Leading ecologist Daniel Janzen has recently expressed his profound alarm. He is dismayed by the incredible drop of insect populations in those protected forest areas he has tracked for years. After an accident left him bedridden for a month, Janzen realized he had spare time on his hands. So he turned his attention to the fascinating realm of insects. He has meticulously recorded shifts in dominant species over the years and witnessed a catastrophic collapse of insect populations, raising red flags about the health of ecosystems.
Those were Janzen’s observations in 1963, after just entering the forest. During the study period, the dry season was four months long. Today, that once manageable dry season has stretched to six long months, devastating the precious plant and animal life in this ecosystem. As he sits in the same spot where he conducted his light trap studies, he notes a troubling trend: flowers that once thrived are now failing to bloom.
A Long-Term Study of Ecosystem Changes
Since the 1960s, Janzen has used light traps to track insect activity. Hanging up a sheet, nearby he watches these creatures swarm towards the light. Every year he pulls out the same sheet and hangs the lights in the exact same location. This consistency lets him gather solid data on what’s happening with insect populations.
“It’s the same sheet, with the same lights, in the same place, looking over the same vegetation. Same time of year, same time of the moon cycle, everything about it is identical,” Janzen stated.
His light traps reveal a stark reality:
Hallwachs collaborative fieldwork has been indispensable in the field, lending beautiful and rich support to Janzen’s original work. Together, they have captured a very sad (but important) trend. The insect populations in what should be our last refuges are crashing faster than ever recorded. Their results indicate that those species which ordinarily hibernate for four months subterranean are now encountering exacerbated hardships. They’re having a difficult time living through another two months of extreme, dry weather survival.
These shifts in the ecosystem are far from just anecdotal. They’re wreaking havoc on our biodiversity. Albert David Wagner, another leading ecologist, hits close to home when he comments on the seriousness of the tragedy. He urges that if recent trends continue, we could see up to 50% of the tree of life gone forever. All of this could occur in less than one human lifetime.
The Impact of Climate Change
Wildlife biologist and co-author Eric Wagner admits that he has long believed the number of species in decline was too low. Now I’d even say that 2% is the low end, and we’re starting to see some of the places that are threatened by climate change or sprawl or industrialization or agriculture get up to as much as 5% decline per year.
Wagner’s assessment aligns with Janzen’s observations. The longer dry season has messed up the timing and synchronies that are critical to so many species’ lives. Janzen explains:
I think what it is, is it’s just a general disruption of all the little contextual cues and synchronies that would otherwise be out there.
The crux of these issues seems to be increasingly tied to water supply. Wagner points to this factor as a major cause impacting diverse ecosystems. He states:
The true killer – the cause that’s pulling the trigger – is water.
Wagner remains hopeful about the future despite the dire circumstances:
A Call for Action
“I’m an optimist, in the sense that I think we will build a sustainable future,” he said. He acknowledges the long road ahead:
It’s going to take 30 or 40 years, and by then, it’s going to be too late for a lot of the creatures that I love.
Janzen expresses this feeling as he reflects on his legacy. He writes with the goal of documenting the last days of so many animals that have gone extinct because of climate change.
So he made a vow, and he says he intends to spend his last 10 years well. His aim now is to document the last days of most of these animals.
These ecologists are absolutely committed to their critical work. They implore humanity to recognize just how irreplaceable insects truly are in maintaining the earth’s ecosystems. Greater awareness and more proactive efforts may be key to turning these alarming trends around before it’s too late.
As these ecologists continue their important work, they urge society to recognize the crucial role insects play in maintaining healthy ecosystems. Increased awareness and proactive measures could be vital in reversing current trends before it is too late.