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Automated flight-interception traps for interval sampling of insects.

ABSTRACT: Recent debates on insect decline require sound assessments on the relative drivers that may negatively impact insect populations. Often, baseline data rely on insect monitorings that integrate catches over long time periods. If, however, effects of time-critical environmental factors (e.g., light pollution) are of interest, higher temporal resolution of insect data is required during very specific time intervals (e.g., between dusk and dawn). Conventional time-critical insect trapping is labour-intensive (manual activation/deactivation) and temporally inaccurate as not all traps can be serviced synchronically at different sites. Also, temporal shifts of environmental conditions (e.g., sunset/sunrise) are not accounted for. We present a battery-driven automated insect flight-interception trap which samples insects during seven user-defined time intervals. A commercially available flight-interception trap is fitted to a turntable containing eight positions, seven of them holding cups and one consisting of a pass-through hole. While the cups sample insects during period of interest, the pass-through hole avoids unwanted sampling during time-intervals not of interest. Comparisons between two manual and two automated traps during 71 nights in 2018 showed no difference in caught insects. A study using 20 automated traps during 104 nights in 2019 proved that the automated flight-interception traps are reliable. The automated trap opens new research and application possibilities as arbitrary insect-sampling intervals can be defined. The trap proves efficient, saving manpower and associated costs as activation/deactivation is required only every seven sampling intervals. In addition, the timing of the traps is accurate, as all traps sample at exactly the same intervals and ensure comparability. The automated trap is low maintenance and robust due to straightforward technical design. It can be controlled manually or via smartphone through a Bluetooth connection. Full construction details are given in Appendices.

SUBMITTER: Bolliger J

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7351151 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Automated flight-interception traps for interval sampling of insects.

Bolliger Janine J Collet Marco M Hohl Michael M Obrist Martin K MK

PloS one 20200710 7

Recent debates on insect decline require sound assessments on the relative drivers that may negatively impact insect populations. Often, baseline data rely on insect monitorings that integrate catches over long time periods. If, however, effects of time-critical environmental factors (e.g., light pollution) are of interest, higher temporal resolution of insect data is required during very specific time intervals (e.g., between dusk and dawn). Conventional time-critical insect trapping is labour- ...[more]

PMID: 32649703

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Project description:IntroductionThe Bogong moth Agrotis infusa is well known for its remarkable annual round-trip migration from its breeding grounds across eastern and southern Australia to its aestivation sites in the Australian Alps, to which it provides an important annual influx of nutrients. Over recent years, we have benefited from a growing understanding of the navigational abilities of the Bogong moth. Meanwhile, the population of Bogong moths has been shrinking. Recently, the ecologically and culturally important Bogong moth was listed as endangered by the IUCN Red List, and the establishment of a program for long-term monitoring of its population has been identified as critical for its conservation.MethodsHere, we present the results of two years of monitoring of the Bogong moth population in the Australian Alps using recently developed methods for automated wildlife-camera monitoring of flying insects, named Camfi. While in the Alps, some moths emerge from the caves in the evening to undertake seemingly random flights, filling the air with densities in the dozens per cubic metre. The purpose of these flights is unknown, but they may serve an important role in Bogong moth navigation.ResultsWe found that these evening flights occur throughout summer and are modulated by daily weather factors. We present a simple heuristic model of the arrival to and departure from aestivation sites by Bogong moths, and confirm results obtained from fox-scat surveys which found that aestivating Bogong moths occupy higher elevations as the summer progresses. Moreover, by placing cameras along two elevational transects below the summit of Mt. Kosciuszko, we found that evening flights were not random, but were systematically oriented in directions relative to the azimuth of the summit of the mountain. Finally, we present the first recorded observations of the impact of bushfire smoke on aestivating Bogong moths - a dramatic reduction in the size of a cluster of aestivating Bogong moths during the fire, and evidence of a large departure from the fire-affected area the day after the fire.DiscussionOur results highlight the challenges of monitoring Bogong moths in the wild and support the continued use of automated camera-based methods for that purpose.

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Automated flight-interception traps for interval sampling of insects.

Publications

Automated flight-interception traps for interval sampling of insects.

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