More winners than losers over 12 years of monitoring tiger moths (Erebidae: Arctiinae) on Barro Colorado Island, Panama

Datasets for: More winners than losers over 12 years of monitoring tiger moths (Erebidae: Arctiinae) on Barro Colorado Island, Panama Abstract: Understanding the causes and consequences of insect declines has become an important goal in ecology, particularly in the tropics where the majority of terrestrial diversity exists. Over the last 12 years the ForestGEO Arthropod Initiative has been systematically monitoring multiple insect groups on Barro Colorado Island, Panama, providing baseline data for assessing long-term population trends. Here, we estimate the rates of change in abundance among 96 tiger moth species on BCI. Population trends of most species were stable (n=70) or increasing (n=23), with few (n=3) declining species. Our analysis of morphological and climatic sensitivity traits associated with population trends shows that species-specific responses to climate were most strongly linked with trends. Specifically, tiger moth species that are more abundant in warmer and wetter years are more likely to show population increases. Our study contrasts with recent findings indicating insect decline in both tropical and temperate regions. These results highlight the significant role that biotic responses to climate play in determining long-term population trends and suggests that future climate changes are likely to impact tropical insect communities.