Bug problem

This topic has 8 replies, 6 voices, and was last updated 5 years, 5 months ago by nittany ram.

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April 8, 2019 at 11:38 am #99755

wv
Participant

bugs:https://truthout.org/articles/the-insect-apocalypse-is-coming-here-are-five-lessons-we-must-learn/

The Insect Apocalypse Is Coming: Here Are Five Lessons We Must Learn

“…The report, released by researchers at the Universities of Sydney and Queensland and the China Academy of Agricultural Sciences, concluded that 40 percent of insect species are now threatened with extinction, and the world’s insect biomass is declining at 2.5 percent a year. In 50 years, the current biomass of insects could be cut in half…

…bird species rely upon insects as a primary food source, and birds consume up to 500 million tons of insects every year. Moreover, it is estimated that 80 to 90 percent of wild plants depend upon insects for pollination. And while some insects feed off domesticated crops, other insects help to keep pest populations under control…

…in order of importance: 1) habitat loss attributable to agriculture and urbanization; 2) pollution, mainly caused by pesticides and fertilizers and; 3) the introduction of invasive species. Climate change, which many believe is the largest driver of ecological ruin, ranked only fourth as a driver of insect decline…

April 8, 2019 at 4:10 pm #99759
nittany ram
Moderator
Actually, that study that article is based on has come under some criticism.

First of all, it was a review of only 73 studies. That’s not a lot when looking at ‘global’ insect populations. Secondly, most of the studies they looked at came from Europe and the US. Here again, it doesn’t tell us much about global populations.

The biggest problem is that the research focused only on exploring the already declining insect populations. It did not include the studies showing stable and growing populations. So, if you were studying the survival of the human species but limited your data to people with end stage kidney disease, it would lead you to the conclusion that humanity would be extinct in the next 5 years.

Here’s more…

Link: https://www.science20.com/robert_walker/not_headed_for_world_without_insects_insect_decline_survey_is_patchy_limited-236586
- This reply was modified 5 years, 5 months ago by nittany ram.
- This reply was modified 5 years, 5 months ago by nittany ram.
April 8, 2019 at 6:04 pm #99764

zn
Moderator

nittany ram wrote:

Actually, that study that article is based on has come under some criticism.

First of all, it was a review of only 73 studies. That’s not a lot when looking at ‘global’ insect populations. Secondly, most of the studies they looked at came from Europe and the US. Here again, it doesn’t tell us much about global populations.

The biggest problem is that the research focused only on exploring the already declining insect populations. It did not include the studies showing stable and growing populations.

Not sure what you have against insects.

I know some are icky but insects are people too. Show them more respect.

April 9, 2019 at 12:49 am #99770

Zooey
Moderator

It’s not true in any event.

Senator Inhofe brought a sack of grasshoppers into the Senate just last week.

April 9, 2019 at 6:56 am #99771
nittany ram
Moderator
zn wrote:

Not sure what you have against insects.

I know some are icky but insects are people too. Show them more respect.

I have nothing against them; I’m just tired of enabling them.

It’s about time they learned to stand on their own six feet.
- This reply was modified 5 years, 5 months ago by nittany ram.
April 9, 2019 at 8:21 am #99773

Billy_T
Participant

I hate to be a pest and all. But this thread is rilly, rilly bugging me!!

April 9, 2019 at 10:46 am #99778

JackPMiller
Participant

April 9, 2019 at 7:53 pm #99783

wv
Participant

The largest insects in the history of this planet (as far as we know) were dragon-flies and griffin-flies.
27 inch wingspans.

Frankly I was a bit disappointed to read that. I figured there had been insects as big as houses.

Evolution has failed me, once again.

“…The largest insect fossils ever found are griffinflies and giant dragonflies, says Matthew Clapham, a paleobiologist at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Subtle anatomical differences separated the two groups.

With wingspans that could reach 27 inches, the largest known insects of all time are griffinflies from the genus Meganeuropsis, Clapham says via email. The largest of their fossils were found in France and Kansas and were 300 million to 280 million years old. By comparison, modern dragonfly wingspans top out at about eight inches…”
bugs:https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/10/animal-science-insects-biggest-moth-weta-butterfly/

w
v

April 9, 2019 at 8:59 pm #99787

nittany ram
Moderator

Well, there was an 8ft long centipede/millipede relative that lived 300 million years ago named Arthropleura…

Link: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthropleura
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