NIGHT POLLINATORS

TOPIC: Science & Tech

Context- Moths vital to pollination in the Himalayan ecosystem, finds study.

Concept-

About The Study:

Moths are widely considered as pests, but a recent study by scientists of Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) has revealed that these group of insects are pollinators to a number of flowering plants in the Himalayan ecosystem
- Under the project titled “Assessment of Moths ( Lepidoptera ) As Significant Pollinators in the Himalayan Ecosystem of North Eastern India”
The study establishes 91 species of moths as potential pollinators of 21 plant families in Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh in the northeastern Himalayas.
The study revealed the importance of moths in nature.
When we are sleeping in our bedrooms, they are tirelessly working for the ecosystems to work, on which our survival is invariably dependent, and are helping in a great way towards food security.

About Moths:

Lepidoptera is the order of insects that includes butterflies, moths and skippers.
The name Lepidoptera is derived from the Greek, meaning “scaly winged,” and refers to the characteristic covering of microscopic dust like scales on the wings.
Due to their day-flying habits and bright colours, the butterflies are more familiar than the chiefly night-flying and dull-coloured moths, but the latter is far more varied and abundant.
The skippers are a worldwide group intermediate between butterflies and moths.
There are about 12,000 moth species in India and about 160,000 moth species in the world.
About 90% of the world’s flowering plants are pollinated by animals. Therefore, pollinators are essential for the genetic exchange among flowering plants and the biodiversity among plants
Researchers have pointed out that almost two-thirds of common large moth species have declined over the last 40 years in some parts of world.
- One of main reasons for the decline is light pollution (an increase in artificial light in moth habitats).