Journal ArticleDOI
The decline of moths in Great Britain: a review of possible causes
Reads0
Chats0
TLDR
In this article, the authors discuss the potential drivers of moth population decline and make suggestions for future research with a focus on quantifying impacts of land management practices, light pollution and climate change on moth population dynamics and developing evidence-based measures that can be incorporated into agri-environment schemes and other policy initiatives to help reverse the widespread decline of moths in Great Britain and beyond.Abstract:
Population declines among insects are inadequately quantified, yet of vital importance to national and global biodiversity assessments and have significant implications for ecosystem services. 2. Substantial declines in abundance and distribution have been reported recently within a species-rich insect taxon, macro-moths, in Great Britain and other Euro- pean countries. These declines are of concern because moths are important primary consumers and prey items for a wide range of other taxa, as well as contributing to ecosystem services such as pollination. 3. I summarise these declines and review potential drivers of change. Direct evi- dence for causes of moth declines is extremely limited, but correlative studies and extrapolation from closely related taxa suggest that habitat degradation (particularly because of agricultural intensification and changing silviculture) and climate change are likely to be major drivers. There is currently little evidence of negative popula- tion-level effects on moths caused by chemical or light pollution, non-native species or direct exploitation. 4. I make suggestions for future research with a focus on quantifying impacts of land management practices, light pollution and climate change on moth population dynamics and developing evidence-based measures that can be incorporated into agri-environment schemes and other policy initiatives to help reverse the widespread decline of moths in Great Britain and beyond.read more
Citations
More filters
Journal ArticleDOI
More than 75 percent decline over 27 years in total flying insect biomass in protected areas.
Caspar A. Hallmann,Martin Sorg,Eelke Jongejans,Henk Siepel,Nick Hofland,Heinz Schwan,Werner Stenmans,Andreas Müller,Hubert Sumser,Thomas Hörren,Dave Goulson,Hans de Kroon +11 more
TL;DR: This analysis estimates a seasonal decline of 76%, and mid-summer decline of 82% in flying insect biomass over the 27 years of study, and shows that this decline is apparent regardless of habitat type, while changes in weather, land use, and habitat characteristics cannot explain this overall decline.
Journal ArticleDOI
Worldwide decline of the entomofauna: A review of its drivers
TL;DR: In this paper, a comprehensive review of 73 historical reports of insect declines from across the globe, and systematically assess the underlying drivers of insect extinction, reveals dramatic rates of decline that may lead to the extinction of 40% of the world's insect species over the next few decades.
Journal ArticleDOI
The ecological impacts of nighttime light pollution: a mechanistic appraisal
TL;DR: A framework that focuses on the cross‐factoring of the ways in which artificial lighting alters natural light regimes (spatially, temporally, and spectrally), and the ways that light influences biological systems, particularly the distinction between light as a resource and light as an information source is proposed.
Journal ArticleDOI
Insect Declines in the Anthropocene
TL;DR: Because the geographic extent and magnitude of insect declines are largely unknown, there is an urgent need for monitoring efforts, especially across ecological gradients, which will help to identify important causal factors in declines.
Journal ArticleDOI
Scientists' warning to humanity on insect extinctions
Pedro Cardoso,Philip S. Barton,Klaus Birkhofer,Filipe Chichorro,Charl Deacon,Thomas Fartmann,Caroline Sayuri Fukushima,René Gaigher,Jan Christian Habel,Caspar A. Hallmann,Matthew J. Hill,Axel Hochkirch,Axel Hochkirch,Mackenzie L. Kwak,Stefano Mammola,Stefano Mammola,Jorge Ari Noriega,Alexander B. Orfinger,Alexander B. Orfinger,Fernando Pedraza,James S. Pryke,Fabio de Oliveira Roque,Fabio de Oliveira Roque,Josef Settele,Josef Settele,John P. Simaika,Nigel E. Stork,Frank Suhling,Carlien Vorster,Michael J. Samways +29 more
TL;DR: In this paper, a group of conservation biologists deeply concerned about the decline of insect populations, reviewed what we know about the drivers of insect extinctions, their consequences, and how extinctions can negatively impact humanity.
References
More filters
Journal ArticleDOI
A globally coherent fingerprint of climate change impacts across natural systems
Camille Parmesan,Gary W. Yohe +1 more
TL;DR: A diagnostic fingerprint of temporal and spatial ‘sign-switching’ responses uniquely predicted by twentieth century climate trends is defined and generates ‘very high confidence’ (as laid down by the IPCC) that climate change is already affecting living systems.
Journal ArticleDOI
A safe operating space for humanity
Johan Rockström,Johan Rockström,Will Steffen,Will Steffen,Kevin J. Noone,Åsa Persson,Åsa Persson,F. Stuart Chapin,Eric F. Lambin,Timothy M. Lenton,Marten Scheffer,Carl Folke,Carl Folke,Hans Joachim Schellnhuber,Hans Joachim Schellnhuber,Björn Nykvist,Björn Nykvist,Cynthia A. de Wit,Terry P. Hughes,Sander van der Leeuw,Henning Rodhe,Sverker Sörlin,Sverker Sörlin,Peter K. Snyder,Robert Costanza,Robert Costanza,Uno Svedin,Malin Falkenmark,Malin Falkenmark,Louise Karlberg,Louise Karlberg,Robert W. Corell,Victoria J. Fabry,James Hansen,Brian Walker,Brian Walker,Diana Liverman,Diana Liverman,Katherine Richardson,Paul J. Crutzen,Jonathan A. Foley +40 more
TL;DR: Identifying and quantifying planetary boundaries that must not be transgressed could help prevent human activities from causing unacceptable environmental change, argue Johan Rockstrom and colleagues.
Journal ArticleDOI
Extinction risk from climate change
Chris D. Thomas,Alison Cameron,Rhys E. Green,Rhys E. Green,Michel Bakkenes,Linda J. Beaumont,Yvonne C. Collingham,Barend F.N. Erasmus,Marinez Ferreira de Siqueira,Alan Grainger,Lee Hannah,Lesley Hughes,Brian Huntley,Albert S. van Jaarsveld,Guy F. Midgley,Lera Miles,Lera Miles,Miguel A. Ortega-Huerta,A. Townsend Peterson,Oliver L. Phillips,Stephen E. Williams +20 more
TL;DR: Estimates of extinction risks for sample regions that cover some 20% of the Earth's terrestrial surface show the importance of rapid implementation of technologies to decrease greenhouse gas emissions and strategies for carbon sequestration.
Journal ArticleDOI
Effects of Habitat Fragmentation on Biodiversity
TL;DR: In this article, the authors suggest that the term "fragmentation" should be reserved for the breaking apart of habitat, independent of habitat loss, and that fragmentation per se has much weaker effects on biodiversity that are at least as likely to be positive as negative.