Weather Radars Reveal Environmental Conditions for High Altitude Insect Movement Through the Aerosphere
High-flying insects that exploit tropospheric winds can disperse over far greater distances in a single generation than species restricted to below-canopy flight. However, the ecological consequences of such long-range dispersal remain poorly understood. For example, high-altitude dispersal may faci...
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MDPI AG
2024-11-01
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| Series: | Remote Sensing |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/16/23/4388 |
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| author | Samuel Hodges Christopher Hassall Ryan Neely |
| author_facet | Samuel Hodges Christopher Hassall Ryan Neely |
| author_sort | Samuel Hodges |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | High-flying insects that exploit tropospheric winds can disperse over far greater distances in a single generation than species restricted to below-canopy flight. However, the ecological consequences of such long-range dispersal remain poorly understood. For example, high-altitude dispersal may facilitate more rapid range shifts in these species and reduce their sensitivity to habitat fragmentation, in contrast to low-flying insects that rely more on terrestrial patch networks. Previous studies have primarily used surface-level variables with limited spatial coverage to explore dispersal timing and movement. In this study, we introduce a novel application of niche modelling to insect aeroecology by examining the relationship between a comprehensive set of atmospheric conditions and high-flying insect activity in the troposphere, as detected by weather surveillance radars (WSRs). We reveal correlations between large-scale dispersal events and atmospheric conditions, identifying key variables that influence dispersal behaviour. By incorporating high-altitude atmospheric conditions into niche models, we achieve significantly higher predictive accuracy compared with models based solely on surface-level conditions. Key predictive factors include the proportion of arable land, altitude, temperature, and relative humidity. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-c88c4ceb076d43ffb8481983e414cf25 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2072-4292 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Remote Sensing |
| spelling | doaj-art-c88c4ceb076d43ffb8481983e414cf252025-08-20T01:55:45ZengMDPI AGRemote Sensing2072-42922024-11-011623438810.3390/rs16234388Weather Radars Reveal Environmental Conditions for High Altitude Insect Movement Through the AerosphereSamuel Hodges0Christopher Hassall1Ryan Neely2School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UKSchool of Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UKNational Centre for Atmospheric Science, Fairbairn House, Leeds LS2 9PH, UKHigh-flying insects that exploit tropospheric winds can disperse over far greater distances in a single generation than species restricted to below-canopy flight. However, the ecological consequences of such long-range dispersal remain poorly understood. For example, high-altitude dispersal may facilitate more rapid range shifts in these species and reduce their sensitivity to habitat fragmentation, in contrast to low-flying insects that rely more on terrestrial patch networks. Previous studies have primarily used surface-level variables with limited spatial coverage to explore dispersal timing and movement. In this study, we introduce a novel application of niche modelling to insect aeroecology by examining the relationship between a comprehensive set of atmospheric conditions and high-flying insect activity in the troposphere, as detected by weather surveillance radars (WSRs). We reveal correlations between large-scale dispersal events and atmospheric conditions, identifying key variables that influence dispersal behaviour. By incorporating high-altitude atmospheric conditions into niche models, we achieve significantly higher predictive accuracy compared with models based solely on surface-level conditions. Key predictive factors include the proportion of arable land, altitude, temperature, and relative humidity.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/16/23/4388weatherniche modellinginsectsmovement ecologyradarremote sensing |
| spellingShingle | Samuel Hodges Christopher Hassall Ryan Neely Weather Radars Reveal Environmental Conditions for High Altitude Insect Movement Through the Aerosphere Remote Sensing weather niche modelling insects movement ecology radar remote sensing |
| title | Weather Radars Reveal Environmental Conditions for High Altitude Insect Movement Through the Aerosphere |
| title_full | Weather Radars Reveal Environmental Conditions for High Altitude Insect Movement Through the Aerosphere |
| title_fullStr | Weather Radars Reveal Environmental Conditions for High Altitude Insect Movement Through the Aerosphere |
| title_full_unstemmed | Weather Radars Reveal Environmental Conditions for High Altitude Insect Movement Through the Aerosphere |
| title_short | Weather Radars Reveal Environmental Conditions for High Altitude Insect Movement Through the Aerosphere |
| title_sort | weather radars reveal environmental conditions for high altitude insect movement through the aerosphere |
| topic | weather niche modelling insects movement ecology radar remote sensing |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/16/23/4388 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT samuelhodges weatherradarsrevealenvironmentalconditionsforhighaltitudeinsectmovementthroughtheaerosphere AT christopherhassall weatherradarsrevealenvironmentalconditionsforhighaltitudeinsectmovementthroughtheaerosphere AT ryanneely weatherradarsrevealenvironmentalconditionsforhighaltitudeinsectmovementthroughtheaerosphere |