BEHAVIOR AND ECOLOGICAL GENETICS OF WIND-BORNE MIGRATION BY INSECTS

Abstract

Wind-borne migration, in which migrants ascend to altitudes at which they are transported downwind, has evolved independently in several insect orders. The use of a range of observational techniques, including ground and air-borne radars, has provided new insights into how the migrants' behavior can influence the distance traveled and the degree of dispersal during migration. Simultaneously in recent years, advances in our knowledge of the genetics of migratory potential have provided a basis for understanding how the stochastic effects of the winds on destinations and the pattern of habitat distribution in space and time maintain variation in these traits in populations of wind-borne migrants. This variation, in turn, is an essential factor in the ability of these insects, many of which are important pests, to track often unpredictable changes in the spatial distribution of suitable habitats.