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10-Minute Presentation

Systematics, Evolution, and Biodiversity

10-min: SysEB, Evolution 1 - Lineages Through Time

Ecological and evolutionary bases of nocturnal insects’ rapid adaptation to a brighter night sky – a very long-term study and a genome wide association study

Sunday, November 9, 2025
2:30 PM - 2:42 PM Pacific
Location: Oregon Convention Center, B113, OCC
Oral Presentation
Declines in the capture of nocturnal insects at light traps in the past few decades may be due to population declines or increased light pollution, which could reduce trap counts through population dilution (light competition) and/or natural selection against flight-to-light behavior (rapid evolution). Long-term monitoring of the corn earworm, Helicoverpa zea, using paired blacklight and pheromone traps has revealed a significant loss in blacklight trap efficacy since 2009, yet the cause remains unclear. Using ecological models, we find that H. zea population dynamics are primarily influenced by weather anomalies and that improved air quality may increase the attractiveness of pheromone traps. To explore whether the individuals caught in blacklight traps comprise a genetically distinct subset of the larger population, we ran a genome-wide association study on samples collected from both trap types in summer 2024. We have identified candidate loci that may contain alleles associated with H. zea flight-to-light behavior. Further analyses will elucidate how rapid evolution contributes to the changing responses of these and other nocturnal insects to artificial light at night.