops such as peas, soybeans and rapeseed have been detected on several butterflies, despite the lack of previous evidence suggesting that moths are beneficial to farmers.
Mr. Macgregor added, "Our study highlights the fact that we need to think seriously about the benefits of butterflies for plants and farming systems, and although bees are excellent pollinators, they will only travel in the wild. local environment of the nest.
"Butterflies seem to complement the work of bees and can carry pollen over greater distances because they do not have the same connections to a particular part of the landscape, which could potentially help prevent consanguinity between plants."
The new approach revealed that 35% of all captured butterflies carried pollen and that nocturnal moths of the family Noctuidae were the most prolific pollinators.
The researchers also detected pollen from popular garden plants such as the soldet and verbena. Many gardeners choose nectar-rich flowers to help bee and butterfly populations in decline, and these findings suggest that butterflies could also benefit.
Project leader Darren Evans, Newcastle University School of Natural Sciences and the Environment, said: "Using new methods to analyze pollen has allowed us to learn much more. on our undervalued nocturnal ecosystems.
"The results show for the first time that butterflies could even pollinate some crops, which underlines the need for more research on the role of moths as providers of ecosystem services."
Source of the story:
Material provided by University of York. Note: Content can be changed for style and length.
Source link
