BIOL 312 Lecture Notes - Lecture 15: Habitat Fragmentation, Insular Biogeography, Coniopterygidae
14 Nov 2017
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Document Summary
More than 75% decline over 27 years in total flying insect biomass in protected areas (paper). Global declines in insects have sparked interest among scientists, politicians, public. Loss has had cascading effects on food webs and ecosystem services e. g. pollination. Trends of lepidoptera and all other invertebrates are declining. Placed malaise traps in 63 nature protection areas in germany. Biophilia: objective view on ecosystems and ecosystem processes. Peak insect biomass in summer but peak is much lower in 2016 compared to 1989. Seasonal decline of 76% and mid-summer decline of 82% in flying insect biomass. The decline is apparent regardless of habitat type, while changes in weather, land use, and habitat characteristics cannot explain the overall decline. This 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 -> loss of birds -> loss of predators.
