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Aseasonal, undirected migration in insects: 'Invisible' but common
1USDA, Agricultural Research Service, Corn Insects and Crop Genetics Research Unit, Ames, IA 50011, USA.
Iscience
|June 17, 2024
Summary
Many insect pests undertake seasonal migrations, but some also exhibit "invisible" aseasonal migration. This nonappetitive migratory flight leads to spatial mixing, impacting pest management and insect resistance.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Entomology
- Behavioral Ecology
Background:
- Insect pests often undertake long-distance seasonal migrations to exploit ephemeral resources.
- These migrations are well-studied, but aseasonal, nondirectional migratory flight remains less understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To differentiate true migratory flight from other flight behaviors in insects.
- To highlight the ecological significance of aseasonal, undirected migration in insect pest populations.
Main Methods:
- Characterizing migratory flight as nonappetitive behavior.
- Observing displacement patterns and termination points of migratory flights.
- Analyzing population-level consequences of different migration strategies.
Main Results:
- Aseasonal migratory flight is nonappetitive and results in nondirectional displacement.
- This type of migration is distinct from resource-seeking flight behaviors.
- Aseasonal migration leads to spatial mixing within insect metapopulations.
Conclusions:
- Aseasonal, undirected migration is a crucial but often overlooked phenomenon in insect pest ecology.
- Understanding this behavior is vital for effective pest and resistance management strategies.
- Spatial mixing from aseasonal migration influences population dynamics and gene flow.
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