Dramatic declines in diurnal pollinators have created great scientific interest in plant-pollinator relationships and associated pollination services. Existing literature, however, is generally focused on diurnal pollinating insect taxa, especially on Apidae (Hymenoptera) and Syrphidae (Diptera) pollinators, while nocturnal macro-moths that comprise extremely species-rich flower-visiting families have been largely neglected. Here, we report that in agricultural landscapes, macro-moths can provide unique, highly complex pollen transport links, making them vital components of overall wild plant-pollinator networks in agro-ecosystems. Pollen transport occurred more frequently on the moths' ventral thorax rather than on their mouthparts that have been traditionally targeted for pollen swabbing. Pollen transport loads suggest that nocturnal moths contribute key pollination services for several wild plant families in agricultural landscapes, in addition to providing functional resilience to diurnal networks. Severe declines in richness and abundance of settling moth populations highlight the urgent need to include them in future management and conservation strategies within agricultural landscapes.

中文翻译：

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夜间授粉媒介极大地促进了农业景观中野花的花粉运输。

昼夜授粉媒介的急剧减少引起了对植物与授粉媒介关系及相关授粉服务的极大科学兴趣。但是，现有文献通常集中在昼夜授粉昆虫类群上，尤其是对蜜蜂科（膜翅目）和拟蝇科（双翅目）的传粉者，而夜蛾类组成了极为丰富的访花科。在这里，我们报告说，在农业景观中，大型飞蛾可以提供独特的，高度复杂的花粉运输联系，使其成为农业生态系统中整个野生植物-传粉媒介网络的重要组成部分。花粉运输发生在飞蛾的腹腔，而不是传统上被用来擦拭花粉的口器。花粉的运输负荷表明，夜蛾对农业景观中的几种野生植物科除了为昼夜网络提供功能适应力外，还为关键的授粉服务做出了贡献。蛾类种群的丰富度和数量严重下降，突显了迫切需要将它们纳入农业景观的未来管理和保护战略中。