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Migrating animals have an impact on ecosystems directly via influxes of
predators, prey, and competitors and indirectly by vectoring nutrients,
energy, and pathogens. Although linkages between vertebrate movements and
ecosystem processes have been established, the effects of mass insect
“bioflows” have not been described. We quantified biomass flux over the
southern United Kingdom for high-flying (>150 meters) insects and
show that ~3.5 trillion insects (3200 tons of biomass) migrate above the
region annually. These flows are not randomly directed in insects larger
than 10 milligrams, which exploit seasonally beneficial tailwinds. Large
seasonal differences in the southward versus northward transfer of biomass
occur in some years, although flows were balanced over the 10-year period.
Our long-term study reveals a major transport process with implications
for ecosystem services, processes, and biogeochemistry.
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