Data from: Winners and losers in subarctic moth communities in a changing climate: Marine Regime shifts as predictors for terrestrial insect biomass
Data files
May 05, 2026 version files 544.40 KB
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Data_Moth_biomass_vs._Climate_parameters.xlsx
284.64 KB
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Data_NAO_vs._Climate_parameters.xlsx
40.43 KB
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modelling_moth_biomass.R
35.96 KB
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Modelling_NAO_vs._Climate_parameters.pdf
167.33 KB
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README.md
6.47 KB
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remove_most_common.R
9.56 KB
Abstract
Understanding the role of climate change in the globally reported declines of insect populations is difficult due to complex interactions between climate and other drivers such as agricultural practices and changes in land use practice. We focused on subarctic moth communities in northernmost Finland, a region with significant climatic changes and minimal human impact. We use moth species abundance data from 45 years of light-trap monitoring at the Kevo Subarctic Research Institute. TRIM analyses showed a positive trend in total moth biomass between 1972 and 2017. However, excluding the autumnal moth (Epirrita autumnata), the increase in biomass was not significant. There were large differences in biomass trends between different groups based on life-history traits. Species overwintering as eggs, feeding as larvae on both herbaceous and woody plants, and generalists feeding on at least three plant genera had significant positive population trends. Moths overwintering as larvae, species feeding only on herbaceous plants, and specialists feeding on only one plant genus had negative trends. Nine groups had no significant trends. Linear mixed models revealed significant correlations between Regime shifts in the Baltic Sea and biomass in five moth groups. Temperature and degree day variables were also important. A negative relation between a positive spring NAO and moth biomass was implied. Our results suggest that large-scale oceanic climate patterns, such as Regime Shifts and the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), can be useful proxies for predicting the effects of complex climatic phenomena on terrestrial ecosystems.
Dataset DOI: 10.5061/dryad.g79cnp640
Description of the data and file structure
The uploaded datasets combine three kinds of data collected 1972–2017:
- Placeholders for climate parameters from the Finnish Meteorological Institute, weather station "Utsjoki Kevo", downloadable at the open repository of the institute (https://en.ilmatieteenlaitos.fi/download-observations)
- Moth biomass data from long-running light traps at the Kevo subarctic research institute in Northern Finland
- Data on moth ecology: their taxonomical position, larval feeding type, life stage of overwintering etc.
We also added the SAS and R -codes we used to analyse the data.
Please refer to the methods section of the original publication for details on how the data was obtained.
The aims of our study were to determine the changes in the biomass of subarctic moths during the last decades; to investigate the differences in biomass trends between life-history traits; to report the climatic factors influencing the biomass of the moth groups; and to assess the accuracy of two climate indicators commonly used in marine research, being the NAO index and Regime shifts, to explain biomass trends in a terrestrial invertebrate taxon.
Files and variables
File: Data_NAO_vs._Climate_parameters.xlsx
Description:
NAO-index data provided by NOAA (Open Access) and placeholders for Yearly data on climate variables measured by the Finnish Meteorological Institute at the weather station "Utsjoki Kevo". Includes links and notes on how to obtain the data (CC BY 4.0) from the open repository of the Finnish Meteorological Institute
Variables:
The variables are comprehensively explained (including unit and original data source) in the tab "Explanation" of the data file
File: Modelling_NAO_vs._Climate_parameters.pdf
Description:
This file shows an example of the GLIMMIX-models (made in SAS ® 9.4) explained in depth in chapter 2.4.1. “The effect of NAO on climate parameters”. The results of these runs are presented in chapter 3.1, briefly discussed in chapter 4.3 and in their entirety found in Table A3. The models are based on data available in the "Data_NAO_vs._Climate_parameters.xlsx" -table
Parameter lables:
RAverDailySummer = Average daily precipitation for subarctic summer season 16.5.-15.7.
NAOSummer = The Average NAO-index for the subarctic summer season 16.5.-15.7.
File: Data_Moth_biomass_vs._Climate_parameters.xlsx
Description:
NAO-index data provided by NOAA and placeholders for Yearly data on climate variables measured by the Finnish Meteorological Institute at the weather station "Utsjoki Kevo" combined with biomass data, arranged by year and trap site, on different moth groups. Includes links and notes on how to obtain the climate data (CC BY 4.0) from the open repository of the Finnish Meteorological Institute
Variables:
The variables are comprehensively explained (including unit and original data source) in the tab "Explanation" of the data file.
File: Data_Moth_species_biomass_and_classification.xlsx
Description:
This file contains the annual dry weight (mg) per trap per day of the moth species trapped with light traps at the Kevo Subarctic Research Institute in Northern Finland. It also shows the classification of the moth species into different taxonomical, functional and phenological groups.
Variables:
The different variable groups are colour-coded in the dataset with a legend in the cells A2–A7
- Species name: The genus and species epitheton of each species
- Family: The systematic family of the species
- Genus: the systematic genus of the species
- Species: the systematic species epitethon
- Micro/Macro-lepidoptera: Even though the division into Micro- and Macrolepidoptera is not phylogenetically rigid, it adds to the comparability with other studies, as the two groups are still commonly used in recent and related literature . Of all the moths observed in the trapping programme, the families Drepanidae, Erebidae, Geometridae, Lasiocampidae, and Noctuidae were counted into macrolepidoptera with the rest into microlepidoptera.
- Numbers 1971–2017 refer to years, the values display biomass (mg/trap/day)
- Individual biomass (the dry weight in mg of an individual): the biomass of one individual of each moth species
- Numbers 71-17 refer to years (1971-2017), the values display the number of moth individuals trapped/trap/day.
- Timing of pupation: e=the species pupates by early July; l=the species pupates late, after early July
- Overwintering stage: e=egg; l=larva; p=pupa; i=imago
- Larval food: p=live vascular plants, o=other
- Larval feeding guild: c=chewer; m=leaf miner; r=leaf roller; b= root/shoot borer
- Host plant life form: h=herbaceous; w=woody; b=both
- Larval specialization: 1=feeding on 1 plant genus; 2=feeding on 2 plant genera; 3=feeding on 3 or more plant genera
File: modelling_moth_biomass.R
Description: The R-code we used for analysing the moth data. Please refer to chapter 2.4.2 and 2.4.3 in the publication for details on the methodology.
File: remove_most_common.R
Description: The R-code we used for investigating the effect of removing dominant species on the TRIM-analyses.
Code/software
The data is available as .xlsx -files created with Microsoft Excel and can, for instance, be opened with libre office.
The SAS code and example for the NAO vs. Climate parameters -analysis is available as .docx -file created with Microsoft Word and and can, for instance, be opened with libre office.
The R-codes for the moth biomass analyses have been created in R. The actual analyses were carried out using R software and its rtrim package.
Access information
Climate data was derived from the following sources:
NAO-index: https://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/precip/CWlink/pna/nao.shtml
Finnish Meteorological Institute: Downloadable from the open repository of the institute at [https://en.ilmatieteenlaitos.fi/download-observations] (CC BY 4.0)