The number and diversity of insects is declining worldwide. Some studies suggest that their biomass has almost halved since the 1970s. Among the main reasons for this are habitat loss—for example through agriculture or urbanization—and climate change.
These threats have long been known. What is less well-known is how these global change drivers interact and how their effects can become even more severe that way. For example, insects that have been deprived of their natural habitat could be even more affected by higher temperatures in a new environment.
Researchers at Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg (JMU) have investigated precisely this serious interaction at 179 locations throughout Bavaria. The study is part of the LandKlif research cluster, coordinated by Professor Ingolf Steffan-Dewenter within the Bavarian Climate Research Network bayklif.
They published their results in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences.
