Scientists were stunned by a never-before-seen phenomenon. Hundreds of millions of migratory insects cross 100 kilometers of open sea from the Middle East to reach Cyprus on their way to mainland Europe.as an investigation has just shown.
In just over a month, scientists noted that 39 million migratory beetles had arrived at the tip of the Karpas Peninsula in northeastern Cyprus. This is a number that has never been recorded before.
“I’ve never seen anything like him”said lead researcher Will Hawkes, PhD student at the Center for Ecology and Conservation at the University of Exeter Penryn Campus in Cornwall.
“The sky was dark with so many insects and the migratory flies bore us to the point where we had to take shelter in the car,” he explained.
Karl Wotton, also from the University of Exeter, added: “We had a hunch that this would be an important site for insect migration, but we were surprised by the intensity of the movement. reached a rate of about 6,000 insects per meter per minute“.
The researchers also examined satellite images to assess the amount of winter vegetation growth. In this way, they identified the potential source of this massive insect migration in the countries of Syria, Iraq and Saudi Arabia.
“What’s impressive to me is not just the numbers, but the diversity of migratory insects,” Hawkes added.
In fact, these insect clouds contained a large number of wandering emperor dragonflies and Painted Lady butterflies, but the vast majority (86%) were fly species.
“It’s really important to know which insects are migrating,” Hawkes said. “Without this information, we cannot begin to understand what effects their movements have on the planet.”
For example, The arrival of flying flies carrying orchid pollen from Asia to Cyprus is evidence of “intercontinental pollination”.Added Hawkes.
This long-distance gene transfer by migratory insects allows plants to maintain a diverse gene pool and potentially mitigate changes in environmental conditions.
“These migratory insects are also very important at the local ecological level”said Hawkes. “We’ve seen ants eat Painted Lady butterflies, and even migratory grasshoppers and butterflies are eaten by turtles.”
But the displacements are numerous and large. It should not suggest that there is an overpopulation of these species. In reality, insects are globally threatened.
“Migratory insects are vulnerable to habitat loss beyond a country’s borders,” Hawkes said.
“Human activities and climate change can affect the migration routes and ranges of these insect species, so we need to take a more global and holistic view of conservation.
“If we all take care of these extraordinary little creatures, we can protect them and then reap the rewards of doing so,” he added.
The article published in the journal, ultrasoundIt is titled “The Enormous Spring Migrations of Insects from the Middle East to Europe: Measuring Migrant Community and Ecosystem Services.”
Reference Study: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ecog.06288
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Environment department contact address:crisclimatica@prensaiberica.es
Source: Informacion
