Scholarlink

<p>Insect declines are of global concern, yet no long-term ecological studies (LTER) have confirmed this trend on islands. This study utilises the first available LTER data on island arthropods, targeting epigeal and canopy species from the Azores Archipelago (Portugal), and covering over 20 years in three distinct sampling events from 30 standard sites. We investigate changes in abundance, biomass, and species richness within native forest arthropod communities, focusing on the proportions of endemic and introduced species, and temporal patterns among single-island endemics and forest-dependent endemics. Results reveal significant temporal variability, but overall abundance, biomass, and species richness remain stable across endemic and native non-endemic taxa. Among the species studied, 28% declined, 17% increased, and 55% showed no significant differences. Exotic invasions and related extinctions appear minimal. Forest-dependent endemic species declined below anticipated levels, suggesting that the extinction debt for these species may be less severe than initially expected. Nonetheless, some forest specialists have declined significantly, and seven species, not seen over 20 years, are considered to be extinct. The three-decade-long conservation of Azorean native forests may have contributed to the stability of some populations, thus these findings underscore the need for continued and enhanced conservation efforts of insular forest-associated diversity.</p>

错误：搜索内容不能为空，请输入英文关键词
错误：关键词超出字数限制，请精简
高级检索

Stability in the face of global decline: a 20-year study of arthropods in an oceanic archipelago

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

    开放获取

  • 发表日期：

    2026年6月17日

查看全文
  • Gabor Pozsgai,
  • Pedro Cardoso,
  • Simone Fattorini,
  • François Rigal,
  • Ana M. C. Santos,
  • Robert J. Whittaker,
  • Isabel R. Amorim,
  • Mário Boieiro,
  • Luís Borda-de-Água,
  • Ricardo Costa,
  • Luís Carlos Crespo,
  • Maria Teresa Ferreira,
  • Abrão Leite,
  • Sébastien Lhoumeau,
  • Jagoba Malumbres-Olarte,
  • Thomas J. Matthews,
  • Catarina Melo,
  • Guilherme Oyarzabal,
  • Fernando Pereira,
  • José A. Quartau,
  • Carla Rego,
  • Sérvio Ribeiro,
  • Alejandra Ros-Prieto,
  • Artur R. M. Serrano,
  • Kostas A. Triantis,
  • Rosalina Gabriel,
  • Paulo A. V. Borges

摘要

Insect declines are of global concern, yet no long-term ecological studies (LTER) have confirmed this trend on islands. This study utilises the first available LTER data on island arthropods, targeting epigeal and canopy species from the Azores Archipelago (Portugal), and covering over 20 years in three distinct sampling events from 30 standard sites. We investigate changes in abundance, biomass, and species richness within native forest arthropod communities, focusing on the proportions of endemic and introduced species, and temporal patterns among single-island endemics and forest-dependent endemics. Results reveal significant temporal variability, but overall abundance, biomass, and species richness remain stable across endemic and native non-endemic taxa. Among the species studied, 28% declined, 17% increased, and 55% showed no significant differences. Exotic invasions and related extinctions appear minimal. Forest-dependent endemic species declined below anticipated levels, suggesting that the extinction debt for these species may be less severe than initially expected. Nonetheless, some forest specialists have declined significantly, and seven species, not seen over 20 years, are considered to be extinct. The three-decade-long conservation of Azorean native forests may have contributed to the stability of some populations, thus these findings underscore the need for continued and enhanced conservation efforts of insular forest-associated diversity.