Wind turbines altered the bee and butterfly assemblages along a 28 km gradient of infrasound

Wind energy is growing rapidly but little is known about interactions between turbines and insects. Infrasound (≤20 Hz) is produced by turbines, causing vibrations with unknown effects to biota < 20 km from turbines. We measured seed-set and pollinators within a wind facility, and at five locations located 4 to 28 km from turbines. We measured the number and mass of seeds produced by self-pollination, insect pollination and excess pollen for nine native plants. We counted butterflies and bees via timed transects, and we collected bees using blue vane traps deployed for < 48 hours. The proportion of developed seeds and seed mass generally decreased with distance from turbines suggesting that vibrations from turbines may aid in pollination. We captured more bees and butterflies during transects at the wind facility compared to sites < 13 km away (p < 0.05). Vane traps collected fewer insects at the wind facility despite fewer blooming plants occurring there (p < 0.05); fewer insects are captured in vane traps when flowers are abundant on the landscape. These results support the hypotheses that insects are attracted to turbine bases and are more abundant at wind facilities. Non-metric multidimensional scaling showed that the pollinator assemblage at the wind facility was unique compared to the other sites. Our study suggested that turbines attracted pollinators. Our results will help managers make informed decisions and promote new strategies as wind energy development grows.