Temperature Dependency of Insect’s Wingbeat Frequencies: An Empirical Approach to Temperature Correction

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

5-1-2024

Abstract

This study examines the relationship between the wingbeat frequency of flying insects and ambient temperature, leveraging data from over 302,000 insect observations obtained using a near-infrared optical sensor during an eight-month field experiment. By measuring the wingbeat frequency as well as wing and body optical cross-sections of each insect in conjunction with the ambient temperature, we identified five clusters of insects and analyzed how their average wingbeat frequencies evolved over temperatures ranging from 10 °C to 38 °C. Our findings reveal a positive correlation between temperature and wingbeat frequency, with a more pronounced increase observed at higher wingbeat frequencies. Frequencies increased on average by 2.02 Hz/°C at 50 Hz, and up to 9.63 Hz/°C at 525 Hz, and a general model is proposed. This model offers a valuable tool for correcting wingbeat frequencies with temperature, enhancing the accuracy of insect clustering by optical and acoustic sensors. While this approach does not account for species-specific responses to temperature changes, our research provides a general insight, based on all species present during the field experiment, into the intricate dynamics of insect flight behavior in relation to environmental factors.

Identifier

85194388520 (Scopus)

Publication Title

Insects

External Full Text Location

https://doi.org/10.3390/insects15050342

e-ISSN

20754450

Issue

5

Volume

15

Grant

R21AI153732-01A1

Fund Ref

National Institutes of Health

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