The great insect decline in Argentina
Nicolás Ferreiro
Instituto de Ecología y Desarrollo Sustentable, Universidad Nacional de Luján-CONICET, Luján, Buenos Aires, 6700, Argentina
Keywords: extinction; species; hyperdiversity; habitat degradation
Abstract
A 41% of arthropod species are declining, and one-third of all species are threatened by extinction. Changes in land use are recognized as the primary cause of this decline. The scarcity of data for the Southern Hemisphere is partly due to limited funding but particularly due to the hyperdiversity of tropical regions. The objective of this study was to investigate the presence of this issue in scientific articles and the contribution of insects to the total number of threatened species in Argentina. Globally, the percentage of articles related to insect extinctions in Google Scholar has grown exponentially over the past twenty years, from 0.42% in 2000 to 6% in 2021. However, no significant growth was found in the number of articles on this topic in Argentina during the study period. Currently, only 23 insect species are recognized as at risk out of a total of 572 threatened species according to the "IUCN Red List of Threatened Species" for Argentina. These species belong to the orders Odonata (8), Coleoptera (1), Lepidoptera (2), Hymenoptera (11), and Orthoptera (1 species), representing only 4% of the total threatened species. In comparison, it is estimated that 26% and 27% of threatened species in the much less diverse faunas of Germany and the United Kingdom, respectively, are insects. These results suggest that the percentage of endangered insects in Argentina is being underestimated due to taxonomic and population knowledge gaps, consistent with reports by other authors. In hyperdiverse countries like ours, only molecular techniques can process large samples quickly enough to obtain estimates of insect diversity before they disappear.
References
1.Hallmann C. A., M. Sorg, E. Jongejans, H. Siepel, N. Hofland, H. Schwan, W. Stenmans, A. Müller, H. Sumser, T. Hörren, D. Goulson, and H. de Kroon. 2017. More than 75 percent decline over 27 years in total flying insect biomass in protected areas. PLoS ONE 12:1–21.
2.Seibold S., M. M. Gossner, N. K. Simons, N. Blüthgen, J. Müller, D. Ambarlı, C. Ammer, J. Bauhus, M. Fischer, J. C. Habel, K. E. Linsenmair, T. Nauss, C. Penone, D. Prati, P. Schall, E. D. Schulze, J. Vogt, S. Wöllauer, and W. W. Weisser. 2019. Arthropod decline in grasslands and forests is associated with landscape-level drivers. Nature 574:671–673. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31666721/
3.Sánchez-Bayo F., and K. A. G. Wyckhuys. 2019. Worldwide decline of the entomofauna: A review of its drivers. Biological Conservation 232:8–27. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006320718313636
4.Wagner, D. L., E. M. Grames, M. L. Forister, M. R. Berenbaum, and D. Stopak. 2021. Insect decline in the Anthropocene: Death by a thousand cuts. PNAS 118:e2023989118. https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2023989118
5.Cardoso, P., P. S. Barton, K. Birkhofer, F. Chichorro, C. Deacon, T. Fartmann, C. S. Fukushima, R. Gaigher, J. C. Habel, C. A. Hallmann, M. J. Hill, A. Hochkirch, M. L. Kwak, S. Mammola, J. A. Noriega, A. B. Orfinger, F. Pedraza, J. S. Pryke, F. O. Roque, J. Settele, J. P. Simaika, N. E. Stork, F. Suhling, C. Vorster, and M. J. Samways. 2020. Scientists' warning to humanity on insect extinctions. Biological Conservation 242:108426. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006320719317823
6.Costante, D. M., A. M. Haines, and M. Leu. 2022. Threats to Neglected Biodiversity: Conservation Success Requires More Than Charisma. Frontiers in Conservation Science 2:727517. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/conservation-science/articles/10.3389/fcosc.2021.727517/full
7.Nessel, M. P., T. Konnovitch, G. Q. Romero, and A. L. González. 2022. Decline of insects and arachnids driven by nutrient enrichment: A meta-analysis. Ecology. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.3897
8.Du, C., F. Zhao, V. Shang, L. Wang, E. Jeppesen, L. Zhang, W. Zhang, and X. Fang. 2023. Ammonia Influences the Zooplankton Assemblage and Beta Diversity Patterns in Complicated Urban River Ecosystems. Water 15:1449. https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/15/8/1449
9.Raven, H., and D. L. Wagner. 2021. Agricultural intensification and climate change are rapidly decreasing insect biodiversity. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2002548117
10.van Klink R., D. E. Bowler, K. B. Gongalsky, A. B. Swengel, A. Gentile, and J. M. Chase. 2020. Meta-analysis reveals declines in terrestrial but increases in freshwater insect abundances. Science 368:417–420. https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aax9931
11.El País. 2017. Adiós a los insectos de tu infancia. https://elpais.com/elpais/2017/09/19/ciencia/1505835144_925754.html, accessed [07/2024].
12.The New York Times. 2018. The insect apocalypse is here. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/27/magazine/insect-apocalypse.html, accessed [07/2024].
13.The New York Times. 2022. When did you last clean bug splatter off your windshield? https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/05/books/review/when-did-you-last-clean-bug-splatter-off-your-windshield.html, accessed [07/2024].
14.The Guardian. 2019. Plummeting insect numbers 'threaten collapse of nature'. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/feb/10/plummeting-insect-numbers-threaten-collapse-of-nature, accessed [07/2024].
15.The Guardian. 2021. The insect apocalypse: ‘Our world will grind to a halt without them’. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jul/25/the-insect-apocalypse-our-world-will-grind-to-a-halt-without-them, accessed [07/2024].
16.BBC. 23 Apr 2020. Nature crisis: 'Insect apocalypse' more complicated than thought. https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-52399373, accessed [07/2024].
17.NASA's Ames Research Center. 10 Nov 2022. Climate Change Can Put More Insects at Risk for Extinction. https://climate.nasa.gov/news/3231/climate-change-can-put-more-insects-at-risk-for-extinction/, accessed [07/2024].
18.Medan D., J. P. Torretta, K. Hodara, E. B. de la Fuente, and N. H. Montaldo. 2011. Effects of agriculture expansion and intensification on the vertebrate and invertebrate diversity in the Pampas of Argentina. Biodivers Conserv 20:3077–3100. https://ri.conicet.gov.ar/handle/11336/15878
19.Mulieri, P. R. 2021. ¿Hay moscas en peligro de extinción? Novedades artropódicas SEA. https://www.seargentina.com.ar/novedades-artropodicas/, accessed [07/2024].
20.Zattara, E. E., and M. Aizen. 2021. Worldwide occurrence records reflect a global decline in bee species richness. One Earth 4:114–123. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590332220306515
21.IUCN. 2023. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. https://www.iucnredlist.org, accessed [07/2024].
22.Barahona‑Segovia, R. M., and A. Zúñiga‑Reinoso. 2021. An overview of Neotropical arthropod conservation efforts using risk assessment lists. Journal of Insect Conservation 25:361–376. https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2021JICon..25..361B/abstract
23.Janzen, D. H., W. Hallwachs, C. R. Morrison, G. F. S. Pereira, E. A. Handley, R. L. Blanco, M. P. Paz, A. Montero, M. R. Chavarria, A. A. Rodriguez, J. B. Salazar, J. Valerio, H. I. Guido, K. I. Perez, K. Hoenle, C. C. J. Mair, S. Ratnasingham, E. V. Zakharov, J. R. DeWaard, & P. D. N. Hebert. 2020. Using DNA-barcoded Malaise trap samples to measure impact of a geothermal energy project on the biodiversity of a Costa Rican old-growth rain forest. Genome, 63(7), 407–436.
24.Rafael, J. A., A. P. Aguiar, and D. Amorim. 2009. Knowledge of insect diversity in Brazil: challenges and advances. Neotropical Entomology 38:565–570. https://www.scielo.br/j/ne/a/FXPsRzHdStW3sq4xTLfLwYh/?lang=en
25.Lewinsohn, T. M., Agostini, K., Lucci Freitas, A. V., and Melo, A. S. 2022. Insect decline in Brazil: an appraisal of current evidence. Biology Letters 18:20220219. https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full/10.1098/rsbl.2022.0219
26.World Conservation Monitoring Centre of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP-WCMC). 2024. www.unep-wcmc.org, accessed [07/2024].
27.Froese, R., and D. Pauly (eds.) 2024. FishBase. www.fishbase.org, accessed [07/2024].
28.AmphibiaWeb. 2024. www.amphibiaweb.org, accessed [07/2024].
29.Mammal Diversity Database. 2024. www.mammaldiversity.org, accessed [07/2024].
30.BirdLife International. 2024. www.birdlife.org, accessed [07/2024].
31.Uetz, P., P. Freed, R. Aguilar, F. Reyes, and J. Hošek (eds.) 2024. The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org, accessed [07/2024].
32.Morrone J. J., and S. Coscarón (Directores). 1998. Biodiversidad de Artrópodos Argentinos volumen 1. Ediciones Sur, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
33.Claps, L.E., G. Debandi, and S. Roig-Juñent (Directores). 2008. Biodiversidad de Artrópodos Argentinos volumen 2. Editorial Sociedad Entomológica Argentina, Mendoza, Argentina.
34.Roig-Juñent, S., L. E. Claps, and J. J. Morrone (Directores). 2014a. Biodiversidad de Artrópodos Argentinos volumen 3. Editorial INSUE - UNT, San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina.
35.Roig-Juñent, S., L. E. Claps, and J. J. Morrone (Directores). 2014b. Biodiversidad de Artrópodos Argentinos volumen 4. Editorial INSUE - UNT, San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina.
36.Pastrana, J. A. 2004. Los lepidópteros argentinos: sus plantas hospedadoras y otros sustratos alimenticios. Sociedad Entomológica Argentina, Argentina.
37.Lewinsohn, T. M., and P. I. Prado. 2005. Quantas espécies há no Brasil. Megadiversidade 1:36–42.
38.Janzen D. H., W. Hallwachs, G. Pereira, R. Blanco, A. Masis, M. M. Chavarria, F. Chavarria, A. Guadamuz, M. Araya, M. A. Smith, J. Valerio, H. Guido, E. Sanchez, S. Bermudez, K. Perez, R. Manjunath, S. Ratnasingham, S. Jacques, M. Milton, J. R. DeWaard, E. Zakharov, S. Naik, M. Langor, D. W. 2019. The diversity of terrestrial arthropods in Canada. ZooKeys 819:9–40. https://zookeys.pensoft.net/article/31947/
39.Xiaoming, C., and F. Ying. 2009. Resource Insects of China. Science Press, Beijing, China.
40.Chimeno C., A. Hausmann, S. Schmidt, M. J. Raupach, D. Doczkal, V. Baranov, J. Hübner, A. Höcherl, R. Albrecht, M. Jaschhof, G. Haszprunar, and P. D. N. Hebert. 2022. Peering into the Darkness: DNA Barcoding Reveals Surprisingly High Diversity of Unknown Species of Diptera (Insecta) in Germany. Insects 13:82. https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/13/1/82
41.Falcón-Brindis, A., J. L. León-Cortés, and M. Montañez-Reyna. 2021. How effective are conservation areas to preserve biodiversity in Mexico? Perspectives in Ecology and Conservation 19:399–410. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2530064421000730
42.Gordon, D. P. 2010. The New Zealand Inventory of Biodiversity. Volume 2: Kingdom Animalia Chaetognatha, Ecdysozoa, Ichnofossils; Canterbury University Press, Christchurch, New Zealand.
43.https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article%3Fid=10.1371/journal.pone.0185809
44.Lelej, A. S., and S. Yu. Storozhenko. 2010. Insect Taxonomic Diversity in the Russian Far East. Entomological Review 90:372–386. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1134/S001387381003005X
45.Smithsonian Institution. 2024. Numbers of Insects (Species and Individuals). www.si.edu, accessed [07/2024]
46.Woodland Trust. 2024. Insect identification: Common UK insects. www.woodlandtrust.org.uk, accessed [07/2024].
47.Royal Entomological Society. 2024.Facts and figures. www.royensoc.co.uk, accessed [07/2024].
48.Donkersley, P., L. Ashton, G. P. A. Lamarre, and S. Segar. 2022. Global insect decline is the result of wilful political failure: A battle plan for entomology. Ecology and Evolution 12:e9417. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ece3.9417
49.Forister, M. L., E. M. Pelton, and S. H. Black. 2019. Declines in insect abundance and diversity: We know enough to act now. Conservation Science and Practice 1:e80. https://conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/csp2.80
50.Pereira, H. M., P. W. Leadley, V. Proença, R. Alkemade, J. P. W. Scharlemann, J. F. Fernandez-Manjarrés, M. B. Araújo, P. Balvanera, R. Biggs, W. W. L. Cheung, L. Chini, H. D. Cooper, E. L. Gilman, S. Guénette, G. C. Hurtt, H. P. Huntington, G. M. Mace, T. Oberdorff, C. Revenga, and M. Walpole. 2010. Scenarios for global biodiversity in the 21st century. Science 330:1496–1501. https://research.wur.nl/en/publications/scenarios-for-global-biodiversity-in-the-21st-century
51.Díaz S., U. Pascual, M. Stenseke, B. Martín-López, R. T. Watson, Z. Molnár, R. Hill, K. M. A. Chan, I. A. Baste, K. A. Brauman, S. Polasky, A. Church, M. Lonsdale, A. Larigauderie, P. W. Leadley, A. P. E. vanOudenhoven, F. van der Plaat, M. Schröter, S. Lavorel, and Y. Shirayama. 2018. Assessing nature's contributions to people. Science 359:270–272. https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aap8826
52.Eden, S. 2016. Environmental publics. Taylor & Francis.
53.Tolle M. A. 2009. Mosquito-borne Diseases. Current Problems in Pediatric and Adolescent Health Care 39:97–140. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19327647/
54.Culliney, T. 2014. Crop losses to arthropods. En: Integrated Pest Management: Pesticide Problems. Pimentel D y R Peshin (eds.). Springer.
55.Mishra G., and O. Omkar. 2022. Insects: The Unrecognized Heroes. En: Insects as Service Providers. Springer.