The impacts of long-term declines in insect abundance on ecosystem function
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Reading
Department Name: Sch of Biological Sciences
Abstract
The plight of insects has generated worldwide attention from the scientific community and wider public. Recent interest was stimulated by a 27 year study1 suggesting a loss of 75% in the biomass of flying insects from Protected Areas in Germany, quickly labelled as 'ecological Armageddon'. If replicated in other habitats and regions, the scale of this loss is likely to have major implications for the role of insects in ecosystem functioning (e.g. pollination, pest control, nutrient cycling and as a food resource for other species). There is a need to understand the linkages between the status of insect populations and human-driven environmental changes, such as climate change and habitat degradation, and their impact on the resilience of ecosystem functions and services which underpin human well-being.
People |
ORCID iD |
Katie Powell (Student) |
Publications
Powell KE
(2023)
Abundance trends for river macroinvertebrates vary across taxa, trophic group and river typology.
in Global change biology
Studentship Projects
Project Reference | Relationship | Related To | Start | End | Student Name |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
NE/S007261/1 | 01/10/2019 | 30/09/2027 | |||
2284642 | Studentship | NE/S007261/1 | 01/10/2019 | 31/12/2023 | Katie Powell |