« Back

Abstract: Hungarian forest protection service has operated a light-trap network since 1962 produced time series of catches of Macrolepidoptera. This study analysed how long-term fluctuation patterns of total annual species richness and abundance level of macro-moth assemblages and their humidity preferential subgroups were influenced by some climatic characteristics, i.e. aridity level, number of heat days, and amount of spring precipitation. By the 43-year trends in annual proportion of species number and abundance the macro-moth assemblages showed more or less stable structure in oak-hornbeam and beech forest zone. Euryoecic, hygrophilous, mesophilous, and xerophilous moths responded by increasing species number and abundance in their fluctuation patterns to the rising of aridity level and annual frequency of heat days. The growing amount of spring precipitation reduced both species richness and abundance of macro-moths by raising larval mortality.

Keyword: Macro-moth assemblage, light-trapping, forest, fluctuation pattern, trend, species richness, annual abundance, climatic effects, drought.