Plant and Invertebrate Ecology Department, Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, Hertfordshire AL5 2JQ, UK.
Science. 2010 Feb 5;327(5966):682-5. doi: 10.1126/science.1182990.
Many insects undertake long-range seasonal migrations to exploit temporary breeding sites hundreds or thousands of kilometers apart, but the behavioral adaptations that facilitate these movements remain largely unknown. Using entomological radar, we showed that the ability to select seasonally favorable, high-altitude winds is widespread in large day- and night-flying migrants and that insects adopt optimal flight headings that partially correct for crosswind drift, thus maximizing distances traveled. Trajectory analyses show that these behaviors increase migration distances by 40% and decrease the degree of drift from seasonally optimal directions. These flight behaviors match the sophistication of those seen in migrant birds and help explain how high-flying insects migrate successfully between seasonal habitats.
许多昆虫会进行长距离的季节性迁徙，以利用相距数百甚至数千公里的临时繁殖地，但促进这些迁徙的行为适应性在很大程度上仍不为人知。我们利用昆虫雷达表明，在大型昼行和夜行迁徙昆虫中，广泛存在选择季节性有利的高空风的能力，而且昆虫会采用最佳飞行方向，部分纠正横风漂移，从而最大限度地增加飞行距离。轨迹分析表明，这些行为可将迁徙距离增加 40%，并减少从季节性最佳方向的漂移程度。这些飞行行为与候鸟中所见的复杂行为相匹配，有助于解释高空飞行昆虫如何在季节性栖息地之间成功迁徙。
