Insects

iseverynamegone

Just slipped into the headlines on the news about third in I think like it’s not important  - all insects dead in a 100years.  That would surely be catastrophic for humans. 

Do we have any insect experts who care to shed any light on this? 

Caffeine_Vampire

No more Spider-Man movies?

iseverynamegone

I hadn’t even considered that , it’s worse than I thought ! 

Caffeine_Vampire

It’s Keef the cockroach I fear for most. 

Caffeine_Vampire

Bugs Bunny will be a blow at easter. 

breakstuff

Caffeine_Vampire said:

No more Spider-Man movies?

Every cloud....... 

ICBM

As someone said on the radio this morning, don’t worry - Scotland has an inexhaustible supply of midges, and we would be happy to export them to anyone who’s running short.


But seriously - yes, it’s worrying... even if I suspect a bit exaggerated that all insects could be gone in a century. But if anything even close to it happens we’re stuffed.

Philly_Q

A few years ago they were saying that in the future we might all be eating insects as a source of protein.  Now we hear they're going to be extinct.

That seems like a pretty dramatic turnaround.  What the fuck happened?

roberty

Insect population is current dying at a rate of 2.5% per year. The 100 year estimate is extrapolated from that.

The thing is, if a part of the food chain dies so does everything else above it

ICBM

Philly_Q said:

A few years ago they were saying that in the future we might all be eating insects as a source of protein.  Now we hear they're going to be extinct.

That seems like a pretty dramatic turnaround.  What the fuck happened?

Climate change and neonicotinoid pesticides.

Rocker

Last year, in our garden there were fewer (wild) bees and butterflies than were present in other years.  This observation proves nothing but it shows that 'something' might be happening in the overall scheme of things.

Philly_Q

ICBM said:

Philly_Q said:

A few years ago they were saying that in the future we might all be eating insects as a source of protein.  Now we hear they're going to be extinct.

That seems like a pretty dramatic turnaround.  What the fuck happened?

Climate change and neonicotinoid pesticides.

Yes, but they're not brand new phenomena.  Only five years ago there were many articles like this:

http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20141014-time-to-put-bugs-on-the-menu

Sassafras

And yet you see more and more of them on telly.

Caffeine_Vampire

My dogs still manage to find fleas. Maybe they’re stockpiling?

menamestom

The report didn’t say that all species would die, some will increase.
Probably ones that will be adaptable and pests, but still at least we might still be able to get our protein from swarms of houseflies.

Abstract

Biodiversity of insects is threatened worldwide. Here, we present a comprehensive review of 73 historical reports of insect declines from across the globe, and systematically assess the underlying drivers. Our work reveals dramatic rates of decline that may lead to the extinctionof 40% of the world's insect species over the next few decades. In terrestrial ecosystems, Lepidoptera, Hymenoptera and dung beetles(Coleoptera) appear to be the taxa most affected, whereas four major aquatic taxa (Odonata, Plecoptera, Trichoptera and Ephemeroptera) have already lost a considerable proportion of species. Affected insect groups not only include specialists that occupy particular ecological niches, but also many common and generalist species. Concurrently, the abundance of a small number of species is increasing; these are all adaptable, generalist species that are occupying the vacant niches left by the ones declining. Among aquatic insects, habitat and dietary generalists, and pollutant-tolerant species are replacing the large biodiversity losses experienced in waters within agricultural and urban settings. The main drivers of species declines appear to be in order of importance: i) habitat loss and conversion to intensive agriculture and urbanisation; ii) pollution, mainly that by synthetic pesticides and fertilisers; iii) biological factors, including pathogens and introduced species; and iv) climate change. The latter factor is particularly important in tropical regions, but only affects a minority of species in colder climes and mountain settings of temperate zones. A rethinking of current agricultural practices, in particular a serious reduction in pesticide usage and its substitution with more sustainable, ecologically-based practices, is urgently needed to slow or reverse current trends, allow the recovery of declining insect populations and safeguard the vital ecosystem services they provide. In addition, effective remediationtechnologies should be applied to clean polluted waters in both agricultural and urban environments.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0006320718313636

VimFuego

every summer the horseflies round here turn me into the human rash, but last summer I didn't get bit once. Small comfort I know, for the ultimate extinction of 90% of life on earth, but I'll take what I can. 

TheMarlin

Life will find a way. 

Why do consumers get all the blame? Never industry or government. A few legislative measure could curb the practices that lead to these changes in biodiversity, but those measure will not be taken, it isn’t profitable. Government cares more about appeasing industry than it does environment.  

If we get a choice, we’re happy to take the more difficult road. Brexit proves this. 

munckee

We need to eat jellyfish and rats, they are the only species expanding at a rate that matches ours.

ESBlonde

Since we have yet to identify the vast majority of insects and microbial life forms, claiming that they will be extinct because of those we know about something is happening is a bit misguided perhaps.

Most insects and smaller (nematodes, arthropods etc) live in the soil, there are millions of them as yet unidentified around the world. They are responsible in no small part for the recycling of biomass into plant available nutrients. If and thats a big if, they all die then there will be no plant life and therefor no food chain.

Given that we have historically moved away from bad practices with chemicals in the past, I see every reason to believe we will do so with the current types (once big business has found a way to make money in another way). Whether we as an intelligent race can find scientific ways to undo the excesses of out forefathers is the big question.

Agriculture in general is realising the error of following the monsanto style of business and is turning (slowly but perceptibly) to the practices that involve working with nature rather than destroying it and trying to force our will on it. Machine manufacturers are now making the products that don't destroy the soil, but incorporate the biomass back into the surface to feed the soil which in turn feeds the following crops. All the time retaining rain water rather than creating run off.

Nature on the other hand has an impeccable track record of moving forward. Little things like Chernobyl and the loss of all the dinosaurs are taken in its stride.

Moominpapa

munckee said:

We need to eat jellyfish and rats, they are the only species expanding at a rate that matches ours.

  and YouTubers

steveledzep

What, more spuds ?