Zhou Xianyong, Jia Huiru, Zhang Haowen, Wu Kongming
Xianghu Lab, Hangzhou 311258, China.
Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Guangzhou 510640, China.
Plants (Basel). 2023 Nov 6;12(21):3778. doi: 10.3390/plants12213778.
Noctuid moths, a group of "non-bee" pollinators, are essential but frequently underappreciated. To elucidate their roles in cross-regional pollination, this study selected the agriculturally significant species, cabbage looper (CL) , as a representative model. From 2017 to 2021, this study was conducted on Yongxing Island, situated at the center of the South China Sea. We investigated the flower-visiting activities of CL, including its occurrence, potential host species, and geographic distribution in the surrounding areas of the South China Sea. First, the potential transoceanic migratory behavior and regional distribution of CL were systematically monitored through a comprehensive integration of the data obtained from a searchlight trap. The transoceanic migratory behavior of CL was characterized by intermittent occurrence, with the major migratory periods and the peak outbreak yearly. Furthermore, trajectory analysis confirmed the ability of CL to engage in periodic, round-trip, migratory flights between Southeast Asian countries and China. More importantly, an observation of pollen on the body surface demonstrated that 95.59% (130/136) of the migrating individuals carried pollen. The proboscis and compound eyes were identified as the primary pollen-carrying parts, with no observable gender-based differences in pollen-carrying rates. Further, identifying the pollen carried by CL using morphological and molecular methods revealed a diverse range of pollen types from at least 17 plant families and 31 species. Notably, CL predominantly visited eudicot and herbaceous plants. In conclusion, this pioneering study has not only revealed the long-distance migration activities of these noctuid moths in the East Asian region but also provided direct evidence supporting their role as potential pollinators. These findings offer a critical theoretical basis to guide the development of scientific management strategies.
夜蛾是一类“非蜜蜂”传粉者，至关重要但常被忽视。为阐明它们在跨区域授粉中的作用，本研究选取了具有农业重要性的物种——甘蓝夜蛾作为代表性模型。2017年至2021年，本研究在位于南海中心的永兴岛开展。我们调查了甘蓝夜蛾的访花活动，包括其出现情况、潜在寄主物种以及在南海周边地区的地理分布。首先，通过综合利用探照灯诱捕获得的数据，系统监测了甘蓝夜蛾的潜在跨洋迁徙行为和区域分布。甘蓝夜蛾的跨洋迁徙行为具有间歇性，每年有主要迁徙期和爆发高峰期。此外，轨迹分析证实了甘蓝夜蛾有能力在东南亚国家和中国之间进行周期性的往返迁徙飞行。更重要的是，对体表花粉的观察表明，95.59%（130/136）的迁徙个体携带花粉。喙和复眼被确定为主要的花粉携带部位，花粉携带率在性别上无明显差异。此外，通过形态学和分子方法鉴定甘蓝夜蛾携带的花粉，发现其花粉类型多样，至少来自17个植物科和31个物种。值得注意的是，甘蓝夜蛾主要访双子叶植物和草本植物。总之，这项开创性研究不仅揭示了这些夜蛾在东亚地区的长途迁徙活动，还提供了直接证据支持它们作为潜在传粉者的作用。这些发现为指导科学管理策略的制定提供了关键的理论基础。
