论文荐读:昆虫怎样以及为何迁飞/迁徙?

Science: How and Why Do Insects Migrate?
(昆虫怎样以及为何迁飞/迁徙?)

每年都有无数的昆虫在大陆内部和大陆之间迁飞(迁徙),但我们对解释这些大规模迁飞(迁徙)的最终原因和大致机制知之甚少。在这里,本文作者认为昆虫迁飞(迁徙)最重要的原因可能是为了降低繁殖风险。昆虫通过在空间和时间上分散其在繁殖方面的投入,将后代分布在不同的环境中。作者展示了通过对昆虫个体长距离迁飞(迁徙)的研究将如何帮助我们更好的理解昆虫迁飞(迁徙)。在未来,追踪方法的进步可能使对像沙漠蝗虫这样的大型昆虫的全球监测成为可能。

大型昆虫成群迁飞(迁徙)的例子
Examples of large insects that migrate in swarms.

A图为帝王蝶(Danaus plexippus);B图为沙漠蝗虫(Schistocerca gregaria)。
Figure A: Monarch (Danaus plexippus); Figure B: desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria).

迁飞蜻蜓上附着的微发射器
Attachment of microtransmitters to migrating dragonflies

A图为在植被上休息的绿蜻蜓,其腹面胸部附着有微发射器;B图为沼泽蜻蜓在继续沿新泽西州特拉华湾迁飞前,在手指上进行热身。
Figure A: Green darner resting on vegetation, with microtransmitter attached to ventral thorax; Figure B: Swamp darner warming up on finger before continuing migration along the Delaware Bay, New Jersey.

Countless numbers of insects migrate within and between continents every year, and yet we know very little about the ultimate reasons and proximate mechanisms that would explain these mass movements. Here we suggest that perhaps the most important reason for insects to migrate is to hedge their reproductive bets. By spreading their breeding efforts in space and time, insects distribute their offspring over a range of environmental conditions. We show how the study of individual long-distance movements of insects may contribute to a better understanding of migration. In the future, advances in tracking methods may enable the global surveillance of large insects such as desert locusts.

编辑:张雨宁

原文信息:Holland, R., Wikelski, M., & Wilcove, D. S. (2006). How and why do insects migrate? Science313(5788), 794-796. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1127272

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