Multi‐generational long‐distance migration of insects: studying the painted lady butterfly in the Western Palaearctic

A - Papers appearing in refereed journals

Stefanescu, C., Paramo, F., Akesson, S., Alarcon, M., Avila, A., Brereton, T., Carnicer, J., Cassar, L. F., Fox, R., Heliola, J., Hill, J. K., Hirneisen, N., Kjellen, N., Kuhn, E., Kuussaari, M., Leskinen, M., Liechti, F., Musche, M., Regan, E. C., Reynolds, D. R., Roy, D. B., Ryrholm, N., Schmaljohann, H., Settele, J., Thomas, C. D., Van Swaay, C. and Chapman, J. W. 2013. Multi‐generational long‐distance migration of insects: studying the painted lady butterfly in the Western Palaearctic. Ecography. 36 (4), pp. 474-486. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0587.2012.07738.x

AuthorsStefanescu, C., Paramo, F., Akesson, S., Alarcon, M., Avila, A., Brereton, T., Carnicer, J., Cassar, L. F., Fox, R., Heliola, J., Hill, J. K., Hirneisen, N., Kjellen, N., Kuhn, E., Kuussaari, M., Leskinen, M., Liechti, F., Musche, M., Regan, E. C., Reynolds, D. R., Roy, D. B., Ryrholm, N., Schmaljohann, H., Settele, J., Thomas, C. D., Van Swaay, C. and Chapman, J. W.
Abstract

Long-range, seasonal migration is a widespread phenomenon among insects, allowing them to track and exploit abundant but ephemeral resources over vast geographical areas. However, the basic patterns of how species shift across multiple locations and seasons are unknown in most cases, even though migrant species comprise an important component of the temperate-zone biota. The painted lady butterfly Vanessa cardui is such an example; a cosmopolitan continuously-brooded species which migrates each year between Africa and Europe, sometimes in enormous numbers. The migration of 2009 was one of the most impressive recorded, and thousands of observations were collected through citizen science programmes and systematic entomological surveys, such as high altitude insect-monitoring radar and ground-based butterfly monitoring schemes. Here we use V. cardui as a model species to better understand insect migration in the Western Palaearctic, and we capitalise on the complementary data sources available for this iconic butterfly. The migratory cycle in this species involves six generations, encompassing a latitudinal shift of thousands of kilometres (up to 60 degrees of latitude). The cycle comprises an annual poleward advance of the populations in spring followed by an equatorward return movement in autumn, with returning individuals potentially flying thousands of kilometres. We show that many long-distance migrants take advantage of favourable winds, moving downwind at high elevation (from some tens of metres from the ground to altitudes over 1000 m), pointing at strong similarities in the flight strategies used by V. cardui and other migrant Lepidoptera. Our results reveal the highly successful strategy that has evolved in these insects, and provide a useful framework for a better understanding of long-distance seasonal migration in the temperate regions worldwide.

Keywordsbiodiversity conservation; Ecology
Year of Publication2013
JournalEcography
Journal citation36 (4), pp. 474-486
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0587.2012.07738.x
Open accessPublished as non-open access
FunderDLR-BMBF (Germany)
NERC - Natural Environment Research Council
DEFRA - Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs UK
Formas
Swedish Energy Agency - EPA Sweden
consortium of government agencies
Dept de Territori i Sostenibilitat de la Generalitat de Catalunya
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
ANR - Agence Nationale de la Recherche - The French National Research Agency
Consolider Ingenio MONTES
Funder project or codeDelivering Sustainable Systems (SS) [ISPG]
Movement and spatial ecology in agricultural landscapes
Output statusPublished
Publication dates
Online16 Oct 2012
Publication process dates
Accepted06 Jul 2012
PublisherWiley
Grant IDANR-05-BDIV-015
CSD2008-00040
ISSN0906-7590

Permalink - https://repository.rothamsted.ac.uk/item/8qxxv/multi-generational-long-distance-migration-of-insects-studying-the-painted-lady-butterfly-in-the-western-palaearctic

Restricted files

Accepted author manuscript

Under embargo indefinitely

Supplemental file

Under embargo indefinitely

114 total views
2 total downloads
4 views this month
0 downloads this month