Insect migration across Bass Strait during spring: a radar study

Drake, V. A.; Helm, K. F.; Readshaw, J. L.; Reid, D. G.

doi:10.1017/s0007485300008476

Cited by 63 publications

(53 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…Moths from at least four families appear to specialize in activity during cold months o f early spring and late fall (Bachman 1966); however few measurements o f large insects' flight speeds are available. Schaefer (1976) reports 4-6 m s-1 as typical for grasshoppers (Orthoptera, Aiolopus) and Drake et al (1981) give 3.1 m s -1 as a speed for noctuid moths. Certainly large insects are a major constituent of airborne migration at most times o f the year in temperate N o r t h America.…”

Section: Implications: Radar Faunamentioning

confidence: 99%

Flight speeds observed with radar, a correction: slow ?birds? are insects

Larkin

1991

Behav Ecol Sociobiol

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Based upon new data and re-analysis of previous data, some results concerning migration of " b i r d s " at night are now attributed to insects. In particular, slowly flying radar targets over land (Larkin and T h o m p s o n 1980) and, by analogy, over the ocean (Larkin et al. 1979) are shown to lack wing beat patterns of birds and the appearance of birds when viewed with a radar-controlled high-power telescope and spotlamp. The insect targets overlap with birds in the amount of radar echo returned, are abundant in warmer months, and fly even in March and November in temperate North America. Other previous results are largely substantiated; however, a previous report (Larkin 1980) that migrating birds can detect the wind direction over the ocean is not substantiated.

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Section: Implications: Radar Faunamentioning

confidence: 99%

Flight speeds observed with radar, a correction: slow ?birds? are insects

Larkin

1991

Behav Ecol Sociobiol

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“…The smaller noctuid and pyralid moth species, especially Loxostege afinitalis (Lederer) (catch 15 723), Nomophila austrulica (Munroe) (6032), Athetis tenuis (Butler) (5915) and Hypoperigea tonsa (Guenee) (1429) were most numerous, but the larger noctuids Heliothis punctigeru Wallengren (the native budworm) (879), Chrysodeixis argentiferu (Guenee) (the tobacco looper) (327) and Agrotis munda Walker (the brown cutworm) (243) were also caught in signihcant numbers. Several of these species were implicated in long-distance movements during an earlier radar study of insect migration in Australia (Drake et al, 1981).…”

Section: Target Identificationmentioning

confidence: 99%

The vertical distribution of macro-insects migrating in the nocturnal boundary layer: A radar study

Drake

1984

Boundary-Layer Meteorol

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A special-purpose radar has been used to observe the vertical distribution of large, strong-flying insects migrating in the nocturnal boundary layer over the central-western plains region of New South Wales. During the period of take-off flight at dusk, the density of insects decreased monotonically with height, and a distribution ofthis type persisted for much of the night in the zone of steady temperature lapse extending from the top of the inversion layer to the flight ceiling at about 1 km. Later in the night, the insects often became concentrated in the warm air at the top of the inversion layer. The lower boundary of this concentration sometimes became sharply defined, but above the zone of maximum insect density there was usually a smooth decrease of insect numbers with altitude. When the boundary layer was disturbed by an atmospheric density current, the direction and vertical distribution of the migration was permanently changed; solitary wave disturbances, however, had only a transient effect.

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“…Many high-altitude insect migrations begin around dusk, and these continue for varying periods through the night (and sometimes all night: Drake et al 1981;Feng et al 2004). Nocturnal migrations have presumably evolved because the risk of bird predation is diminished (Drake and Farrow 1988) and thermal stress can be prevented (Rainey 1974).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Nocturnal migrations have presumably evolved because the risk of bird predation is diminished (Drake and Farrow 1988) and thermal stress can be prevented (Rainey 1974). Moths, particularly the Noctuidae (which include important agricultural pests), are likely to be important constituents of the radar-detectable nocturnal fauna, particularly in temperate environments (Drake et al 1981;Chen et al 1989;Feng et al 2003Feng et al , 2004. The dynamics and vertical structure of the nocturnal atmospheric boundary layer (NBL) itself are often optimal for long-range migrations in certain insect species, particularly in the stably stratified state found in flat inland areas during fine weather.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The influence of the atmospheric boundary layer on nocturnal layers of noctuids and other moths migrating over southern Britain

et al. 2006

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Insects migrating at high altitude over southern Britain have been continuously monitored by automatically operating, vertical-looking radars over a period of several years. During some occasions in the summer months, the migrants were observed to form well-defined layer concentrations, typically at heights of 200-400 m, in the stable night-time atmosphere. Under these conditions, insects are likely to have control over their vertical movements and are selecting flight heights that are favourable for long-range migration. We therefore investigated the factors influencing the formation of these insect layers by comparing radar measurements of the vertical distribution of insect density with meteorological profiles generated by the UK Meteorological Office's (UKMO) Unified Model (UM). Radar-derived measurements of mass and displacement speed, along with data from Rothamsted Insect Survey light traps, provided information on the identity of the migrants. We present here three case studies where noctuid and pyralid moths contributed substantially to the observed layers. The major meteorological factors influencing the layer concentrations appeared to be: (a) the altitude of the warmest air, (b) heights corresponding to temperature preferences or thresholds for sustained migration and (c) on nights when air temperatures are relatively high, wind-speed maxima associated with the nocturnal jet. Back-trajectories indicated that layer duration may have been determined by the distance to the coast. Overall, the unique combination of meteorological data from the UM and insect data from entomological radar described here show considerable promise for systematic studies of high-altitude insect layering.

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Insect migration across Bass Strait during spring: a radar study

Cited by 63 publications

References 9 publications

Flight speeds observed with radar, a correction: slow ?birds? are insects

Flight speeds observed with radar, a correction: slow ?birds? are insects

The vertical distribution of macro-insects migrating in the nocturnal boundary layer: A radar study

The influence of the atmospheric boundary layer on nocturnal layers of noctuids and other moths migrating over southern Britain

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