Forest hoverfly community collapse: Abundance and species richness drop over four decades

TY - JOUR

T1 - Forest hoverfly community collapse

T2 - Abundance and species richness drop over four decades

AU - Barendregt, Aat

AU - Zeegers, Theo

AU - van Steenis, Wouter

AU - Jongejans, Eelke

N1 - 7435, AnE

PY - 2022/9

Y1 - 2022/9

N2 - To study insect decline, an important threat to biodiversity, long-term datasets are needed. Here we present a study of hoverfly (Diptera: Syrphidae) abundance and diversity in a Dutch forest, surrounded by other forests, and analyse the variation in insect numbers over four decades. Between 1982 and 2021, abundance decreased by 80%. Until 1990, abundance showed a strong decrease of 10.9% per year, mainly in nationally rare species with carnivorous larvae exposed to air. From 1990, abundance stabilised, whereas from 2000, a second period of strong decline of 9.0% per year occurred, mainly in very common species. Species richness also declined strongly between 1979 and 2021: the total number of species observed in five monitoring days dropped by 44% over those 43 years. The characteristic set of dry-forest hoverfly species disappeared over four decades. The number of nationally rare species observed at the study site declined from 19 to 9 early on, in a period (1979–1984) that coincided with intense nitrogen input and acidification caused by agriculture in the same region. The more recent decline is likely also caused by factors from outside the forest, as forest management and conditions remained constant. Continued influx of nutrients and pesticides at a regional level, as well as climate change are possible causes of the decline. Research is needed to quantify their relative effects.

AB - To study insect decline, an important threat to biodiversity, long-term datasets are needed. Here we present a study of hoverfly (Diptera: Syrphidae) abundance and diversity in a Dutch forest, surrounded by other forests, and analyse the variation in insect numbers over four decades. Between 1982 and 2021, abundance decreased by 80%. Until 1990, abundance showed a strong decrease of 10.9% per year, mainly in nationally rare species with carnivorous larvae exposed to air. From 1990, abundance stabilised, whereas from 2000, a second period of strong decline of 9.0% per year occurred, mainly in very common species. Species richness also declined strongly between 1979 and 2021: the total number of species observed in five monitoring days dropped by 44% over those 43 years. The characteristic set of dry-forest hoverfly species disappeared over four decades. The number of nationally rare species observed at the study site declined from 19 to 9 early on, in a period (1979–1984) that coincided with intense nitrogen input and acidification caused by agriculture in the same region. The more recent decline is likely also caused by factors from outside the forest, as forest management and conditions remained constant. Continued influx of nutrients and pesticides at a regional level, as well as climate change are possible causes of the decline. Research is needed to quantify their relative effects.

KW - decreased diversity

KW - defaunation

KW - forest

KW - insect decline

KW - Syrphidae

U2 - 10.1111/icad.12577

DO - 10.1111/icad.12577

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85128087527

SN - 1752-458X

VL - 15

SP - 510

EP - 521

JO - Insect Conservation and Diversity

JF - Insect Conservation and Diversity

IS - 5

ER -