Scientists' warning to humanity on insect extinctions
Scientists' warning to humanity on insect extinctions
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DOI：
10.1016/j.biocon.2020.108426
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发表时间：
2020-02-01
影响因子：
5.9
通讯作者：
Samways, Michael J.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Cardoso, Pedro;Barton, Philip S.;Samways, Michael J.
在这里，我们建立在世界科学家联盟发布的宣言“世界科学家对人类的警告”。作为一群对昆虫种群数量下降深感担忧的保护生物学家，我们在这里回顾一下我们所知道的关于昆虫灭绝的驱动因素，其后果以及灭绝如何对人类产生负面影响。我们通过推动栖息地丧失，退化和破碎化，使用污染和有害物质，入侵物种的传播，全球气候变化，直接过度开发，以及依赖其他物种的物种的共同灭绝。随着昆虫的灭绝，我们失去的不仅仅是物种。我们失去了昆虫的丰富性和生物量，空间和时间的多样性，随之而来的同质化，生命之树的大部分，独特的生态功能和特征，以及广泛的生物相互作用网络的基本部分。这种损失导致人类赖以生存的关键生态系统服务的下降。从授粉和分解，到成为新药的资源，栖息地质量指示和许多其他方面，昆虫提供了不可替代的基本服务。我们呼吁采取紧急行动，填补关键的知识空白，遏制昆虫入侵。投资于研究项目，制定应对这一趋势的地方、区域和全球战略至关重要。解决办法是有的，也是可以执行的，但现在需要采取紧急行动，以符合我们的意图。
Here we build on the manifesto 'World Scientists' Warning to Humanity, issued by the Alliance of World Scientists. As a group of conservation biologists deeply concerned about the decline of insect populations, we here review what we know about the drivers of insect extinctions, their consequences, and how extinctions can negatively impact humanity.We are causing insect extinctions by driving habitat loss, degradation, and fragmentation, use of polluting and harmful substances, the spread of invasive species, global climate change, direct overexploitation, and co-extinction of species dependent on other species.With insect extinctions, we lose much more than species. We lose abundance and biomass of insects, diversity across space and time with consequent homogenization, large parts of the tree of life, unique ecological functions and traits, and fundamental parts of extensive networks of biotic interactions. Such losses lead to the decline of key ecosystem services on which humanity depends. From pollination and decomposition, to being resources for new medicines, habitat quality indication and many others, insects provide essential and irreplaceable services. We appeal for urgent action to close key knowledge gaps and curb insect extinctions. An investment in research programs that generate local, regional and global strategies that counter this trend is essential. Solutions are available and implementable, but urgent action is needed now to match our intentions.