3. Moths in crisis : the impact of urban habitat restoration on moth diversity (1:07:37)

Date:
2025
Main contributors:
See Other Contributors
Summary:
Insect populations are collapsing across the developed world in what has been termed "the insect apocalypse". This is a biological catastrophe, as insects are critical components of functioning ecosystems, providing essential services such as providing food for predators such as birds and bats, and pollination. Moths are particularly important. They form the greatest biomass of any herbivore group and may be as important in pollination as bees. We compared the status of moth populations across a series of rural and urban sites, including traditionally landscaped urban sites, urban sites that have been restored with native plants, non-agricultural rural sites, and fully restored rural sites. We found that moth populations are strongly depleted in urban habitats. Restoration of urban sites with native vegetation provides a marginal increase in moth diversity, but such sites fall far short of rural sites. Significantly, we found that some moth taxonomic groups are more resilient than others to the urban habitats. Analyzing the biology of the more resilient and sensitive groups provides insight into the selective pressures that are driving down moth populations in urban habitats, and reveals possible strategies for improving moth success in urban habitats.