Details of Award
NERC Reference : NE/K007394/1
[ENVIRONMENT] Understanding the importance of moths as pollinators: an ecological network approach
Training Grant Award
- Lead Supervisor:
- Professor D Evans, University of Hull, Biological Sciences
- Grant held at:
- University of Hull, Biological Sciences
- Science Area:
- Terrestrial
- Overall Classification:
- Terrestrial
- ENRIs:
- Biodiversity
- Environmental Risks and Hazards
- Global Change
- Natural Resource Management
- Pollution and Waste
- Science Topics:
- None
- Abstract:
- Moths may perform an important, but often overlooked, functional role as plant pollinators. This is significant given the growing recognition of the ecosystem services provided by pollinating insects. However, a recent study by Butterfly Conservation (BC) revealed that two thirds of larger moth species populations have declined in the UK over the past 35 years, most likely as a result of the combined effects of habitat modification, pesticide use and increased light pollution. Such widespread declines are likely to have detrimental knock-on effects on the wider food-web as well as important ecological processes such as plant pollination, but to date this has not been investigated. BC regard it as essential to better understand the role of moths in ecosystem service provision, and the effective conservation of moths, especially in response to the potentially negative effects of street lighting. This project will examine the functional importance of nocturnal moths for plant pollination by quantifying the ecological process of pollen transfer. First, data will be used to construct quantitative bipartite plant-pollinator networks. Developing a network approach for environmental monitoring has two advantages: 1) it provides species richness and diversity data across trophic levels; and 2) data on the frequency of interaction between species can be used to assess ecosystem functioning and resilience. Second, the impacts of light pollution on moth populations will be assessed using data from BC's National Moth Recording scheme (one of the largest datasets worldwide covering the spatial and temporal distribution of an insect group) together with light pollution and land cover maps, testing for spatial congruence of the presence of moth species and moth diversity with lighting while taking account of other important covariates. Third, the effects of street lighting on the structure of ecological networks and pollination processes will be assessed using replicated field experiments, including a novel bioassay. A central component of the project will be to assess the impacts of street lighting alternatives (high-pressure sodium vapour, metal halide and LED) on moths and their interactions with plants, a distinctive approach but one that complements other work currently underway examining the impacts of street lighting on bats and invertebrates. With a third of the UK's street light stock due to be replaced with new lighting technology, the project will provide evidence directly to policy-makers, conservationists and land managers on how to mitigate the impacts.
- NERC Reference:
- NE/K007394/1
- Grant Stage:
- Completed
- Scheme:
- DTG - directed
- Grant Status:
- Closed
- Programme:
- Open CASE
This training grant award has a total value of £72,421
FDAB - Financial Details (Award breakdown by headings)
| Total - Fees | Total - RTSG | Total - Student Stipend |
|---|---|---|
| £13,978 | £9,249 | £49,194 |
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