Plos: More than 75 percent decline over 27 years in total flying insect biomass in protected areas

[China]

More than 75 percent decline over 27 years in total flying insect biomass in protected areas

 

Global declines in insects have sparked wide interest among scientists, politicians, and the general public. Loss of insect diversity and abundance is expected to provoke cascading effects on food webs and to jeopardize ecosystem services. Our understanding of the extent and underlying causes of this decline is based on the abundance of single species or taxonomic groups only, rather than changes in insect biomass which is more relevant for ecological functioning. Here, we used a standardized protocol to measure total insect biomass using Malaise traps, deployed over 27 years in 63 nature protection areas in Germany (96 unique location-year combinations) to infer on the status and trend of local entomofauna. Our analysis estimates a seasonal decline of 76%, and mid-summer decline of 82% in flying insect biomass over the 27 years of study. We show that this decline is apparent regardless of habitat type, while changes in weather, land use, and habitat characteristics cannot explain this overall decline. This yet unrecognized loss of insect biomass must be taken into account in evaluating declines in abundance of species depending on insects as a food source, and ecosystem functioning in the European landscape

 

Loss of insects is certain to have adverse effects on ecosystem functioning, as insects play a central role in a variety of processes, including pollination [1, 2], herbivory and detrivory [3, 4], nutrient cycling [4] and providing a food source for higher trophic levels such as birds, mammals and amphibians. For example, 80% of wild plants are estimated to depend on insects for pollination [2], while 60% of birds rely on insects as a food source [5]. The ecosystem services provided by wild insects have been estimated at $57 billion annually in the USA [6]. Clearly, preserving insect abundance and diversity should constitute a prime conservation priority.

 

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[twa]

That's interesting, but mosquitoes need to die yesterday.

Research in my neck of the woods says enough of this ****.

 

Results in Germany may differ. 

[TradeTheBeal!]

Human biomass at an all time high.

[Riggo-toni]

And yet the biomass of bloodsucking insects has increased by more than 2800% in Washington D.C. over just the last 8 months.

[Llevron]

Weren't we supposed to see cicadas this year and it didnt happen? I feel like I ask that every year though. 

[zoony]

I think most of them hit my windshield