(Press-News.org) Male hoverflies are outflown by females when it comes to long-distance migration, new research shows.
Marmalade hoverflies leave northern Europe each autumn to escape the cold winter.
The study – by the University of Exeter – compared the number of males and females migrating at a northern point (Denmark) and further south (Spain).
At the northern point, 50% of hoverflies were male and 50% were female – but at the southern point about 90% were female, suggesting males are “poor long-distance fliers”.
“We carried out a range of tests and found females were better adapted for long-distance migration,” said Toby Doyle, from the Centre for Ecology and Conservation on Exeter’s Penryn Campus in Cornwall.
“The reasons for this are unclear, but it’s possible that males prioritise fighting and mating, leaving little energy left for migration.”
The study did not track individual insects from one sample point to the other, but the sex differences at the two points show that females are far more likely to reach southern Europe.
The researchers designed experiments to work out why females are better long-distance flyers.
Female hoverflies performed better in flight tests, flying nearly nine times further than males. They also had lower wing “loading values” (less weight to carry in relation to wing size) and tolerated cold better, which is important for high-altitude flight.
Genetic tests showed females activated genes involved in immunity, resistance to low-oxygen environments and to increase lifespan. They also suppressed hormones to allow themselves to pause reproduction and redirect that energy towards migration.
“What surprised us most was the diverse range of traits seen in females that allow them to outperform the males,” said Dr Karl Wotton.
Doyle added: “These traits all seem to contribute to the success of female migrants, and this influences the make-up of the population across huge geographic areas and through the whole migratory and overwintering period.”
The lack of males making the southerly migration is probably not a risk to future hoverfly populations, as females can mate and store sperm prior to migration and use this to establish new populations in the spring.
The study was funded by the Royal Society.
The paper, published in the journal Open Biology, is entitled: “Multiple factors contribute to female dominance in migratory bioflows.”
END
Female hoverflies beat males on long-distance migrations
2025-02-12
[Attachments] See images for this press release:
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Study finds consumer openness to smoke-impacted wines, offering new market opportunities
2025-02-12
CORVALLIS, Ore. – Certain groups of consumers appear to be open to drinking smoke-impacted wines, a finding in a new study that could provide market opportunities for winemakers increasingly dealing with the effects of wildfire smoke on grapes.
The study by researchers at Oregon State University and in New Zealand found that consumers, particularly those that like smokey flavors in food and beverages, are open to drinking smoke-impacted wines. They also found that the type of information on the label can modulate consumer acceptance.
“This ...
Why we need to expand the search for climate-friendly microalgae
2025-02-12
New research has highlighted microalgae’s capacity as a solution in the fight against climate change, but researchers warn that “smart microalgal bioprospecting” is needed to unlock its full potential.
The study highlights the vast, largely unexplored capacity of microalgae to mitigate CO2 emissions while driving sustainable industry.
“Microalgae have remarkable properties that make them an ideal tool for tackling climate change,” said lead author, PhD candidate Joan Labara Tirado from the University of Technology Sydney (UTS).
The review paper, The need for smart microalgal bioprospecting was ...
Fewer forest fires burn in North America today than in the past—and that's a bad thing
2025-02-12
Fewer wildfires burn in North American forests today than in previous centuries, increasing the risk of more severe wildfires, according to research published this week in Nature Communications. The findings may seem counterintuitive, but frequent low-lying surface fires often maintain balance in forests by reducing fuel sources across large areas.
The new study led by the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) at the University of Colorado Boulder and the U.S. Forest Service’s Rocky Mountain Research Station ...
Older people in England are happier now than before the COVID pandemic, new national study suggests
2025-02-12
Older people have greater general happiness, life satisfaction and sense of purpose than they did before the Covid-19 pandemic.
That’s according to a new study which tracked 3,999 over 50s in England for 11 years, published today in the peer-reviewed journal, Aging and Mental Health.
Analysing data to understand positive psychological well-being and depression within this group, an expert team from UCL (University College London), funded by the National Institute of Ageing, a consortium of UK government departments coordinated by the National Institute ...
Texas A&M chemist wins NSF CAREER Award
2025-02-11
Dr. Alison Altman, an assistant professor in the Texas A&M Chemistry Department, has received a National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER Award, which supports early-career faculty in research and education. The award recognizes her work on underexplored elements of the periodic table and her dedication to teaching. For Altman, it’s a launchpad for future discoveries.
“It’s an honor to receive this award, as it acknowledges not just my research program but also my teaching efforts,” ...
Micro-nano plastics make other pollutants more dangerous to plants and intestinal cells
2025-02-11
Micro- and nanoscale plastic particles in soil and water can significantly increase how much toxic chemicals plants and human intestinal cells absorb, according to two new studies from Rutgers Health that raise fresh concerns about food safety from plastic pollution.
The first study in NanoImpact found that lettuce exposed to both nanoscale plastic particles and common environmental pollutants such as arsenic took up substantially more of the toxic substances than plants exposed to the pollutants, alone confirming the risks of polycontamination of our food chain. A companion study in Microplastics journal showed ...
Study of female genital tract reveals key findings
2025-02-11
Seeking to understand what constitutes a healthy vaginal microbiome, a global research collaboration that includes a Rutgers-New Brunswick scientist has reported a series of findings, including identifying which bacteria thwart vaginal disease and determining that microbiomes vary significantly across human populations.
Authors of the study, published in Trends in Microbiology, are part of a Belgium-based initiative called the Isala Sisterhood. Members of the group aim to inspire research on microbiomes worldwide by creating a “reference map” of vaginal microbiota. Launched in 2020 at the University of Antwerp, the project has expanded to include more than 3,000 ...
Pitt Engineering Professor Fang Peng elected to National Academy of Engineering
2025-02-11
The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) today announced that University of Pittsburgh Professor Fang Peng, an internationally acclaimed power electronics researcher, is among the newest cohort elected to the academy. The NAE is recognizing Peng for “contributions to the development of high-powered electronic technologies for advanced power grid and energy conversion.”
Peng, the RK Mellon Endowed Chair Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Director of the Energy GRID Institute at Pitt’s Swanson School of Engineering, ...
Short-course radiation therapy effective for endometrial cancer patients
2025-02-11
In a randomized clinical trial, researchers from Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah (the U) have found that short-course, higher dose vaginal brachytherapy for endometrial cancer had similar effectiveness to more frequent, lower dose sessions.
Gita Suneja, MD, MS, physician-scientist at Huntsman Cancer Institute and professor of radiation oncology at the U, is the first author of the SAVE trial report—which stands for, Short-Course Adjuvant Vaginal Cuff Brachytherapy in Early Endometrial Cancer Compared with Standard of Care.
“There ...
Breast cancer treatment advances with light-activated ‘smart bomb’
2025-02-11
Scientists have developed new light-sensitive chemicals that can radically improve the treatment of aggressive cancers with minimal side effects. In mouse tests, the new therapy completely eradicated metastatic breast cancer tumors.
The novel chemicals, called cyanine-carborane salts, and their role in the next-generation of cancer treatments, are described in a new article published in Angewandte Chemie, a journal of the German Chemical Society.
Photodynamic therapy, or PDT, has been used for decades to treat forms of skin and bladder cancers. It works by flooding a patient’s body with light-sensitive chemicals that accumulate in cancer cells. ...