The browser you are using is not supported by this website. All versions of Internet Explorer are no longer supported, either by us or Microsoft (read more here: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/windows/end-of-ie-support).

Please use a modern browser to fully experience our website, such as the newest versions of Edge, Chrome, Firefox or Safari etc.

Portrait of Henrik Smith. Photo.

Henrik Smith

Professor

Portrait of Henrik Smith. Photo.

Arthropod populations in a sub-arctic environment facing climate change over a half-century : variability but no general trend

Author

  • Göran Andersson
  • Ted von Proschwitz
  • Christoffer Fägerström
  • Martin Green
  • Henrik G. Smith
  • Åke Lindström

Summary, in English

Dramatic declines of some arthropod populations have recently received a lot of attention. Identified declines have mainly been attributed to changes in agriculture, climate, pathogen prevalence and light pollution, as well as cross-regional effects of, e.g., drifting pesticides. However, the overall picture is complex and debated, and there is a need for systematically collected long-term data, not least from areas relatively unaffected by humans. We monitored the abundance of arthropods (mainly insects) in subalpine birch forest in Swedish Lapland over a period of 53 years (1968–2020), in an area comparatively unaffected by human activities. Arthropod abundance was assessed by yearly systematic counts on 24,000 birch shoots, in the second half of June. Animals were categorised into 17 different groups directly upon counting, dependent on taxonomy and life stage (imago, larva). Overall, there was no significant change in arthropod numbers. Nor did estimates of the total biomass of arthropods (using group-specific indices of the mass of individuals) show any significant trend. Accordingly, there are no signs that the arthropod abundance or biomass on birch in this subarctic study site has gone through the same declines as have been reported from sites in other habitats. The reason may be that the impact of factors identified worldwide as drivers of arthropod declines so far are small or non-existent because of the low human population density in this area.

Department/s

  • Entomological collections
  • Biodiversity
  • BECC: Biodiversity and Ecosystem services in a Changing Climate
  • Biodiversity and Conservation Science
  • Lund university sustainability forum

Publishing year

2022-03-09

Language

English

Pages

534-542

Publication/Series

Insect Conservation and Diversity

Volume

15

Issue

5

Document type

Journal article

Publisher

Wiley-Blackwell

Topic

  • Ecology

Keywords

  • insects
  • long-term trend
  • subalpine birch forest
  • Swedish Lapland
  • systematic sampling

Status

Published

Research group

  • Biodiversity and Conservation Science

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISSN: 1752-458X