Ecological and life-history traits predict temporal trends in biomass of boreal moths

Abstract

Dramatic insect declines, and their consequences for ecosystems globally, have received considerable attention recently. Yet, it is still poorly known if ecological and life-history traits can explain declines and whether insect decline occurs also at high latitudes. Insects' diversity and abundance are dramatically lower at high latitudes compared to the tropics, and insects might benefit from climate warming in high-latitude environments. We adopted a trait- and biomass-based approach to estimate temporal change between 1993 and 2019 in Finnish macro-moth communities by using data from 85 long-running light traps. We analysed spatio-temporal variation in biomass of moth functional groups with Joint Dynamic Species Distribution Models while accounting for environmental variables. We did not detect any declining trends in total moth biomass of moth functional groups, and most groups were stable over time. Moreover, biomass increased for species using coniferous trees, lichens, or mushrooms as hosts, multivoltine species, as well as monophagous and oligophagous species feeding on trees. We found that length and temperature of the growing season, winter climatic conditions, and habitat structure all partially explained variation in moth biomass. Although boreal moth communities are rapidly changing due to species turnover, in terms of total biomass they seem to contradict the trend of dramatic insect declines observed globally. This may lessen the immediate possibility of negative bottom-up trophic cascades in boreal food webs.