Editing Moth (section)

== Ecological importance ==
Moths, like butterflies, bees and other more popularly recognized [[Pollinator|pollinating]] insects, serve an essential role as pollinators for many flowering plants, including species that bees do not visit. Nocturnal moths fly from flower to flower to feed on nectar during the night much as their diurnal relatives do during the day. A study conducted in the UK found moths dusted with pollen from 47 different plant species, including seven species largely ignored by bees.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Fox |first1=Alex |title=Moths Work the Pollination Night Shift, Visiting Some Flowers Bees Skip |url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/moths-work-pollination-night-shift-visiting-some-flowers-bees-skip-180974884/ |website=smithsonianmag.com |access-date=30 October 2022 |archive-date=30 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221030201654/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/moths-work-pollination-night-shift-visiting-some-flowers-bees-skip-180974884/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Some studies indicate that certain species of moths, such as those belonging to the families [[Erebidae]] and [[Sphingidae]], may be the key pollinators for some flowering plants in the Himalayan ecosystem.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://nmhs.org.in/MG_24_2017_18.php|title=National Mission on Himalayan Studies|website=nmhs.org.in|language=en-gb|access-date=4 November 2018|archive-date=4 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181104031614/http://nmhs.org.in/MG_24_2017_18.php|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/energy-and-environment/moths-are-key-to-pollination-in-himalayan-ecosystem/article25354080.ece|title=Moths are key to pollination in Himalayan ecosystem|last=Singh|first=Shiv Sahay|date=28 October 2018|work=The Hindu|access-date=4 November 2018|language=en-IN|issn=0971-751X|archive-date=28 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181028192046/https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/energy-and-environment/moths-are-key-to-pollination-in-himalayan-ecosystem/article25354080.ece|url-status=live}}</ref> The roles of moths as pollinators have been studied less frequently than those of diurnal pollinators, but recent studies have established that moths are important, but often overlooked, nocturnal pollinators of a wide range of plants.<ref>{{cite journal|publisher=The Royal Society|title=Nocturnal pollinators strongly contribute to pollen transport of wild flowers in an agricultural landscape|date=13 May 2020|doi=10.1098/rsbl.2019.0877|last1=Walton|first1=Richard E.|last2=Sayer|first2=Carl D.|last3=Bennion|first3=Helen|last4=Axmacher|first4=Jan C.|journal=Biology Letters|volume=16|issue=5|pmid=32396782|pmc=7280044}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|publisher=BBC|title=Nature crisis: Moths have 'secret role' as crucial pollinators|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-52630991|author=Matt McGrath|date=13 May 2020|access-date=13 May 2020|archive-date=13 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200513014202/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-52630991|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Macgregor|first1=Callum J.|last2=Pocock|first2=Michael J. O.|last3=Fox|first3=Richard|last4=Evans|first4=Darren M.|date=2015|title=Pollination by nocturnal Lepidoptera, and the effects of light pollution: a review|journal=Ecological Entomology|language=en|volume=40|issue=3|pages=187–198|doi=10.1111/een.12174|issn=1365-2311|pmc=4405039|pmid=25914438|bibcode=2015EcoEn..40..187M }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Hahn|first1=Melanie|last2=Brühl|first2=Carsten A.|date=25 January 2016|title=The secret pollinators: an overview of moth pollination with a focus on Europe and North America|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11829-016-9414-3|journal=Arthropod-Plant Interactions|volume=10|issue=1|pages=21–28|doi=10.1007/s11829-016-9414-3|bibcode=2016APInt..10...21H |s2cid=18514093|issn=1872-8855|access-date=19 September 2021|archive-date=14 March 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220314172022/https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11829-016-9414-3|url-status=live|url-access=subscription}}</ref> Some researchers say it is likely that many plants thought to be dependent on bees for pollination also rely on moths, which have historically been less observed because they pollinate mainly at night.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Kuta |first1=Sarah |title=Moths are the Unsung Heroes of Pollination |url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/moths-are-the-unsung-heroes-of-pollination-180980491/ |website=smithsonianmag.com |access-date=30 October 2022 |archive-date=30 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221030201653/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/moths-are-the-unsung-heroes-of-pollination-180980491/ |url-status=live }}</ref>