Analyzing weather surveillance radar data in June and July 2019, Tielens and colleagues found that some 45 million grasshoppers a biblical plague took flight during the peak time, concentrating over city lighting such as the Las Vegas strip. The researchers also found daily movement cycles of ascent at dusk toward lit urban areas.
This study is novel, Tielens said, because the effects of artificial lights at night on insects at large scales have not been documented in a quantitative way. It shows how insects are interacting with the landscape, including with human-made environments. Since people continue to influence the environment, it s important to understand the effects of artificial light on insect populations, the researchers said. The knowledge can help scientists conserve the diverse world of insects, as well as manage important pest species.
Research results offer a win-win for nature and economy
A prairie strip growing in wheat at the KBS LTER Main Cropping Systems Experiment.
March 4, 2021
In agricultural landscapes, predatory insects provide an essential ecosystem service valued at billions of dollars annually by suppressing pests that damage crops. A new study published in
Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment that includes data from the U.S. National Science Foundation-funded Kellogg Biological Station Long-Term Ecological Researchsite found that natural pest suppression gains a big boost when agricultural landscapes are patchy and include a high ratio of natural edge habitat between fields.
Better understanding of how pest suppression works can help researchers and growers to maintain productive crop yields. Past studies have focused on the types of habitat patches surrounding crop fields, but sometimes those types don t tell the whole story. This study, which draws on Kellogg Biological Station LTER da
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