The most remarkable migrants - systematic analysis of the Western European insect flyway at a Pyrenean mountain pass

Abstract

In 1950 David and Elizabeth Lack chanced upon a huge migration of insects and birds flying through the Pyrenean Pass of Bujaruelo, later describing the spectacle as combining both grandeur with novelty. The intervening years have seen many changes to land use and climate, posing the question as to the current status of this migratory phenomenon, while a lack of quantitative data has prevented insights into the ecological impact of this mass insect migration and into the factors affecting it. To address this, we revisited the site in autumn over a 4-year period and systematically monitored diurnal insect species and numbers. We document an annual mean of 17.1 million day-flying insects from 5 orders moving south, with mass migration events associated with warmer temperatures, the presence of a headwind, sunlight, low windspeed, and low rainfall. Diptera dominated the migratory assemblage and annual numbers varied by more than fourfold with larger annual migration flows associated with higher autumn temperatures in Northwest Europe. Finally, using observed environmental thresholds for migration, we estimate an annual bioflow of at least 14.6 billion day-flying insects migrating south over the whole Pyrenean Mountain range, highlighting the importance of this route for seasonal insect migrants.