Biocenter of the University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany.
School of Biology, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Thiruvananthapuram, Thiruvananthapuram, India.
Commun Biol. 2022 Apr 28;5(1):393. doi: 10.1038/s42003-022-03331-x.
To counteract insect decline, it is essential to understand the underlying causes, especially for key pollinators such as nocturnal moths whose ability to orientate can easily be influenced by ambient light conditions. These comprise natural light sources as well as artificial light, but their specific relevance for moth orientation is still unknown. We investigated the influence of moonlight on the reproductive behavior of privet hawkmoths (Sphinx ligustri) at a relatively dark site where the Milky Way was visible while the horizon was illuminated by distant light sources and skyglow. We show that male moths use the moon for orientation and reach females significantly faster with increasing moon elevation. Furthermore, the choice of flight direction depended on the cardinal position of the moon but not on the illumination of the horizon caused by artificial light, indicating that the moon plays a key role in the orientation of male moths.
为了应对昆虫数量减少的问题，了解其根本原因至关重要，尤其是对于像夜间活动的飞蛾这类关键传粉昆虫，其定向能力很容易受到周围光照条件的影响。这些光照条件包括自然光和人工光，但它们对飞蛾定向的具体影响尚不清楚。我们在一个相对较暗的地点调查了月光对 privet hawkmoths（Sphinx ligustri）繁殖行为的影响，在这个地点可以看到银河，而地平线则被远处的光源和天空辉光照亮。我们发现，雄蛾利用月亮进行定向，并且随着月亮仰角的增加，它们找到雌蛾的速度明显加快。此外，飞行方向的选择取决于月亮的基本方位，而不是由人工光造成的地平线照明，这表明月亮在雄蛾定向中起着关键作用。
