State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of 8 Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China; Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Guangzhou, China
Yongqiang Liu
State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of 8 Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
Xiaokang Li
State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of 8 Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China; College of Plant Protection, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, China
Hui Li
State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of 8 Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
Yunfei Pan
State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of 8 Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
Chaoxing Hu
State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of 8 Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China; Institute of Entomology, Guizhou Provincial Key Laboratory for Agricultural Pest, Management of the Mountainous Region, Guizhou University, Guiyang, China
Xianyong Zhou
State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of 8 Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China; College of Plant Protection, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
Kris AG Wyckhuys
State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of 8 Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of 8 Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
Worldwide, hoverflies (Syrphidae: Diptera) provide crucial ecosystem services such as pollination and biological pest control. Although many hoverfly species exhibit migratory behavior, the spatiotemporal facets of these movement dynamics, and their ecosystem services implications are poorly understood. In this study, we use long-term (16-year) trapping records, trajectory analysis, and intrinsic (i.e., isotope, genetic, pollen) markers to describe migration patterns of the hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus in northern China. Our work reveals how E. balteatus migrate northward during spring–summer and exhibits return (long-range) migration during autumn. The extensive genetic mixing and high genetic diversity of E. balteatus populations underscore its adaptive capacity to environmental disturbances, for example, climate change. Pollen markers and molecular gut analysis further illuminate how E. balteatus visits min. 1012 flowering plant species (39 orders) over space and time. By thus delineating E. balteatus transregional movements and pollination networks, we advance our understanding of its migration ecology and facilitate the design of targeted strategies to conserve and enhance its ecosystem services.
