In their new publication, researchers from the collaborative project LandKlif show reasons for the decline of insects. In doing so, they were able to separate the effects of climate and land use on insects for the first time.
Interestingly, site temperature and average annual temperature consistently had positive effects on the biomass and diversity of insect populations.
In contrast, the form of land use had different effects on biomass and diversity: Biomass was 42% lower in urban areas than in semi-natural areas. Particularly few species lived in areas with intensive agriculture – 29% fewer than in near-natural areas.
Süddeutsche Zeitung: Insekten leiden unter Landwirtschaft am meisten
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Publication in Nature Communications (2021) 12:
Relationship of insect biomass and richness with land use along a climate gradient
