Sharp drop in insect diversity

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Insects, as the most abundant and abundant branch of the animal kingdom, are closely related to humans. Insects play an important role in ecosystems by pollinating plants and providing food sources for other animals. However, a growing body of research is finding that insect numbers and species diversity are in sharp decline.

Previously, the international biology journal Biological Conservation published a review report on the current status of insect declines worldwide and the drivers behind them. Reports show that insect biomass is declining at an alarming rate of 2.5% per year. In addition to 40% of species at risk of extinction, a third of species are threatened with extinction.

However, this report seems to have failed to attract human attention, and humans are still greatly affecting the survival of insects: the abuse of pesticides, the reduction of natural habitats caused by agricultural activities, and the warming caused by human activities have all caused the global The number of insects and biodiversity in the range is facing a huge crisis.

A team of researchers from University College London (UCL) has launched a large-scale survey to more fully demonstrate the impact of human activity on insect survival around the world. It found that insect populations have halved in the hardest-hit areas due to a warming climate and changes in agricultural land.

The study analyzed about 750,000 insect samples from about 6,000 sites around the world, covering nearly 20,000 different species. After analysis, it was found that compared with natural habitats with less obvious climate impact, in areas with developed agriculture and severe climate warming, the number of insects is only half of the former, and the number of insect species is also 29% lower.

Furthermore, in systems with high natural habitat coverage (75%), abundance and richness decreased by 7% and 5%, respectively, while in systems with low natural habitat coverage (25%), abundance and richness decreased by 7% and 5%, respectively down 63% and 61%. Notably, the pattern is especially pronounced in the tropics.

In nature, although there are many kinds of insects, few of them are harmful to humans. Of the 85,000 known species of insects in the Americas, only 1,425 of them need to be controlled, accounting for 1.17%, while the remaining 98.13% are basically harmless. In the earth of North China, there are 673 agricultural and forestry pests, of which only 190 are seriously harmful.

As an important part of the earth's ecological environment, insect species play an indelible role in maintaining ecological stability. If the number of insects and species diversity continue to decline sharply in the future, it will one day react to humans.