@misc{NyffelerBirkhofer, author = {Nyffeler, Martin and Birkhofer, Klaus}, title = {An estimated 400-800 million tons of prey are annually killed by the global spider community}, series = {The Science of Nature}, volume = {104}, journal = {The Science of Nature}, number = {3-4}, issn = {1432-1904}, doi = {10.1007/s00114-017-1440-1}, pages = {12}, language = {en} } @misc{NyffelerLapinskiSnyderetal., author = {Nyffeler, Martin and Lapinski, Witold and Snyder, Andrew and Birkhofer, Klaus}, title = {Spiders feeding on earthworms revisited: consumption of giant earthworms in the tropics}, series = {Journal of Arachnology}, volume = {45}, journal = {Journal of Arachnology}, number = {2}, issn = {1937-2396}, doi = {10.1636/JoA-17-013.1}, pages = {242 -- 247}, language = {en} } @misc{MaderDiehlFiedleretal., author = {Mader, Viktoria and Diehl, Eva and Fiedler, Daniela and Thorn, Simon and Wolters, Volkmar and Birkhofer, Klaus}, title = {Trade-offs in arthropod conservation between productive and non-productive agri-environmental schemes along a landscape complexity gradient}, series = {Insect Conservation and Diversity}, volume = {10}, journal = {Insect Conservation and Diversity}, number = {3}, issn = {1752-4598}, doi = {10.1111/icad.12220}, pages = {236 -- 247}, language = {en} } @misc{NilssonAnderssonBirkhoferetal., author = {Nilsson, Lovisa and Andersson, Georg K. S. and Birkhofer, Klaus and Smith, Henrik G.}, title = {Ignoring ecosystem-service cascades undermines policy for multifunctional agricultural landscapes}, series = {Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution}, journal = {Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution}, number = {5}, issn = {2296-701X}, doi = {10.3389/fevo.2017.00109}, pages = {6}, language = {en} } @misc{BirkhoferPalmuHansonetal., author = {Birkhofer, Klaus and Palmu, Erkki and Hanson, Helena I. and Hedlund, Katarina}, title = {Can hydrogen and oxygen isotope ratios reveal large-scale patterns in dispersal and dietary origin in ground beetles?}, series = {Applied Soil Ecology}, volume = {Vol. 119}, journal = {Applied Soil Ecology}, issn = {0929-1393}, doi = {10.1016/j.apsoil.2017.06.006}, pages = {99 -- 103}, language = {en} } @misc{EisenhauerAntunesBennettetal., author = {Eisenhauer, Nico and Antunes, Pedro M. and Bennett, Alison E. and Birkhofer, Klaus and Bissett, Andrew and Bowker, Matthew A. and Caruso, Tancredi}, title = {Priorities for research in soil ecology}, series = {Pedobiologia}, volume = {63}, journal = {Pedobiologia}, issn = {0031-4056}, doi = {10.1016/j.pedobi.2017.05.003}, pages = {1 -- 7}, language = {en} } @misc{HansenBirkhoferSmithetal., author = {Hansen, Helena I. and Birkhofer, Klaus and Smith, Henrik G. and Palmu, Erkki and Hedlund, Katarina}, title = {Agricultural land use affects abundance and dispersal tendency of predatory arthropods}, series = {Basic and Applied Ecology}, journal = {Basic and Applied Ecology}, number = {18}, issn = {1618-0089}, doi = {10.1016/j.baae.2016.10.004}, pages = {40 -- 49}, abstract = {Predatory arthropods contribute to biological control, but to become an integral part of agricultural management, it is essential to identify drivers of their spatio-temporal distribution at the landscape scale. This study focuses on how agricultural land use affects the community composition, emergence and dispersal tendency of predatory arthropods. The arthropods were collected in emergence traps during the growing season (14 weeks) in a gradient of agricultural land uses from intensively managed sugar beet fields, over winter wheat fields, to less intensively managed grasslands. The emergence traps were equipped with one pitfall trap and a collecting bottle at the top. The distribution of the arthropods between these two collecting methods was assumed to represent their tendency to move out of the habitat. The grasslands had the highest numbers of spiders, while the winter wheat fields had the highest numbers of omnivorous rove beetles and macropterous predaceous ground beetles. The phenology of emergence differed between the land-use types, resulting in seasonal differences in community composition. The overall dispersal tendency of predatory arthropods was higher in crop fields than in grasslands. This study suggests that only a diverse mix of agricultural land uses will provide high levels of predators from different functional groups, throughout the growing season.}, language = {en} } @misc{TschumiEkroosHjortetal., author = {Tschumi, Matthias and Ekroos, Johan and Hjort, Cecilia and Smith, Henrik G. and Birkhofer, Klaus}, title = {Predation-mediated ecosystem services and disservices in agricultural landscapes}, series = {Ecological Applications}, volume = {28}, journal = {Ecological Applications}, number = {8}, issn = {1939-5582}, doi = {10.1002/eap.1799}, pages = {2109 -- 2118}, language = {en} } @misc{BirkhoferRuschAnderssonetal., author = {Birkhofer, Klaus and Rusch, Adrien and Andersson, Georg K. S. and Bommarco, Riccardo and D{\"a}nhardt, Juliana and Ekbom, Barbara and J{\"o}nnson, Annelie M. and Lindborg, Regina and Olsson, Ola and Rader, Romina and Stjernman, Martin and Williams, Alwyn and Hedlund, Katarina and Smith, Henrik G.}, title = {A framework to identify indicator species for ecosystem services in agricultural landscapes}, series = {Ecological Indicators}, volume = {91}, journal = {Ecological Indicators}, issn = {1470-160X}, doi = {10.1016/j.ecolind.2018.04.018}, pages = {278 -- 286}, language = {en} } @misc{MaderDiehlWoltersetal., author = {Mader, Viktoria and Diehl, Eva and Wolters, Volkmar and Birkhofer, Klaus}, title = {Agri-environmental schemes affect the trophic niche size and diet of common carabid species in agricultural landscapes}, series = {Ecological Entomology}, volume = {43}, journal = {Ecological Entomology}, number = {6}, issn = {1365-2311}, doi = {10.1111/een.12671}, pages = {823 -- 835}, abstract = {1. Carabids are abundant in agroecosystems and provide biocontrol services by feeding on weed seeds and pests. We compare the effects of two fundamentally different agri-environmental schemes (AES) on the numeric and trophic responses of four common carabid species: Anchomenus dorsalis, Poecilus cupreus, Pseudoophonus rufipes and Pterostichus melanarius. 2. In six cereal fields under organic farming and six sown flowering fields, 10 290 individuals of the four species were sampled to quantify their numeric response. The activity density of all species was higher in organically managed cereal fields compared to flowering fields. 3. We analysed naturally occurring stable isotope ratios of carbon and nitrogen in 138 carabid individuals to quantify isotopic niches and the diet contribution of soil- versus plant-based resources. Resources from the soil ('brown') energy channel were more important than resources from the plant ('green') energy channel in the diet of all species, particularly in P. melanarius. 4. Isotopic niches were larger for P. rufipes and P. melanarius in flowering fields than in organically managed cereal fields. Moreover, differences between AES types were observed in the diet contribution derived from both energy channels: A. dorsalis and P. cupreus incorporated higher proportions of plant-based resources in organically managed cereal fields compared to flowering fields. 5. Similar numeric, but different trophic responses suggest that AES type may alter arthropod food webs beyond simple changes in carabid densities. Such 'hidden' modifications in the resource utilisation of generalist predators deserve more attention to adequately evaluate the ecological consequences of AES.}, language = {en} } @misc{KarpBirkhofer, author = {Karp, Daniel S. and Birkhofer, Klaus}, title = {Crop pests and predators exhibit inconsistent responses to surrounding landscape composition}, series = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America}, volume = {115}, journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America}, number = {33}, issn = {1091-6490}, doi = {10.1073/pnas.1800042115}, pages = {E7863 -- E7870}, abstract = {The idea that noncrop habitat enhances pest control and represents a win-win opportunity to conserve biodiversity and bolster yields has emerged as an agroecological paradigm. However, while noncrop habitat in landscapes surrounding farms sometimes benefits pest predators, natural enemy responses remain heterogeneous across studies and effects on pests are inconclusive. The observed heterogeneity in species responses to noncrop habitat may be biological in origin or could result from variation in how habitat and biocontrol are measured. Here, we use a pest-control database encompassing 132 studies and 6,759 sites worldwide to model natural enemy and pest abundances, predation rates, and crop damage as a function of landscape composition. Our results showed that although landscape composition explained significant variation within studies, pest and enemy abundances, predation rates, crop damage, and yields each exhibited different responses across studies, sometimes increasing and sometimes decreasing in landscapes with more noncrop habitat but overall showing no consistent trend. Thus, models that used landscape-composition variables to predict pest-control dynamics demonstrated little potential to explain variation across studies, though prediction did improve when comparing studies with similar crop and landscape features. Overall, our work shows that surrounding noncrop habitat does not consistently improve pest management, meaning habitat conservation may bolster production in some systems and depress yields in others. Future efforts to develop tools that inform farmers when habitat conservation truly represents a win-win would benefit from increased understanding of how landscape effects are modulated by local farm management and the biology of pests and their enemies.}, language = {en} } @misc{ZaitsevBirkhoferEkschmittetal., author = {Zaitsev, Andrey S. and Birkhofer, Klaus and Ekschmitt, Klemens and Wolters, Volkmar}, title = {Belowground Tritrophic Food Chain Modulates Soil Respiration in Grasslands}, series = {Pedosphere}, volume = {28}, journal = {Pedosphere}, number = {1}, issn = {1002-0160}, doi = {10.1016/S1002-0160(18)60008-6}, pages = {114 -- 123}, abstract = {Edaphic biota significantly affects several essential ecological functions such as C-storage, nutrient turnover, and productivity. However, it is not completely understood how belowground animal contribution to these functions changes in grasslands subject to different land use types. A microcosm experiment was carried out to test the effect of a tritrophic food chain on CO2 release from grassland soils. Soil was collected from three differently managed grassland systems (meadow, pasture, and mown pasture) located in three distinct German regions that cover a north-south gradient of approximately 500 km. The tritrophic food chain comprised natural edaphic microflora, nematodes, and predatory gamasid mites. The experimental design involved a full factorial combination of the presence and absence of nematodes and gamasid mites. Nematodes significantly increased the CO2 emissions in most treatments, but the extent of this effect varied with land use type. The fact that grazing by nematodes stimulated the metabolic activity of the edaphic microflora over a wide range of grassland soils highlighted the critical impact of the microfauna on ecosystem services associated with soil organic matter dynamics. Gamasids slightly amplified the effect of nematodes on microbial metabolic activity, but only in the pastures. This effect was most probably due to the control of nematode abundance. The fact that gamasid addition also augmented the impact of environmental conditions on nematode-induced modulation of soil respiration highlighted the need for including land use differences while evaluating soil fauna contribution to soil processes. To conclude, the differential response of the investigated tritrophic food chain to different grassland management systems suggests that adverse effects of land use intensification on important soil processes such as atmospheric C-release could potentially be reduced by using management methods that preserve essential features of the belowground food web.}, language = {en} } @misc{BergerBirkhoferHansonetal., author = {Berger, Josef S. and Birkhofer, Klaus and Hanson, Helena I. and Hedlund, Katarina}, title = {Landscape configuration affects herbivore-parasitoid communities in oilseed rape}, series = {Journal of Pest Science}, volume = {91}, journal = {Journal of Pest Science}, number = {3}, issn = {1612-4758}, doi = {10.1007\%2Fs10340-018-0965-1}, pages = {1093 -- 1105}, abstract = {It is crucial to consider the effects of large-scale drivers on species presences and ecological interactions to understand what structures communities. In our study, we investigated how the species composition and the potential interaction networks of herbivore and parasitoid communities in oilseed rape fields are affected by agricultural landscape characteristics. Insect communities of 26 winter oilseed rape fields in southern Sweden were captured in water traps over a continuous time span of 30 ± 2 days. In total, 31\% of the variation in the composition of herbivore host communities was explained by a combination of the surrounding oilseed rape area in the study year and the previous year and distance to the nearest forest. The oilseed rape area in the study year and distance to forest also explained 14\% of the variation in the composition of parasitoid communities. Distance to the nearest forest together with the area of oilseed rape in the previous year explained 45\% of the variation in asymmetry of interaction webs. These results indicate that several measures of landscape configuration are important both for the composition of host and parasitoid communities and also for the structure of interaction networks. Our results support the view that it is an appropriate strategy to cultivate oilseed rape in landscapes that are far away from forests, in order to minimize recolonization by pest species and at the same time to attract parasitoid species from the open landscape.}, language = {en} } @misc{TschumiEkroosHjortetal., author = {Tschumi, Matthias and Ekroos, Johan and Hjort, Cecilia and Smith, Henrik G. and Birkhofer, Klaus}, title = {Rodents, not birds, dominate predation-related ecosystem services and disservices in vertebrate communities of agricultural landscapes}, series = {Oecologia}, volume = {188}, journal = {Oecologia}, number = {3}, issn = {0029-8549}, doi = {10.1007/s00442-018-4242-z}, pages = {863 -- 873}, abstract = {To understand the relationship between conservation measures and agricultural yields, we need to know the contributions of organisms to both ecosystem services and disservices. We studied the activity and contribution of birds and mammals to intermediate ecosystem services (predation of weed seeds or invertebrate pests) and disservices (predation of crop seeds or beneficial invertebrates) in southern Sweden between June and November 2016. We measured seed and invertebrate predation rates using trays placed in front of 32 wildlife cameras in 16 cereal fields with a local habitat contrast (8 fields adjacent to another crop field and 8 fields adjacent to a semi-natural grassland) and along a landscape heterogeneity gradient (amount of semi-natural grassland). Both activity and predation were dominated by small mammals (mainly rodents), yet only a few species contributed to predation services and disservices according to camera records. Small mammal activity and predation varied considerably over time. Small mammal activity was significantly higher at trays with crop seeds or beneficial invertebrate prey compared to trays with pest prey, and crop seed predation by small mammals was significantly higher than weed seed predation. In contrast, bird activity and predation did not differ significantly between resource types, but varied over time depending on the habitat contrast. Predation of animal prey by birds was highest after cereal harvest, independent of habitat contrast. Our study highlights that birds and in particular rodents provide important intermediate ecosystem services, but also disservices, which fluctuate strongly in intensity over time.}, language = {en} } @misc{AhlswedeFabianoKeepingetal., author = {Ahlswede, Steve and Fabiano, Ezequiel Chimbioputo and Keeping, Derek and Birkhofer, Klaus}, title = {Using the Formozov-Malyshev-Pereleshin formula to convert mammal spoor counts into density estimates for long-term community-level monitoring}, series = {African Journal of Ecology}, volume = {57}, journal = {African Journal of Ecology}, number = {2}, issn = {1365-2028}, doi = {10.1111/aje.12587}, pages = {177 -- 189}, language = {en} } @misc{WannerBirkhoferFischeretal., author = {Wanner, Manfred and Birkhofer, Klaus and Fischer, Thomas and Shimizu, Miki and Shimano, Satoshi D. and Puppe, Daniel}, title = {Soil Testate Amoebae and Diatoms as Bioindicators of an Old Heavy Metal Contaminated Floodplain in Japan}, series = {Microbial Ecology}, volume = {79}, journal = {Microbial Ecology}, number = {1}, issn = {1432-184X}, doi = {10.1007/s00248-019- 01383-x}, pages = {123 -- 133}, language = {en} } @misc{PhillipsGuerraBartzetal., author = {Phillips, Helen R. P. and Guerra, Carlos A. and Bartz, Marie L. C. and Briones, Maria J. I. and Brown, George and Birkhofer, Klaus}, title = {Global distribution of earthworm diversity}, series = {Science}, volume = {Vol. 366}, journal = {Science}, number = {6464}, issn = {1095-9203}, doi = {10.1126/science.aax4851}, pages = {480 -- 485}, language = {en} } @misc{WannerBirkhoferPuppeetal., author = {Wanner, Manfred and Birkhofer, Klaus and Puppe, Daniel and Shimano, Satoshi D. and Shimizu, Miki}, title = {Tolerance of testate amoeba species to rising sea levels under laboratory conditions and in the South Pacific}, series = {Pedobiologia}, volume = {79}, journal = {Pedobiologia}, issn = {0031-4056}, pages = {8}, language = {en} } @misc{TschumiBirkhoferBlasiussonetal., author = {Tschumi, Matthias and Birkhofer, Klaus and Blasiusson, Sandra and J{\"o}rgensen, Martin and Smith, Henrik G. and Ekroos, Johan}, title = {Woody elements benefit bird diversity to a larger extent thansemi-natural grasslands in cereal-dominated landscapes}, series = {Basic and Applied Ecology}, volume = {46}, journal = {Basic and Applied Ecology}, issn = {1439-1791}, doi = {10.1016/j.baae.2020.03.005}, pages = {15 -- 23}, abstract = {Increasing landscape complexity can mitigate negative effects of agricultural intensification on biodiversity by offeringresources complementary to those provided in arablefields. In particular, grazed semi-natural grasslands and woody elementssupport farmland birds, but little is known about their relative effects on bird diversity and community composition. In addition,the relative importance of local habitat versus landscape composition remains unclear. We investigated how the presence ofsemi-natural grasslands, the number of woody elements and the composition of the wider agricultural landscape affect bird spe-cies richness, true diversity (exponential Shannon diversity) and species composition. Bird communities were surveyed fourtimes on 16 paired transects of 250 m each with 8 transects placed between a cropfield and a semi-natural grassland and 8transects between two cropfields with no semi-natural grasslands in the vicinity. The number of woody elements around trans-ects was selected as an important predictor in all models, having a positive effect on species richness and true diversity, whilethe local presence of semi-natural grasslands was not selected in the best models. However, species richness and true diversityincreased with increasing cover of ley and semi-natural grasslands, whereas species composition was modified by the coverageof winter wheat at the landscape scale. Furthermore, bird species richness, true diversity and species composition differedbetween sampling dates. As bird diversity benefited from woody elements, rather than from the local presence of semi-naturalgrasslands as such, it is important to maintain woody structures in farmland. However, the positive effect of grassland at thelandscape scale highlights the importance of habitat variability at multiple scales. Because species richness and true diversitywere affected by different landscape components compared to species composition, a mosaic of land-use types is needed toachieve multiple conservation goals across agricultural landscapes.}, language = {en} } @misc{TlusteBroeringNěmecetal., author = {Tluste, Claudia and Br{\"o}ring, Udo and Němec, Tom{\´a}š and Birkhofer, Klaus}, title = {Morphometric traits of shells determine utilization marks in the Roman Snail in eastern Germany}, series = {Web Ecology}, volume = {20}, journal = {Web Ecology}, number = {2}, issn = {1399-1183}, doi = {10.5194/we-20-87-2020}, pages = {87 -- 94}, abstract = {Overexploitation, habitat destruction and a changing climate threaten populations of the Roman snail(Helix pomatiaLinnaeus, 1758), which has led to a high protection status in Germany. Vertebrate and inver-tebrate predators, including parasites and facultative parasitoids, further cause pressure on populations. Giventhe conservation concern forH. pomatiaand its rarity in the study region (Cottbus, Germany), we studied howpredators and facultative parasitoids utilizeH. pomatiashells with a focus on non-invasive field methods. As pre-vious studies indicated that shell size may affect prey selection by predators, morphometric traits were measuredin eight subpopulations. We identified the total number and percentage ofH. pomatiashells that showed externalattack marks by predators and internal utilization marks by Diptera pupae and related those utilization patternsto the morphometric traits of shells. A large proportion of the shells in local subpopulations showed signs ofexternal attack and internal utilization, and both utilization forms were positively correlated. External attacks bypredators were more frequent in larger shells and internal utilization by Diptera was more common in shells withhigher body density. These results suggest a considerable pressure by predators and potential facultative para-sitoids onH. pomatiapopulations in the study area. Future research should focus on the relationship betweensnails from the family Helicidae and flies from the genusDiscomyza. Conservation programmes should considerabiotic habitat conditions together with potential trophic interactions to maximize the success of conservationstrategies}, language = {en} } @misc{SamwaysBartonBirkhoferetal., author = {Samways, Michael J. and Barton, Philip S. and Birkhofer, Klaus and Chichorro, Filipe and Deacon, Charl and Fartmann, Thomas and Fukushima, Caroline S.}, title = {Solutions for humanity on how to conserve insects}, series = {Biological Conservation}, volume = {242}, journal = {Biological Conservation}, issn = {0006-3207}, doi = {10.1016/j.biocon.2020.108427}, pages = {15}, abstract = {The fate of humans and insects intertwine, especially through the medium of plants. Global environmentalchange, including land transformation and contamination, is causing concerning insect diversity loss, articulatedin the companion reviewScientists'warning to humanity on insect extinctions. Yet, despite a sound philosophical foundation, recognized ethical values, and scientific evidence, globally we are performing poorly at instigatingeffective insect conservation. As insects are a major component of the tapestry of life, insect conservation woulddo well to integrate better with overall biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation. This also in-volves popularizing insects, especially through use of iconic species, through more media coverage, and moreinclusive education. Insect conservationists need to liaise better with decision makers, stakeholders, and landmanagers, especially at the conceptually familiar scale of the landscape. Enough evidence is now available, andsynthesized here, which illustrates that multiple strategies work at local levels towards saving insects. We nowneed to expand these locally-crafted strategies globally. Tangible actions include ensuring maintenance of bioticcomplexity, especially through improving temporal and spatial heterogeneity, functional connectivity, andmetapopulation dynamics, while maintaining unique habitats, across landscape mosaics, as well as instigatingbetter communication. Key is to have more expansive sustainable agriculture and forestry, improved regulationand prevention of environmental risks, and greater recognition of protected areas alongside agro-ecology innovel landscapes. Future-proofing insect diversity is now critical, with the benefits far reaching, includingcontinued provision of valuable ecosystem services and the conservation of a rich and impressive component ofEarth's biodiversity.}, language = {en} } @misc{AguileraRoslinMilleretal., author = {Aguilera, Guillermo and Roslin, Tomas and Miller, Kirsten and Tamburini, Giovanni and Birkhofer, Klaus and Caballero-Lopez, Berta and Lindstr{\"o}m, Sandra Ann-Marie and {\"O}ckinger, Erik and Rundl{\"o}f, Maj and Rusch, Adrien and Smith, Henrik G. and Bommarco, Riccardo}, title = {Crop diversity benefits carabid and pollinator communities in landscapes with semi-natural habitats}, series = {Journal of Applied Ecology}, volume = {57}, journal = {Journal of Applied Ecology}, number = {11}, issn = {1365-2664}, doi = {10.1111/1365-2664.13712}, pages = {2170 -- 2179}, abstract = {1.In agricultural landscapes, arthropods provide essential ecosystem services such as biological pest control and pollination. Intensified crop management practices and homogenization of landscapes have led to declines among such organisms. Semi-natural habitats, associated with high numbers of these organisms, are increasingly lost from agricultural landscapes but diversification by increasing crop diversity has been proposed as a way to reverse observed arthropod declines and thus restore ecosystem services. However, whether or not an increase in the diversity of crop types within a landscape promotes diversity and abundances of pollinating and predaceous arthropods, and how semi-natural habitats might modify this relationship, are not well understood. 2. To test how crop diversity and the proportion of semi-natural habitats within a landscape are related to the diversity and abundance of beneficial arthropod communities, we collected primary data from seven studies focusing on natural enemies (carabids and spiders) and pollinators (bees and hoverflies) from 154 crop fields in Southern Sweden between 2007 and 2017. 3. Crop diversity within a 1-km radius around each field was positively related to the Shannon diversity index of carabid and pollinator communities in landscapes rich in semi-natural habitats. Abundances were mainly affected by the proportion of semi-natural habitats in the landscape, with decreasing carabid and increasing pollinator numbers as the proportion of this habitat type increased. Spiders showed no response to either crop diversity or the proportion of semi-natural habitats. 4. Synthesis and applications. We show that the joint effort of preserving semi-natural habitats and promoting crop diversity in agricultural landscapes is necessary to enhance communities of natural enemies and pollinators. Our results suggest that increasing the diversity of crop types can contribute to the conservation of service-providing arthropod communities, particularly if the diversification of crops targets complex landscapes with a high proportion of semi-natural habitats.}, language = {en} } @misc{CardosoBartonBirkhoferetal., author = {Cardoso, Pedro and Barton, Philip S. and Birkhofer, Klaus and Chichorro, Filipe and Deacon, Charl and Fartmann, Thomas and Fukushima, Caroline S. and Gaigher, Ren{\´e} and Habel, Jan C.}, title = {Scientists' warning to humanity on insect extinctions}, series = {Biological Conservation}, journal = {Biological Conservation}, number = {242}, doi = {10.1016/j.biocon.2020.108426}, pages = {12}, abstract = {Here we build on the manifesto'World Scientists'Warning to Humanity, issued by the Alliance of WorldScientists. As a group of conservation biologists deeply concerned about the decline of insect populations, wehere review what we know about the drivers of insect extinctions, their consequences, and how extinctions cannegatively impact humanity.We are causing insect extinctions by driving habitat loss, degradation, and fragmentation, use of polluting andharmful substances, the spread of invasive species, global climate change, direct overexploitation, and co-ex-tinction of species dependent on other species.With insect extinctions, we lose much more than species. We lose abundance and biomass of insects, diversityacross space and time with consequent homogenization, large parts of the tree of life, unique ecological functionsand traits, and fundamental parts of extensive networks of biotic interactions. Such losses lead to the decline ofkey ecosystem services on which humanity depends. From pollination and decomposition, to being resources fornew 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 areavailable and implementable, but urgent action is needed now to match our intentions.}, language = {en} }