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Species conservation profile of moths (Insecta, Lepidoptera) from Azores, Portugal.

ABSTRACT: Background:The few remnants of Azorean native forests harbour a unique set of endemic moths (Insecta, Lepidoptera), some of them under severe long term threats due to small sized habitats or climatic changes. In this contribution, we present the IUCN Red List profiles of 34 endemic moths to the Azorean archipelago, including species belonging to two diverse families: Noctuidae (11 species) and Crambidae (eight species). The objective of this paper is to assess all endemic Azorean moth species and advise on possible future research and conservation actions critical for the long-trem survival of the most endangered species. New information:Most species have a large distribution (i.e. 58% occur in at least four islands), very large extent of occurrence (EOO) and a relatively large area of occupancy (AOO). Only nine species are single-island endemics, three of them from Flores, three from São Miguel and one from Pico, São Jorge and Faial. Most of the species also experience continuing decline in habitat quality, number of locations and subpopulations caused by the ongoing threat from pasture intensification, forestry, invasive plant species and future climatic changes. The lack of new records may indicate that one of the species previously named is extinct (Eupithecia ogilviata). Therefore, we suggest as future conservation actions: (1) a long-term species monitoring plan and (2) control of invasive species.

SUBMITTER: Borges PAV

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5919917 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Species conservation profile of moths (Insecta, Lepidoptera) from Azores, Portugal.

Borges Paulo A V PAV Pérez Santa-Rita Jose V JV Nunes Rui R Danielczak Anja A Hochkirch Axel A Amorim Isabel R IR Lamelas-Lopez Lucas L Karsholt Ole O Vieira Virgílio V

Biodiversity data journal 20180419 6

<h4>Background</h4>The few remnants of Azorean native forests harbour a unique set of endemic moths (Insecta, Lepidoptera), some of them under severe long term threats due to small sized habitats or climatic changes. In this contribution, we present the IUCN Red List profiles of 34 endemic moths to the Azorean archipelago, including species belonging to two diverse families: Noctuidae (11 species) and Crambidae (eight species). The objective of this paper is to assess all endemic Azorean moth sp ...[more]

PMID: 29706789

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Project description:Simple Summary Biodiversity loss is one of the biggest challenges faced by humankind. Alarming reports on the rapid decline of insect populations call for the exploration of potential drivers of this process. Here, we test the hypothesis that decreases in the abundance and diversity of insects can be caused by industrial pollution. We found that the diversity of moths and butterflies declined in the severely degraded habitats (termed industrial barrens) adjacent to two metallurgical enterprises located in a polar region, but did not respond to moderate levels of sulphur dioxide and heavy metal pollution. Surprisingly, the overall abundance of these insects was not affected even by the extreme pollution loads. This pattern resulted from idiosyncratic responses of moth and butterfly species to pollution, which vary from significantly negative to significantly positive. The patterns in diversity and abundance do not differ between the areas affected by the two studied enterprises, and they are consistent with patterns previously found near another non-ferrous smelter. We conclude that arctic communities of moths and butterflies are unexpectedly tolerant to industrial pollution. Abstract Alarming reports on the rapid decline of insects during the past decades call for the exploration of potential drivers of this process. Here, we test the hypothesis that the overall abundance and diversity of moths and butterflies (Lepidoptera) decrease under the impact of industrial pollution in the fragile arctic environment. For this purpose, experienced collectors netted adult Lepidoptera at five tundra sites located 0.5 to 45.3 km from the ore-roasting plant in Zapolyarnyy and at five forest sites located 1.4 to 37.8 km from the copper–nickel smelter at Nikel, in the Murmansk region of Russia. The analysis of the 100 samples collected from 2003 to 2008 and containing 2312 individuals of 122 species revealed that the diversity of Lepidoptera declined significantly near both of these polluters due to both decreases in species richness and changes in the abundance of individual species, whereas the overall abundance of moths and butterflies was independent of the pollution load. These patterns did not differ between Nikel and Zapolyarnyy, and they were consistent with patterns previously found near the copper–nickel smelter at Monchegorsk. The abundances of Lepidoptera species showed variable changes along pollution gradients, from significantly negative to significantly positive, but individual species showed similar density changes around these three polluters. Disproportional increases in the abundance of a few pollution-tolerant species change the community structure and explain why the overall abundance of moths and butterflies does not decline even in localities experiencing extreme loads of sulphur dioxide and heavy metals.

Dataset Information

Species conservation profile of moths (Insecta, Lepidoptera) from Azores, Portugal.

Publications

Species conservation profile of moths (Insecta, Lepidoptera) from Azores, Portugal.

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