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1000 results for “heaths”
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Burren National Park protects a small part of the karst landscape of the Burren, incl. mountains, bogs, heaths, grasslands, and forests. We liked hiking here = how did you like it? #BurrenNationalPark #Ireland https://backpackandsnorkel.com/Ireland/Day8/#583
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Burren National Park protects a small part of the karst landscape of the Burren, incl. mountains, bogs, heaths, grasslands, and forests. We liked hiking here = how did you like it? #BurrenNationalPark #Ireland https://backpackandsnorkel.com/Ireland/Day8/#583
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Burren National Park protects a small part of the karst landscape of the Burren, incl. mountains, bogs, heaths, grasslands, and forests. We liked hiking here = how did you like it? #BurrenNationalPark #Ireland https://backpackandsnorkel.com/Ireland/Day8/#583
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Allen & Heath’s Award-Winning Avantis Platform Expands With Solo | Allen & Heath https://www.allen-heath.com/allen-heaths-award-winning-avantis-expands-with-solo/ #livesoundengineer
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Possibly Southern Marsh-orchid gone over, edge of boggy bit of Hartland Moor NNR, #Purbeck Heaths
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#Werribee Tooting: I realise the outer west needs all the trees it can get, but I also feel like Heaths Road should have two lanes in both directions. OR we need a massive upgrade of Werribee's bus network, but that's just crazy talk.
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Just in: CityHub is reporting Canada Bay Council has backflipped and won't be removing the separated cycleway on Heath Street (Sydney). (Edit: the article appears to be incorrect)
> “The council plans to modify (not remove) the section of cycleway at Heath Street,” Canada Bay Council said in a statement.
I currently can't find this statement.
Bear in mind the council previously said they would "modify" the cycleway, when actually meaning they would remove it: https://jakecoppinger.com/2023/03/canada-bay-council-plans-to-remove-heath-st-cycleway-due-to-a-misleading-traffic-report/
#cityhub #sydney #canadabay #smh #nsw #betterstereets #heath #heathst #heathstreet #cycling #bicycles #auspol
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Just in: CityHub is reporting Canada Bay Council has backflipped and won't be removing the separated cycleway on Heath Street (Sydney). (Edit: the article appears to be incorrect)
> “The council plans to modify (not remove) the section of cycleway at Heath Street,” Canada Bay Council said in a statement.
I currently can't find this statement.
Bear in mind the council previously said they would "modify" the cycleway, when actually meaning they would remove it: https://jakecoppinger.com/2023/03/canada-bay-council-plans-to-remove-heath-st-cycleway-due-to-a-misleading-traffic-report/
#cityhub #sydney #canadabay #smh #nsw #betterstereets #heath #heathst #heathstreet #cycling #bicycles #auspol
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Just in: CityHub is reporting Canada Bay Council has backflipped and won't be removing the separated cycleway on Heath Street (Sydney). (Edit: the article appears to be incorrect)
> “The council plans to modify (not remove) the section of cycleway at Heath Street,” Canada Bay Council said in a statement.
I currently can't find this statement.
Bear in mind the council previously said they would "modify" the cycleway, when actually meaning they would remove it: https://jakecoppinger.com/2023/03/canada-bay-council-plans-to-remove-heath-st-cycleway-due-to-a-misleading-traffic-report/
#cityhub #sydney #canadabay #smh #nsw #betterstereets #heath #heathst #heathstreet #cycling #bicycles #auspol
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Just in: CityHub is reporting Canada Bay Council has backflipped and won't be removing the separated cycleway on Heath Street (Sydney). (Edit: the article appears to be incorrect)
> “The council plans to modify (not remove) the section of cycleway at Heath Street,” Canada Bay Council said in a statement.
I currently can't find this statement.
Bear in mind the council previously said they would "modify" the cycleway, when actually meaning they would remove it: https://jakecoppinger.com/2023/03/canada-bay-council-plans-to-remove-heath-st-cycleway-due-to-a-misleading-traffic-report/
#cityhub #sydney #canadabay #smh #nsw #betterstereets #heath #heathst #heathstreet #cycling #bicycles #auspol
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Just in: CityHub is reporting Canada Bay Council has backflipped and won't be removing the separated cycleway on Heath Street (Sydney). (Edit: the article appears to be incorrect)
> “The council plans to modify (not remove) the section of cycleway at Heath Street,” Canada Bay Council said in a statement.
I currently can't find this statement.
Bear in mind the council previously said they would "modify" the cycleway, when actually meaning they would remove it: https://jakecoppinger.com/2023/03/canada-bay-council-plans-to-remove-heath-st-cycleway-due-to-a-misleading-traffic-report/
#cityhub #sydney #canadabay #smh #nsw #betterstereets #heath #heathst #heathstreet #cycling #bicycles #auspol
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7/
Phyllodoce caerulea (blue heath or purple mountain heather) is a characteristic plant of many Low-Arctic and boreal regions but has an especially patchy distribution.Heaths full of this plant flowering can be often seen from distance due to its spectacular colours.
It has needle-like evergreen leaves and a woody stem. Part of the wide heather family.
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On June 22, 2023, a UK judge dismissed the case against #SizewellC, threatening a fragile heritage site.
From the TASC website: "#SizewellC and all its supporting infrastructure will devastate untold acres of the wildlife-rich Suffolk Coast and Heaths AONB and its SSSI, as well as irreparably damaging RSPB Minsmere. The area, a 30 mile radius around the site, will change from rural tranquillity to brutal #Industrialisation."
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Just uploaded a CC BY-NC 4.0 textured 3D model and pointcloud of the Heath Street cycleway that the Canada Bay Council is planning to remove.
https://files.jakecoppinger.com/heath-st-scan/heath-st-textured-model.zip
https://files.jakecoppinger.com/heath-st-scan/Heath-Street-georeferenced_model.laz
From my blog post: https://jakecoppinger.com/2023/03/canada-bay-council-plans-to-remove-heath-st-cycleway-due-to-a-misleading-traffic-report/
#heathstreet #betterstreets #opendata #obj #laz #pointcloud #creativecommons #canadabay #canadabaycouncil #sydney #blender #cloudcompare
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5/
There are ~28000 species of #Orchids globally but only very few in the #Arctic. Chamorchis alpina is one of those. The only species in its genus.It’s not as showy nor colourful as its many relatives, but it is always a pleasing find.
Occurs only on the calcareous heaths of Fennoscandia and #Alps. #Endangered here in #Finland.
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Insect decline in the Anthropocene: Death by a thousand cuts
Although conservation efforts have historically focused attention on protecting rare, charismatic, and endangered species, the “insect apocalypse” presents a different challenge. In addition to the loss of rare taxa, many reports mention sweeping declines of formerly abundant insects [e.g., Warren et al. (29)], raising concerns about ecosystem function.
#Insects 🪰🦋🪳🪲🐞🐛💌😻🌿 are the incredible engine room of the planet ensuring ecosystems work. They’re under siege by human-caused #climatechange #deforestation #pollution. Report via @PNASnews. #BoycottPalmOil 🌴⛔️ #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2022/06/23/insect-decline-in-the-anthropocene-death-by-a-thousand-cuts/
Share to BlueSky Share to TwitterThis report was originally published in PNAS
Insect decline in the Anthropocene: Death by a thousand cuts David L. Wagner, Eliza M. Grames, Matthew L. Forister, May R. Berenbaum, and David Stopak. January 11, 2021
118 (2) e2023989118 https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2023989118Nature is under siege
In the last 10,000 years the human population has grown from 1 million to 7.8 billion. Much of Earth’s arable lands are already in agriculture (1), millions of acres of tropical forest are cleared each year (2, 3), atmospheric CO2 levels are at their highest concentrations in more than 3 million y (4), and climates are erratically and steadily changing from pole to pole, triggering unprecedented droughts, fires, and floods across continents.
Indeed, most biologists agree that the world has entered its sixth mass extinction event, the first since the end of the Cretaceous Period 66 million y ago, when more than 80% of all species, including the nonavian dinosaurs, perished.
Ongoing losses have been clearly demonstrated for better-studied groups of organisms. Terrestrial vertebrate population sizes and ranges have contracted by one-third, and many mammals have experienced range declines of at least 80% over the last century (5).
A 2019 assessment suggests that half of all amphibians are imperiled (2.5% of which have recently gone extinct) (6). Bird numbers across North America have fallen by 2.9 billion since 1970 (7). Prospects for the world’s coral reefs, beyond the middle of this century, could scarcely be more dire (8). A 2020 United Nations report estimated that more than a million species are in danger of extinction over the next few decades (9), but also see the more bridled assessments in refs. 10 and 11.
Loss of Abundant Species
Insects comprise much of the animal biomass linking primary producers and consumers, as well as higher-level consumers in freshwater and terrestrial food webs. Situated at the nexus of many trophic links, many numerically abundant insects provide ecosystem services upon which humans depend: the pollination of fruits, vegetables, and nuts; the biological control of weeds, agricultural pests, disease vectors, and other organisms that compete with humans or threaten their quality of life; and the macrodecomposition of leaves and wood and removal of dung and carrion, which contribute to nutrient cycling, soil formation, and water purification. Clearly, severe insect declines can potentially have global ecological and economic consequences.
Insect diversity
- (A) Pennants (Libellulidae): Dragonflies are among the most familiar and popular insects, renowned for their appetite for mosquitoes.
- (B) Robber flies (Asilidae): These sit-and-wait predators often perch on twigs that allow them to ambush passing prey; accordingly they have enormous eyes.
- (C) Katydids (Tettigoniidae): This individual is one molt away from having wings long enough to fly (that also will be used to produce its mating song).
- (D) Bumble bees (Apidae): Important pollinators in temperate, montane, and subpolar regions especially of heaths (including blueberries and cranberries).
- (E) Wasp moths (Erebidae): Compelling mimics that are hyperdiverse in tropical forests; many are toxic and unpalatable to vertebrates.
- (F) Leafhoppers (Cicadellidae): A diverse family with 20,000 species, some of which are important plant pests; many communicate with each other by vibrating their messages through a shared substrate.
- (G) Cuckoo wasps (Chrysididae): Striking armored wasps that enter nests of other bees—virtually impermeable to stings—to lay their eggs in brood cells of a host bee.
- (H) Tortoise beetles (Chrysomelidae): Mostly tropical plant feeders; this larva is advertising its unpalatability with bold yellow, black, and cream colors.
- (I) Mantises (Mantidae): These voracious sit-and-wait predators have acute eyesight and rapid predatory strikes; prey are instantly impaled and held in place by the sharp foreleg spines.
- (J) Emerald moths (Geometridae): Diverse family of primarily forest insects; their caterpillars include the familiar inchworms.
- (K) Tiger beetles (Cicindelidae): “Tigers” use acute vision and long legs to run down their prey, which are dispatched with their huge jaws.
- (L) Planthoppers (Fulgoridae): Tropical family of splendid insects, whose snouts are curiously varied and, in a few lineages, account for half the body mass. Images credit: Michael Thomas (photographer).
The Stressors
Abundant evidence demonstrates that the principal stressors—land-use change (especially deforestation), climate change, agriculture, introduced species, nitrification, and pollution—underlying insect declines are those also affecting other organisms.
Locally and regionally, insects are challenged by additional stressors, such as insecticides, herbicides, urbanization, and light pollution. In areas of high human activity, where insect declines are most conspicuous, multiple stressors occur simultaneously.
Considerable uncertainty remains about the relative importance of these stressors, their interactions, and the temporal and spatial variations in their intensity. Hallmann et al. (13), in their review of the dramatic losses of flying insects from the Krefeld region, noted that no simple cause had emerged and that “weather, land use, and [changed] habitat characteristics cannot explain this overall decline…”
When asked about his group’s early findings of downward population trends in insects (12), Dirzo summed up his thinking by stating that the falling numbers were likely due to a
“multiplicity of factors, most likely with habitat destruction, deforestation, fragmentation, urbanization, and agricultural conversion being among the leading factors” (40). His assessment seems to capture the essence of the problem: Insects are suffering from “death by a thousand cuts” (Fig. 1).
Taking the domesticated honey bee as an example, its declines in the United States have been linked to (introduced) mites, viral infections, microsporidian parasites, poisoning by neonicotinoid and other pesticides, habitat loss, overuse of artificial foods to maintain hives, and inbreeding; and yet, after 14+ y of research it is still unclear which of these, a combination thereof, or as yet unidentified factors are most detrimental to bee health.
Death by a thousand cuts: Global threats to insect diversity. Stressors from 10 o’clock to 3 o’clock anchor to climate change.
Featured insects:
- Regal fritillary (Speyeria idalia) (Center)
- Rusty patched bumble bee (Bombus affinis) (Center Right)
- Puritan tiger beetle (Cicindela puritana) (Bottom).
Each is an imperiled insect that represents a larger lineage that includes many International Union for Conservation of Nature “red list” species (i.e., globally extinct, endangered, and threatened species). Illustration: Virginia R. Wagner (artist).
Here are some other ways you can help by using your wallet as a weapon and joining the #Boycott4Wildlife
Why join the #Boycott4Wildlife?
Greenwashing Tactic #4: Fake Labels
The Counterpunch: Consumer Solutions To Fight Extinction
Did you enjoy visiting this website?
Palm Oil Detectives is 100% self-funded
Palm Oil Detectives is completely self-funded by its creator. All hosting and website fees and investigations into brands are self-funded by the creator of this online movement. If you like what I am doing, you and would like me to help meet costs, please send Palm Oil Detectives a thanks on Ko-Fi.
Say thanks on Ko-FiPalm Oil Detectives is 100% self-funded
Palm Oil Detectives is completely self-funded by its creator. All hosting and website fees and investigations into brands are self-funded by the creator of this online movement. If you like what I am doing, you and would like me to help meet costs, please send Palm Oil Detectives a thanks on Ko-Fi.
Say thanks on Ko-Fi#animalBiodiversityNews #animalExtinction #anthropocene #boycott4wildlife #boycottpalmoil #climate #climateChange #climatechange #deforestation #extinct #extinction #industrialAgriculture #insects #meatAgriculture #meatDeforestation #pesticides #pollination #pollinator #pollution #tippingPoint #tippingpoint
-
Insect decline in the Anthropocene: Death by a thousand cuts
Although conservation efforts have historically focused attention on protecting rare, charismatic, and endangered species, the “insect apocalypse” presents a different challenge. In addition to the loss of rare taxa, many reports mention sweeping declines of formerly abundant insects [e.g., Warren et al. (29)], raising concerns about ecosystem function.
#Insects 🪰🦋🪳🪲🐞🐛💌😻🌿 are the incredible engine room of the planet ensuring ecosystems work. They’re under siege by human-caused #climatechange #deforestation #pollution. Report via @PNASnews. #BoycottPalmOil 🌴⛔️ #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2022/06/23/insect-decline-in-the-anthropocene-death-by-a-thousand-cuts/
Share to BlueSky Share to TwitterThis report was originally published in PNAS
Insect decline in the Anthropocene: Death by a thousand cuts David L. Wagner, Eliza M. Grames, Matthew L. Forister, May R. Berenbaum, and David Stopak. January 11, 2021
118 (2) e2023989118 https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2023989118Nature is under siege
In the last 10,000 years the human population has grown from 1 million to 7.8 billion. Much of Earth’s arable lands are already in agriculture (1), millions of acres of tropical forest are cleared each year (2, 3), atmospheric CO2 levels are at their highest concentrations in more than 3 million y (4), and climates are erratically and steadily changing from pole to pole, triggering unprecedented droughts, fires, and floods across continents.
Indeed, most biologists agree that the world has entered its sixth mass extinction event, the first since the end of the Cretaceous Period 66 million y ago, when more than 80% of all species, including the nonavian dinosaurs, perished.
Ongoing losses have been clearly demonstrated for better-studied groups of organisms. Terrestrial vertebrate population sizes and ranges have contracted by one-third, and many mammals have experienced range declines of at least 80% over the last century (5).
A 2019 assessment suggests that half of all amphibians are imperiled (2.5% of which have recently gone extinct) (6). Bird numbers across North America have fallen by 2.9 billion since 1970 (7). Prospects for the world’s coral reefs, beyond the middle of this century, could scarcely be more dire (8). A 2020 United Nations report estimated that more than a million species are in danger of extinction over the next few decades (9), but also see the more bridled assessments in refs. 10 and 11.
Loss of Abundant Species
Insects comprise much of the animal biomass linking primary producers and consumers, as well as higher-level consumers in freshwater and terrestrial food webs. Situated at the nexus of many trophic links, many numerically abundant insects provide ecosystem services upon which humans depend: the pollination of fruits, vegetables, and nuts; the biological control of weeds, agricultural pests, disease vectors, and other organisms that compete with humans or threaten their quality of life; and the macrodecomposition of leaves and wood and removal of dung and carrion, which contribute to nutrient cycling, soil formation, and water purification. Clearly, severe insect declines can potentially have global ecological and economic consequences.
Insect diversity
- (A) Pennants (Libellulidae): Dragonflies are among the most familiar and popular insects, renowned for their appetite for mosquitoes.
- (B) Robber flies (Asilidae): These sit-and-wait predators often perch on twigs that allow them to ambush passing prey; accordingly they have enormous eyes.
- (C) Katydids (Tettigoniidae): This individual is one molt away from having wings long enough to fly (that also will be used to produce its mating song).
- (D) Bumble bees (Apidae): Important pollinators in temperate, montane, and subpolar regions especially of heaths (including blueberries and cranberries).
- (E) Wasp moths (Erebidae): Compelling mimics that are hyperdiverse in tropical forests; many are toxic and unpalatable to vertebrates.
- (F) Leafhoppers (Cicadellidae): A diverse family with 20,000 species, some of which are important plant pests; many communicate with each other by vibrating their messages through a shared substrate.
- (G) Cuckoo wasps (Chrysididae): Striking armored wasps that enter nests of other bees—virtually impermeable to stings—to lay their eggs in brood cells of a host bee.
- (H) Tortoise beetles (Chrysomelidae): Mostly tropical plant feeders; this larva is advertising its unpalatability with bold yellow, black, and cream colors.
- (I) Mantises (Mantidae): These voracious sit-and-wait predators have acute eyesight and rapid predatory strikes; prey are instantly impaled and held in place by the sharp foreleg spines.
- (J) Emerald moths (Geometridae): Diverse family of primarily forest insects; their caterpillars include the familiar inchworms.
- (K) Tiger beetles (Cicindelidae): “Tigers” use acute vision and long legs to run down their prey, which are dispatched with their huge jaws.
- (L) Planthoppers (Fulgoridae): Tropical family of splendid insects, whose snouts are curiously varied and, in a few lineages, account for half the body mass. Images credit: Michael Thomas (photographer).
The Stressors
Abundant evidence demonstrates that the principal stressors—land-use change (especially deforestation), climate change, agriculture, introduced species, nitrification, and pollution—underlying insect declines are those also affecting other organisms.
Locally and regionally, insects are challenged by additional stressors, such as insecticides, herbicides, urbanization, and light pollution. In areas of high human activity, where insect declines are most conspicuous, multiple stressors occur simultaneously.
Considerable uncertainty remains about the relative importance of these stressors, their interactions, and the temporal and spatial variations in their intensity. Hallmann et al. (13), in their review of the dramatic losses of flying insects from the Krefeld region, noted that no simple cause had emerged and that “weather, land use, and [changed] habitat characteristics cannot explain this overall decline…”
When asked about his group’s early findings of downward population trends in insects (12), Dirzo summed up his thinking by stating that the falling numbers were likely due to a
“multiplicity of factors, most likely with habitat destruction, deforestation, fragmentation, urbanization, and agricultural conversion being among the leading factors” (40). His assessment seems to capture the essence of the problem: Insects are suffering from “death by a thousand cuts” (Fig. 1).
Taking the domesticated honey bee as an example, its declines in the United States have been linked to (introduced) mites, viral infections, microsporidian parasites, poisoning by neonicotinoid and other pesticides, habitat loss, overuse of artificial foods to maintain hives, and inbreeding; and yet, after 14+ y of research it is still unclear which of these, a combination thereof, or as yet unidentified factors are most detrimental to bee health.
Death by a thousand cuts: Global threats to insect diversity. Stressors from 10 o’clock to 3 o’clock anchor to climate change.
Featured insects:
- Regal fritillary (Speyeria idalia) (Center)
- Rusty patched bumble bee (Bombus affinis) (Center Right)
- Puritan tiger beetle (Cicindela puritana) (Bottom).
Each is an imperiled insect that represents a larger lineage that includes many International Union for Conservation of Nature “red list” species (i.e., globally extinct, endangered, and threatened species). Illustration: Virginia R. Wagner (artist).
Here are some other ways you can help by using your wallet as a weapon and joining the #Boycott4Wildlife
Why join the #Boycott4Wildlife?
Greenwashing Tactic #4: Fake Labels
The Counterpunch: Consumer Solutions To Fight Extinction
Did you enjoy visiting this website?
Palm Oil Detectives is 100% self-funded
Palm Oil Detectives is completely self-funded by its creator. All hosting and website fees and investigations into brands are self-funded by the creator of this online movement. If you like what I am doing, you and would like me to help meet costs, please send Palm Oil Detectives a thanks on Ko-Fi.
Say thanks on Ko-FiPalm Oil Detectives is 100% self-funded
Palm Oil Detectives is completely self-funded by its creator. All hosting and website fees and investigations into brands are self-funded by the creator of this online movement. If you like what I am doing, you and would like me to help meet costs, please send Palm Oil Detectives a thanks on Ko-Fi.
Say thanks on Ko-Fi#animalBiodiversityNews #animalExtinction #anthropocene #boycott4wildlife #boycottpalmoil #climate #climateChange #climatechange #deforestation #extinct #extinction #industrialAgriculture #insects #meatAgriculture #meatDeforestation #pesticides #pollination #pollinator #pollution #tippingPoint #tippingpoint
-
Insect decline in the Anthropocene: Death by a thousand cuts
Although conservation efforts have historically focused attention on protecting rare, charismatic, and endangered species, the “insect apocalypse” presents a different challenge. In addition to the loss of rare taxa, many reports mention sweeping declines of formerly abundant insects [e.g., Warren et al. (29)], raising concerns about ecosystem function.
#Insects 🪰🦋🪳🪲🐞🐛💌😻🌿 are the incredible engine room of the planet ensuring ecosystems work. They’re under siege by human-caused #climatechange #deforestation #pollution. Report via @PNASnews. #BoycottPalmOil 🌴⛔️ #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2022/06/23/insect-decline-in-the-anthropocene-death-by-a-thousand-cuts/
Share to BlueSky Share to TwitterThis report was originally published in PNAS
Insect decline in the Anthropocene: Death by a thousand cuts David L. Wagner, Eliza M. Grames, Matthew L. Forister, May R. Berenbaum, and David Stopak. January 11, 2021
118 (2) e2023989118 https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2023989118Nature is under siege
In the last 10,000 years the human population has grown from 1 million to 7.8 billion. Much of Earth’s arable lands are already in agriculture (1), millions of acres of tropical forest are cleared each year (2, 3), atmospheric CO2 levels are at their highest concentrations in more than 3 million y (4), and climates are erratically and steadily changing from pole to pole, triggering unprecedented droughts, fires, and floods across continents.
Indeed, most biologists agree that the world has entered its sixth mass extinction event, the first since the end of the Cretaceous Period 66 million y ago, when more than 80% of all species, including the nonavian dinosaurs, perished.
Ongoing losses have been clearly demonstrated for better-studied groups of organisms. Terrestrial vertebrate population sizes and ranges have contracted by one-third, and many mammals have experienced range declines of at least 80% over the last century (5).
A 2019 assessment suggests that half of all amphibians are imperiled (2.5% of which have recently gone extinct) (6). Bird numbers across North America have fallen by 2.9 billion since 1970 (7). Prospects for the world’s coral reefs, beyond the middle of this century, could scarcely be more dire (8). A 2020 United Nations report estimated that more than a million species are in danger of extinction over the next few decades (9), but also see the more bridled assessments in refs. 10 and 11.
Loss of Abundant Species
Insects comprise much of the animal biomass linking primary producers and consumers, as well as higher-level consumers in freshwater and terrestrial food webs. Situated at the nexus of many trophic links, many numerically abundant insects provide ecosystem services upon which humans depend: the pollination of fruits, vegetables, and nuts; the biological control of weeds, agricultural pests, disease vectors, and other organisms that compete with humans or threaten their quality of life; and the macrodecomposition of leaves and wood and removal of dung and carrion, which contribute to nutrient cycling, soil formation, and water purification. Clearly, severe insect declines can potentially have global ecological and economic consequences.
Insect diversity
- (A) Pennants (Libellulidae): Dragonflies are among the most familiar and popular insects, renowned for their appetite for mosquitoes.
- (B) Robber flies (Asilidae): These sit-and-wait predators often perch on twigs that allow them to ambush passing prey; accordingly they have enormous eyes.
- (C) Katydids (Tettigoniidae): This individual is one molt away from having wings long enough to fly (that also will be used to produce its mating song).
- (D) Bumble bees (Apidae): Important pollinators in temperate, montane, and subpolar regions especially of heaths (including blueberries and cranberries).
- (E) Wasp moths (Erebidae): Compelling mimics that are hyperdiverse in tropical forests; many are toxic and unpalatable to vertebrates.
- (F) Leafhoppers (Cicadellidae): A diverse family with 20,000 species, some of which are important plant pests; many communicate with each other by vibrating their messages through a shared substrate.
- (G) Cuckoo wasps (Chrysididae): Striking armored wasps that enter nests of other bees—virtually impermeable to stings—to lay their eggs in brood cells of a host bee.
- (H) Tortoise beetles (Chrysomelidae): Mostly tropical plant feeders; this larva is advertising its unpalatability with bold yellow, black, and cream colors.
- (I) Mantises (Mantidae): These voracious sit-and-wait predators have acute eyesight and rapid predatory strikes; prey are instantly impaled and held in place by the sharp foreleg spines.
- (J) Emerald moths (Geometridae): Diverse family of primarily forest insects; their caterpillars include the familiar inchworms.
- (K) Tiger beetles (Cicindelidae): “Tigers” use acute vision and long legs to run down their prey, which are dispatched with their huge jaws.
- (L) Planthoppers (Fulgoridae): Tropical family of splendid insects, whose snouts are curiously varied and, in a few lineages, account for half the body mass. Images credit: Michael Thomas (photographer).
The Stressors
Abundant evidence demonstrates that the principal stressors—land-use change (especially deforestation), climate change, agriculture, introduced species, nitrification, and pollution—underlying insect declines are those also affecting other organisms.
Locally and regionally, insects are challenged by additional stressors, such as insecticides, herbicides, urbanization, and light pollution. In areas of high human activity, where insect declines are most conspicuous, multiple stressors occur simultaneously.
Considerable uncertainty remains about the relative importance of these stressors, their interactions, and the temporal and spatial variations in their intensity. Hallmann et al. (13), in their review of the dramatic losses of flying insects from the Krefeld region, noted that no simple cause had emerged and that “weather, land use, and [changed] habitat characteristics cannot explain this overall decline…”
When asked about his group’s early findings of downward population trends in insects (12), Dirzo summed up his thinking by stating that the falling numbers were likely due to a
“multiplicity of factors, most likely with habitat destruction, deforestation, fragmentation, urbanization, and agricultural conversion being among the leading factors” (40). His assessment seems to capture the essence of the problem: Insects are suffering from “death by a thousand cuts” (Fig. 1).
Taking the domesticated honey bee as an example, its declines in the United States have been linked to (introduced) mites, viral infections, microsporidian parasites, poisoning by neonicotinoid and other pesticides, habitat loss, overuse of artificial foods to maintain hives, and inbreeding; and yet, after 14+ y of research it is still unclear which of these, a combination thereof, or as yet unidentified factors are most detrimental to bee health.
Death by a thousand cuts: Global threats to insect diversity. Stressors from 10 o’clock to 3 o’clock anchor to climate change.
Featured insects:
- Regal fritillary (Speyeria idalia) (Center)
- Rusty patched bumble bee (Bombus affinis) (Center Right)
- Puritan tiger beetle (Cicindela puritana) (Bottom).
Each is an imperiled insect that represents a larger lineage that includes many International Union for Conservation of Nature “red list” species (i.e., globally extinct, endangered, and threatened species). Illustration: Virginia R. Wagner (artist).
Here are some other ways you can help by using your wallet as a weapon and joining the #Boycott4Wildlife
Why join the #Boycott4Wildlife?
Greenwashing Tactic #4: Fake Labels
The Counterpunch: Consumer Solutions To Fight Extinction
Did you enjoy visiting this website?
Palm Oil Detectives is 100% self-funded
Palm Oil Detectives is completely self-funded by its creator. All hosting and website fees and investigations into brands are self-funded by the creator of this online movement. If you like what I am doing, you and would like me to help meet costs, please send Palm Oil Detectives a thanks on Ko-Fi.
Say thanks on Ko-FiPalm Oil Detectives is 100% self-funded
Palm Oil Detectives is completely self-funded by its creator. All hosting and website fees and investigations into brands are self-funded by the creator of this online movement. If you like what I am doing, you and would like me to help meet costs, please send Palm Oil Detectives a thanks on Ko-Fi.
Say thanks on Ko-Fi#animalBiodiversityNews #animalExtinction #anthropocene #boycott4wildlife #boycottpalmoil #climate #climateChange #climatechange #deforestation #extinct #extinction #industrialAgriculture #insects #meatAgriculture #meatDeforestation #pesticides #pollination #pollinator #pollution #tippingPoint #tippingpoint
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Insect decline in the Anthropocene: Death by a thousand cuts
Although conservation efforts have historically focused attention on protecting rare, charismatic, and endangered species, the “insect apocalypse” presents a different challenge. In addition to the loss of rare taxa, many reports mention sweeping declines of formerly abundant insects [e.g., Warren et al. (29)], raising concerns about ecosystem function.
#Insects 🪰🦋🪳🪲🐞🐛💌😻🌿 are the incredible engine room of the planet ensuring ecosystems work. They’re under siege by human-caused #climatechange #deforestation #pollution. Report via @PNASnews. #BoycottPalmOil 🌴⛔️ #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2022/06/23/insect-decline-in-the-anthropocene-death-by-a-thousand-cuts/
Share to BlueSky Share to TwitterThis report was originally published in PNAS
Insect decline in the Anthropocene: Death by a thousand cuts David L. Wagner, Eliza M. Grames, Matthew L. Forister, May R. Berenbaum, and David Stopak. January 11, 2021
118 (2) e2023989118 https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2023989118Nature is under siege
In the last 10,000 years the human population has grown from 1 million to 7.8 billion. Much of Earth’s arable lands are already in agriculture (1), millions of acres of tropical forest are cleared each year (2, 3), atmospheric CO2 levels are at their highest concentrations in more than 3 million y (4), and climates are erratically and steadily changing from pole to pole, triggering unprecedented droughts, fires, and floods across continents.
Indeed, most biologists agree that the world has entered its sixth mass extinction event, the first since the end of the Cretaceous Period 66 million y ago, when more than 80% of all species, including the nonavian dinosaurs, perished.
Ongoing losses have been clearly demonstrated for better-studied groups of organisms. Terrestrial vertebrate population sizes and ranges have contracted by one-third, and many mammals have experienced range declines of at least 80% over the last century (5).
A 2019 assessment suggests that half of all amphibians are imperiled (2.5% of which have recently gone extinct) (6). Bird numbers across North America have fallen by 2.9 billion since 1970 (7). Prospects for the world’s coral reefs, beyond the middle of this century, could scarcely be more dire (8). A 2020 United Nations report estimated that more than a million species are in danger of extinction over the next few decades (9), but also see the more bridled assessments in refs. 10 and 11.
Loss of Abundant Species
Insects comprise much of the animal biomass linking primary producers and consumers, as well as higher-level consumers in freshwater and terrestrial food webs. Situated at the nexus of many trophic links, many numerically abundant insects provide ecosystem services upon which humans depend: the pollination of fruits, vegetables, and nuts; the biological control of weeds, agricultural pests, disease vectors, and other organisms that compete with humans or threaten their quality of life; and the macrodecomposition of leaves and wood and removal of dung and carrion, which contribute to nutrient cycling, soil formation, and water purification. Clearly, severe insect declines can potentially have global ecological and economic consequences.
Insect diversity
- (A) Pennants (Libellulidae): Dragonflies are among the most familiar and popular insects, renowned for their appetite for mosquitoes.
- (B) Robber flies (Asilidae): These sit-and-wait predators often perch on twigs that allow them to ambush passing prey; accordingly they have enormous eyes.
- (C) Katydids (Tettigoniidae): This individual is one molt away from having wings long enough to fly (that also will be used to produce its mating song).
- (D) Bumble bees (Apidae): Important pollinators in temperate, montane, and subpolar regions especially of heaths (including blueberries and cranberries).
- (E) Wasp moths (Erebidae): Compelling mimics that are hyperdiverse in tropical forests; many are toxic and unpalatable to vertebrates.
- (F) Leafhoppers (Cicadellidae): A diverse family with 20,000 species, some of which are important plant pests; many communicate with each other by vibrating their messages through a shared substrate.
- (G) Cuckoo wasps (Chrysididae): Striking armored wasps that enter nests of other bees—virtually impermeable to stings—to lay their eggs in brood cells of a host bee.
- (H) Tortoise beetles (Chrysomelidae): Mostly tropical plant feeders; this larva is advertising its unpalatability with bold yellow, black, and cream colors.
- (I) Mantises (Mantidae): These voracious sit-and-wait predators have acute eyesight and rapid predatory strikes; prey are instantly impaled and held in place by the sharp foreleg spines.
- (J) Emerald moths (Geometridae): Diverse family of primarily forest insects; their caterpillars include the familiar inchworms.
- (K) Tiger beetles (Cicindelidae): “Tigers” use acute vision and long legs to run down their prey, which are dispatched with their huge jaws.
- (L) Planthoppers (Fulgoridae): Tropical family of splendid insects, whose snouts are curiously varied and, in a few lineages, account for half the body mass. Images credit: Michael Thomas (photographer).
The Stressors
Abundant evidence demonstrates that the principal stressors—land-use change (especially deforestation), climate change, agriculture, introduced species, nitrification, and pollution—underlying insect declines are those also affecting other organisms.
Locally and regionally, insects are challenged by additional stressors, such as insecticides, herbicides, urbanization, and light pollution. In areas of high human activity, where insect declines are most conspicuous, multiple stressors occur simultaneously.
Considerable uncertainty remains about the relative importance of these stressors, their interactions, and the temporal and spatial variations in their intensity. Hallmann et al. (13), in their review of the dramatic losses of flying insects from the Krefeld region, noted that no simple cause had emerged and that “weather, land use, and [changed] habitat characteristics cannot explain this overall decline…”
When asked about his group’s early findings of downward population trends in insects (12), Dirzo summed up his thinking by stating that the falling numbers were likely due to a
“multiplicity of factors, most likely with habitat destruction, deforestation, fragmentation, urbanization, and agricultural conversion being among the leading factors” (40). His assessment seems to capture the essence of the problem: Insects are suffering from “death by a thousand cuts” (Fig. 1).
Taking the domesticated honey bee as an example, its declines in the United States have been linked to (introduced) mites, viral infections, microsporidian parasites, poisoning by neonicotinoid and other pesticides, habitat loss, overuse of artificial foods to maintain hives, and inbreeding; and yet, after 14+ y of research it is still unclear which of these, a combination thereof, or as yet unidentified factors are most detrimental to bee health.
Death by a thousand cuts: Global threats to insect diversity. Stressors from 10 o’clock to 3 o’clock anchor to climate change.
Featured insects:
- Regal fritillary (Speyeria idalia) (Center)
- Rusty patched bumble bee (Bombus affinis) (Center Right)
- Puritan tiger beetle (Cicindela puritana) (Bottom).
Each is an imperiled insect that represents a larger lineage that includes many International Union for Conservation of Nature “red list” species (i.e., globally extinct, endangered, and threatened species). Illustration: Virginia R. Wagner (artist).
Here are some other ways you can help by using your wallet as a weapon and joining the #Boycott4Wildlife
Why join the #Boycott4Wildlife?
Greenwashing Tactic #4: Fake Labels
The Counterpunch: Consumer Solutions To Fight Extinction
Did you enjoy visiting this website?
Palm Oil Detectives is 100% self-funded
Palm Oil Detectives is completely self-funded by its creator. All hosting and website fees and investigations into brands are self-funded by the creator of this online movement. If you like what I am doing, you and would like me to help meet costs, please send Palm Oil Detectives a thanks on Ko-Fi.
Say thanks on Ko-FiPalm Oil Detectives is 100% self-funded
Palm Oil Detectives is completely self-funded by its creator. All hosting and website fees and investigations into brands are self-funded by the creator of this online movement. If you like what I am doing, you and would like me to help meet costs, please send Palm Oil Detectives a thanks on Ko-Fi.
Say thanks on Ko-Fi#animalBiodiversityNews #animalExtinction #anthropocene #boycott4wildlife #boycottpalmoil #climate #climateChange #climatechange #deforestation #extinct #extinction #industrialAgriculture #insects #meatAgriculture #meatDeforestation #pesticides #pollination #pollinator #pollution #tippingPoint #tippingpoint
-
Insect decline in the Anthropocene: Death by a thousand cuts
Although conservation efforts have historically focused attention on protecting rare, charismatic, and endangered species, the “insect apocalypse” presents a different challenge. In addition to the loss of rare taxa, many reports mention sweeping declines of formerly abundant insects [e.g., Warren et al. (29)], raising concerns about ecosystem function.
#Insects 🪰🦋🪳🪲🐞🐛💌😻🌿 are the incredible engine room of the planet ensuring ecosystems work. They’re under siege by human-caused #climatechange #deforestation #pollution. Report via @PNASnews. #BoycottPalmOil 🌴⛔️ #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2022/06/23/insect-decline-in-the-anthropocene-death-by-a-thousand-cuts/
Share to BlueSky Share to TwitterThis report was originally published in PNAS
Insect decline in the Anthropocene: Death by a thousand cuts David L. Wagner, Eliza M. Grames, Matthew L. Forister, May R. Berenbaum, and David Stopak. January 11, 2021
118 (2) e2023989118 https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2023989118Nature is under siege
In the last 10,000 years the human population has grown from 1 million to 7.8 billion. Much of Earth’s arable lands are already in agriculture (1), millions of acres of tropical forest are cleared each year (2, 3), atmospheric CO2 levels are at their highest concentrations in more than 3 million y (4), and climates are erratically and steadily changing from pole to pole, triggering unprecedented droughts, fires, and floods across continents.
Indeed, most biologists agree that the world has entered its sixth mass extinction event, the first since the end of the Cretaceous Period 66 million y ago, when more than 80% of all species, including the nonavian dinosaurs, perished.
Ongoing losses have been clearly demonstrated for better-studied groups of organisms. Terrestrial vertebrate population sizes and ranges have contracted by one-third, and many mammals have experienced range declines of at least 80% over the last century (5).
A 2019 assessment suggests that half of all amphibians are imperiled (2.5% of which have recently gone extinct) (6). Bird numbers across North America have fallen by 2.9 billion since 1970 (7). Prospects for the world’s coral reefs, beyond the middle of this century, could scarcely be more dire (8). A 2020 United Nations report estimated that more than a million species are in danger of extinction over the next few decades (9), but also see the more bridled assessments in refs. 10 and 11.
Loss of Abundant Species
Insects comprise much of the animal biomass linking primary producers and consumers, as well as higher-level consumers in freshwater and terrestrial food webs. Situated at the nexus of many trophic links, many numerically abundant insects provide ecosystem services upon which humans depend: the pollination of fruits, vegetables, and nuts; the biological control of weeds, agricultural pests, disease vectors, and other organisms that compete with humans or threaten their quality of life; and the macrodecomposition of leaves and wood and removal of dung and carrion, which contribute to nutrient cycling, soil formation, and water purification. Clearly, severe insect declines can potentially have global ecological and economic consequences.
Insect diversity
- (A) Pennants (Libellulidae): Dragonflies are among the most familiar and popular insects, renowned for their appetite for mosquitoes.
- (B) Robber flies (Asilidae): These sit-and-wait predators often perch on twigs that allow them to ambush passing prey; accordingly they have enormous eyes.
- (C) Katydids (Tettigoniidae): This individual is one molt away from having wings long enough to fly (that also will be used to produce its mating song).
- (D) Bumble bees (Apidae): Important pollinators in temperate, montane, and subpolar regions especially of heaths (including blueberries and cranberries).
- (E) Wasp moths (Erebidae): Compelling mimics that are hyperdiverse in tropical forests; many are toxic and unpalatable to vertebrates.
- (F) Leafhoppers (Cicadellidae): A diverse family with 20,000 species, some of which are important plant pests; many communicate with each other by vibrating their messages through a shared substrate.
- (G) Cuckoo wasps (Chrysididae): Striking armored wasps that enter nests of other bees—virtually impermeable to stings—to lay their eggs in brood cells of a host bee.
- (H) Tortoise beetles (Chrysomelidae): Mostly tropical plant feeders; this larva is advertising its unpalatability with bold yellow, black, and cream colors.
- (I) Mantises (Mantidae): These voracious sit-and-wait predators have acute eyesight and rapid predatory strikes; prey are instantly impaled and held in place by the sharp foreleg spines.
- (J) Emerald moths (Geometridae): Diverse family of primarily forest insects; their caterpillars include the familiar inchworms.
- (K) Tiger beetles (Cicindelidae): “Tigers” use acute vision and long legs to run down their prey, which are dispatched with their huge jaws.
- (L) Planthoppers (Fulgoridae): Tropical family of splendid insects, whose snouts are curiously varied and, in a few lineages, account for half the body mass. Images credit: Michael Thomas (photographer).
The Stressors
Abundant evidence demonstrates that the principal stressors—land-use change (especially deforestation), climate change, agriculture, introduced species, nitrification, and pollution—underlying insect declines are those also affecting other organisms.
Locally and regionally, insects are challenged by additional stressors, such as insecticides, herbicides, urbanization, and light pollution. In areas of high human activity, where insect declines are most conspicuous, multiple stressors occur simultaneously.
Considerable uncertainty remains about the relative importance of these stressors, their interactions, and the temporal and spatial variations in their intensity. Hallmann et al. (13), in their review of the dramatic losses of flying insects from the Krefeld region, noted that no simple cause had emerged and that “weather, land use, and [changed] habitat characteristics cannot explain this overall decline…”
When asked about his group’s early findings of downward population trends in insects (12), Dirzo summed up his thinking by stating that the falling numbers were likely due to a
“multiplicity of factors, most likely with habitat destruction, deforestation, fragmentation, urbanization, and agricultural conversion being among the leading factors” (40). His assessment seems to capture the essence of the problem: Insects are suffering from “death by a thousand cuts” (Fig. 1).
Taking the domesticated honey bee as an example, its declines in the United States have been linked to (introduced) mites, viral infections, microsporidian parasites, poisoning by neonicotinoid and other pesticides, habitat loss, overuse of artificial foods to maintain hives, and inbreeding; and yet, after 14+ y of research it is still unclear which of these, a combination thereof, or as yet unidentified factors are most detrimental to bee health.
Death by a thousand cuts: Global threats to insect diversity. Stressors from 10 o’clock to 3 o’clock anchor to climate change.
Featured insects:
- Regal fritillary (Speyeria idalia) (Center)
- Rusty patched bumble bee (Bombus affinis) (Center Right)
- Puritan tiger beetle (Cicindela puritana) (Bottom).
Each is an imperiled insect that represents a larger lineage that includes many International Union for Conservation of Nature “red list” species (i.e., globally extinct, endangered, and threatened species). Illustration: Virginia R. Wagner (artist).
Here are some other ways you can help by using your wallet as a weapon and joining the #Boycott4Wildlife
Why join the #Boycott4Wildlife?
Greenwashing Tactic #4: Fake Labels
The Counterpunch: Consumer Solutions To Fight Extinction
Did you enjoy visiting this website?
Palm Oil Detectives is 100% self-funded
Palm Oil Detectives is completely self-funded by its creator. All hosting and website fees and investigations into brands are self-funded by the creator of this online movement. If you like what I am doing, you and would like me to help meet costs, please send Palm Oil Detectives a thanks on Ko-Fi.
Say thanks on Ko-FiPalm Oil Detectives is 100% self-funded
Palm Oil Detectives is completely self-funded by its creator. All hosting and website fees and investigations into brands are self-funded by the creator of this online movement. If you like what I am doing, you and would like me to help meet costs, please send Palm Oil Detectives a thanks on Ko-Fi.
Say thanks on Ko-Fi#animalBiodiversityNews #animalExtinction #anthropocene #boycott4wildlife #boycottpalmoil #climate #climateChange #climatechange #deforestation #extinct #extinction #industrialAgriculture #insects #meatAgriculture #meatDeforestation #pesticides #pollination #pollinator #pollution #tippingPoint #tippingpoint
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I put a disclaimer of sorts on there that articles may not longer be accurate or follow best practices but, hey, I was young and often naïve. I plan to preserve format and will try to restore images and source as possible, but in the case of The #CodeProject it appears they're gone forever.
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Wow. This is a hit in the gut. I became a #MicrosoftMVP because of my work on that site and became an editor. I had several great discussions with Chris over those years and even met up with him at an MVP summit once.
RIP, #CodeProject. 😢
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@vbfox @khalidabuhakmeh an RFC is already approved and partly implemented that accomplishes some of this. We’re hoping it’s stabilized before we GA our first #AzureSDK for Rust crates.
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This may be enough for us to ditch our plans of using builders over ugly nested `..Default::default()` calls for nested client options in the #AzureSDK for rust. It wasn’t the only reason, but a significant one.
https://hachyderm.io/@ekuber/113369453953113824 -
Speaking of searching #gists, did you know there are qualifiers you can use on the web site?
https://docs.github.com/en/search-github/searching-on-github/searching-gists
Neither did I, despite hours of use per day on the main site, extensive use of gists, and pouring over (mostly API) docs.
Please upvote https://github.com/orgs/community/discussions/141808#discussion-7332741 to at least add a link to the docs like code search has on the main #GitHub web site.
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I added support to the #GitHubCLI to “search” gists - well, filter, technically, since there are no APIs to search gists. Also adds a new view when including gists’ content in the search much like code search.
Download https://github.com/cli/cli/releases/latest and run `gh gist list —help` for more information.
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@ann3nova My old #Gateway2000 was a rock-solid system! Now I miss it. 🥹
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We've been discussing internally and leaning toward transport-level mocking - fakes - like we do in our #AzureSDK for #golang: https://github.com/Azure/azure-sdk-for-go/blob/39d3aaa4b38dabada65b2683efc1d01e51e9bd30/sdk/resourcemanager/aad/armaad/fake/privateendpointconnections_server.go#L26
Basically, a struct which implements our `Policy` to be used as our transport in an already-pluggable pipeline and declares distinct `Arc<dyn Fn(..) -> impl Future<..>` fields that are mapped to endpoint calls.
Seems the most flexible and requires no change to the client API since we already support replacing the transport.
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@vcsjones What's in `main` now is unsupported and, for a time, at least, largely going away. We'll move that to a `legacy` branch and move `feature/track2` to `main` for supported source. We'll be generating from #TypeSpec, so as we migrate services over we'll generate more and more. It's still early so I don't have a timeline for GA, but anything people are using there now is already unsupported. Check out the `feature/track2` branch and our guidelines if interested: https://azure.github.io/azure-sdk/rust_introduction.html
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Would love feedback on mocking service clients for #AzureSDK for #rustlang: https://play.rust-lang.org/?version=stable&edition=2021&gist=12be3a45e8fccfa4f3ce06fd0744b6e1
Our current design requires pulling a trait into scope, and while rust-analyzer or other LSPs makes that easy not everything uses them: https://azure.github.io/azure-sdk/rust_introduction.html#rust-client-mocking
A colleague came up with a better way I prototyped above to better demo our current public API. The only caveat seems no worse than what we have now and should affect few developers, we believe.