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When the day ends: Review on the importance of nocturnal moths as pollinators in tropical ecosystems

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 March 2025

Michal Barták Open the ORCID record for Michal Barták [Opens in a new window]  and
Robert Tropek Open the ORCID record for Robert Tropek [Opens in a new window]
Michal Barták*
Affiliation:
Department of Ecology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Viničná 7, 12844 Prague, Czechia Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Viikinkaari 1, 00790 Helsinki, Finland
Robert Tropek*
Affiliation:
Department of Ecology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Viničná 7, 12844 Prague, Czechia Institute of Entomology, Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, Branišovská 31, 37005 České Budějovice, Czechia
*
Corresponding authors: Michal Barták; Email: [email protected], Robert Tropek; Email: [email protected]
Corresponding authors: Michal Barták; Email: [email protected], Robert Tropek; Email: [email protected]
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Abstract

Despite the tropics harbouring tremendous diversity of species and interspecific interactions, tropical moths as pollinators remain understudied. This review synthesises the available knowledge on the role of nocturnal moths in pollination and their importance in tropical ecosystems. It identifies significant research gaps, methodological challenges, and geographical biases, offering cues for future research. Moths represent crucial pollinators for numerous tropical plants across more than 25 families. In tropical communities, plants with sphingophilous and phalaenophilous flowers account for 4% to 13%, while moth-pollinated plants represent up to 20% of species, highlighting their ecological significance. Current knowledge shows biases and constraints stemming from the challenges of nocturnal research, such as complex moth behaviour, observational difficulties, and equipment limitations in tropical areas. Future research should broaden sampling in understudied tropical ecosystems and combine advanced technologies like video recordings, AI-driven identification, and pollen metabarcoding with detailed studies of nocturnal pollinators’ effectiveness in selected pollination systems. Moreover, such studies should integrate generalised pollination systems and community-level approaches to gather comprehensive datasets on nocturnal pollinators in the tropics. Filling these gaps is critical to understanding moths’ ecological and evolutionary roles, particularly in the context of the changing climate.

Keywords

Flowering PlantshawkmothsLepidopteranectarivorynocturnal pollinationplant-pollinator interactionspollination syndromessettling mothsSphingidaetropical ecology
Type
Review Article
Information
Journal of Tropical Ecology , Volume 41 , 2025 , e5
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press

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