PDF(Pubmed)
Abstract：
The extent of aerial flows of insects circulating around the planet and their impact on ecosystems and biogeography remain enigmatic because of methodological challenges. Here we report a transatlantic crossing by Vanessa cardui butterflies spanning at least 4200 km, from West Africa to South America (French Guiana) and lasting between 5 and 8 days. Even more, we infer a likely natal origin for these individuals in Western Europe, and the journey Europe-Africa-South America could expand to 7000 km or more. This discovery was possible through an integrative approach, including coastal field surveys, wind trajectory modelling, genomics, pollen metabarcoding, ecological niche modelling, and multi-isotope geolocation of natal origins. The overall journey, which was energetically feasible only if assisted by winds, is among the longest documented for individual insects, and potentially the first verified transatlantic crossing. Our findings suggest that we may be underestimating transoceanic dispersal in insects and highlight the importance of aerial highways connecting continents by trade winds.
摘要：
由于方法上的挑战，昆虫在地球上的空中流动程度及其对生态系统和生物地理学的影响仍然是神秘的。在这里，我们报道了VanessaCardui蝴蝶跨越至少4200公里的跨大西洋穿越，从西非到南美（法属圭亚那），持续5至8天。甚至更多,我们推断这些人可能来自西欧，欧洲-非洲-南美的旅程可能会扩展到7000公里或更多。这一发现是通过综合方法实现的，包括沿海实地调查，风轨迹建模，基因组学，花粉元编码，生态位建模，和出生起源的多同位素地理位置。整个旅程,只有在风的帮助下，这在能量上是可行的，是记录最长的个体昆虫之一，可能是第一个经过验证的跨大西洋穿越。我们的发现表明，我们可能低估了昆虫的越洋传播，并强调了空中高速公路通过信风连接大陆的重要性。
