Declining insect abundance and diversity in Germany 2008-2017

Insect abundance and diversity Germany 2008-2017 Nature — (a) Insect diversity (total number of species across all grassland or forest sites) (b), biomass, (c) abundance and (d) number of species (d) in 30 forest and 150 grassland sites across Germany

In this article insect abundance data collected from 150 grassland and 140 forest sites in 3 regions of Germany from 2008 to 2017 was analyzed. A total of about 2,700 species were identified. ), from standardized inventories taken between 2008 and 2017 at 150 grassland and 140 forest sites in 3 regions of Germany. Insect abundance, total biomass of insects, number of species and diversity were calculated for wach year. It was found that diversity in grasslands and forests decreased over time, indicating loss of species across sites and regions. In annually sampled grasslands, biomass, abundance and number of species declined by 67%, 78% and 34%, respectively. In 30 forest sites with annual inventories, biomass and number of species, but not abundance, decreased by 41% and 36%, respectively.

Seibold, S., Gossner, M.M., Simons, N.K. et al. Arthropod decline in grasslands and forests is associated with landscape-level drivers. Nature 574, 671–674 (2019) doi:10.1038/s41586-019-1684-3

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