Spatial and temporal changes in moth assemblages along an altitudinal gradient, Jeju-do island

Montane species on islands attract attention due to their small and isolated populations and limited dispersal potential, making them vulnerable to extinction. We investigated the diversity pattern of moth assemblages over the 12-years-period (2009–2020) at 11 study plots on an island mountain (Mount Hallasan, Jeju-do Island, South Korea) to assess the changes in the moth assemblages in terms of species composition, richness, and abundances. We expected to find a decline in the number of species at these sites, given the reported decline in similar taxa in other temperate regions, such as Europe and North America. In contrast, we found that the numbers of species and individuals of moth populations on the island mountain have not significantly changed, except at the high-elevation sites, where the number of species has increased. Our results also show that the numbers of species and individuals are closely related to energy availability, actual evapotranspiration. Moreover, we found that the species composition during the study period has not been greatly changed, except at the lowermost and uppermost elevations. The mechanism driving this high dissimilarity of moth assemblages differed: the low-elevation site experienced high temporal turnover, and the high elevation sites also experienced high temporal turnover and nestedness resulting from active species replacement due to a recent forest fire and vegetation changes and the geographic and ecological constraints of the high elevations. To date, the moth species diversity of the temperate forests of the island mountain is not showing a drastic change. However, we observed that the moth assemblages had changed the number of species and individuals at low and high elevations. Given the biological and ecological limitations of moths (ectothermic organisms with limited habitat range) and considering the results of our study, we infer that climate change has impacted the diversity and species composition of moths on the island mountain.