Study reveals how moths help plants
Moths are as important as bees in pollinating plants, a new study has found.
Pollinators are animals that carry pollen from one plant to another. They usually do this by accident because the powdery pollen grains stick to their bodies while they feed on one plant, and then rubs off onto others. Once a plant is fertilised with pollen from the same species of plant, it can create seeds to grow into new plants.
Researchers from University College London (UCL) have found that during the night, moths visit a greater range of plants than bees do during the day. For years, there has been concern over the decline in the numbers of insects such as bees and butterflies, which are known to be important pollinators. However, until now, the role of moths was not well understood. Dr Richard Walton, from UCL, along with his team, studied moth activity on farmland in Norfolk. They found 103 moth species involved in transporting pollen. Of these, roughly 45% had pollen on their bodies when they were tested. The study showed that although bees transfer more pollen, they tend to focus on specific plants that produce lots of nectar. Moths, on the other hand, visit all types of plants. When they analysed the pollen, the team found that it had come from 47 different species, far more than those visited by bees. These included seven species that bees and butterflies hardly visit at all.
One of the reasons moths have gone unnoticed as pollinators is the way they have been tested in the past. Previous studies only measured the amount of pollen on a moth’s proboscis (the long, thin sucking mouthpart it uses to feed). Walton’s study examined the amount of pollen that stuck to the moth’s whole body as it fed on a plant. Walton said the research shows that moths are an important part of the network of pollinators.