Decline in insect populations

Common card · No. 236886

Insects are the most numerous and widespread class in the animal kingdom, accounting for up to 90% of all animal species. In the 2010s, reports emerged about the widespread decline in populations across multiple insect orders. Most commonly, the declines involve reductions in abundance, though in some cases entire species are going extinct, with estimates of the number of insect species at risk of extinction ranging between 10% and 40%. The reported severity shocked many observers, even though there had been earlier findings of pollinator decline. An anecdotal manifestation of the decline in insect abundance in the 20th and 21st century is the windscreen phenomenon. Causes for the decline in insect population are similar to those driving other biodiversity loss. They include habitat destruction, such as intensive agriculture, the use of pesticides (particularly insecticides), introduced species, and the effects of climate change. An additional cause that may be specific to insects is...

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