Moths are important pollinators and a critical food source for birds and bats.
SINGAPORE – While one might think of them as the half-ignored siblings of butterflies, moths play a role in the Singapore ecosystem that has not been adequately understood.Moths are critical in helping to pollinate plants and flowers at night, taking over the role played by butterflies and bees during the day, said Associate Professor Eleanor Slade of NTU’s Asian School of the Environment .
With the help of artificial intelligence, the moth species can then be identified in real time, said Prof Slade, who runs ASE’s Tropical Ecology and Entomology Lab. There are between 400 and 1,000 moth species in Singapore, but since most of them are active at night, they are not very well studied, said Ms Nicole Su-Yin Dorville, who is doing her PhD in novel methods for monitoring the response of biodiversity to environmental change.
However, light pollution could disorient the moths away from their food sources or refuge – moths congregating around street lamps are exposed to predators. As part of the Amber Project, as it is called, a network of 40 monitoring systems will be deployed in places that are biodiversity hot spots, including Singapore, Kenya, Costa Rica, Japan and Thailand, said Dr Jenna Lawson, an ecological network manager at the CEH.
Singapore Latest News, Singapore Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Plus side: Actress Nicola Coughlan steps into spotlight as Bridgerton’s new romantic leadAlong with a bigger role in the hit Netflix series comes a glow-up for the 37-year-old Irish actress.
Read more »
SDP to spotlight foreign workforce and immigration policies at upcoming General Election'We are going to tell the incoming PM... that the PAP must keep to its promise to significantly reduce the inflow of foreign workers.' — SDP
Read more »
Barron Trump steps into the political spotlightLatest Breaking News
Read more »
Spotlight on Russia’s migrants following arrest of central Asians over Moscow concert hall attackAfter suspects from Tajikistan were arrested, Tajikistan’s foreign ministry said hundreds of its citizens have been denied entry into Russia.
Read more »
'Affirmative no': Malaysia PM Anwar Ibrahim rejects second casino in the countryThe issue has been in the spotlight since last month when Bloomberg reported that Malaysia was in early discussions with tycoons on opening a casino in Johor’s Forest City.
Read more »
Ryan Gosling launching campaign to establish new category at Oscars for stunt performersRyan Gosling is launching a campaign to establish a new category at the Oscars to recognise the work of stunt performers. The 43-year-old actor plays a stunt man in his new movie The Fall Guy which shines a spotlight on the work of the movie set action heroes, and Ryan insists he wants bosses at the Academy Awards to bring...
Read more »