Insect decline in the Anthropocene: Death by a thousand cuts

• DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2023989118
• Publication Date: 2021-01-12T22:36:36Z
• Authors: David L. Wagner; Eliza M. Grames; Matthew L. Forister; May R. Berenbaum; David Stopak
• Keywords: Extinction (optical mineralogy)

Nature is under siege. In the last 10,000 y human population has grown from 1 million to 7.8 billion. Much of Earth’s arable lands are already in agriculture (1), millions acres tropical forest cleared each year (2, 3), atmospheric CO2 levels at their highest concentrations more than 3 (4), and climates erratically steadily changing pole pole, triggering unprecedented droughts, fires, floods across continents. Indeed, most biologists agree that world entered its sixth mass extinction event, first since end Cretaceous Period 66 ago, when 80% all species, including nonavian dinosaurs, perished. Ongoing losses have been clearly demonstrated for better-studied groups organisms. Terrestrial vertebrate sizes ranges contracted by one-third, many mammals experienced range declines least over century (5). A 2019 assessment suggests half amphibians imperiled (2.5% which recently gone extinct) (6). Bird numbers North America fallen 2.9 billion 1970 (7). Prospects world’s coral reefs, beyond middle this century, could scarcely be dire (8). 2020 United Nations report estimated a species danger next few decades (9), but also see bridled assessments refs. 10 11. Although flurry reports drawn attention insect abundance, biomass, richness, (e.g., 12⇓⇓⇓⇓⇓–18; reviews 19 20), whether rates insects on par with or exceed those other remains unknown. There still too … [↵][1]1To whom correspondence may addressed. Email: david.wagner{at}uconn.edu. [1]: #xref-corresp-1-1