Macro-Moth Distribution Trends and Species Traits in Flanders, 1980-2022

Data from Dirk Maes at Radboud University Nijmegen supports research on moth conservation using Multi-Species Change Indices. It contains relative changes in distribution area for 717 macro-moth species between a reference period (1980-2012) and a recent period (2013-2022). These species-specific trends are correlated with ten key ecological and life-history traits to calculate general change indices.

Use Cases

• Modeling species decline based on ecological traits like habitat association and feeding guild
• Assessing the impact of anthropogenic stressors such as urbanization and intensive agriculture on insect communities
• Identifying conservation priorities by analyzing trends for species groups like monophagous or migrant moths
• Correlating biogeographic affinity (e.g., Holarctic, Mediterranean) with population change in a specific region

Strengths

• Covers 717 macro-moth species, a species-rich and ecologically diverse group
• Provides quantified distribution trends across two defined time periods spanning over 40 years (1980-2022)
• Correlates trends with ten specific ecological and life-history traits, enabling a trait-based analysis

Limitations

• Row count and specific column-level documentation are absent; field semantics must be inferred after download
• Last update date is unknown; freshness unverified
• Data may reflect geographic bias inherent to the Flanders case study region

Provenance

Source

Dirk Maes, Radboud University Nijmegen, via paperswithcode

Collection Method

Calculated from species distribution data, likely compiled for a Red List assessment, to derive Multi-Species Change Indices (MSCIs).

Time Range

1980-2022, with comparisons between 1980-2012 and 2013-2022

Geography

Flanders, the northern part of Belgium, a highly anthropogenic European region