This vermin rule the world. They are everywhere. They can live where very few animals or plants can be found. essential for biodiversity and they are considered one of the most evolutionarily successful living groups. There are scientists who claim that insects will become the new “kings” of the planet if mankind disappears. Researchers have calculated the weight of all terrestrial insects and related arthropods on the planet and why it is important to know. and watch for changes like this. His absence would be a disaster.
“Insects and other arthropods (arachnids, crustaceans, and polypods, among other groups) essential for terrestrial ecosystemsIt is the first sentence of the study conducted by scientists from the Weizmann Institute of Sciences in Israel.
Arthropods”ecosystem engineers pollinating our crops“, renew agricultural land And support numerous huntershighlighting the authors who directly or indirectly feed on them, “very important” for the environment and humanity. However, recent research has Significant decrease in the numbers of insects and other arthropods.
“Arthropods have been described as ‘the little things that rule the world’ because of the features they have. central role in multiple ecological processes. “We have to take these into account if we want to fully understand humanity’s impact on the planet and the possible consequences of climate change,” says Yuval Rosenberg, who led the study with Yinon M. Bar-On.
“Measuring arthropod populations provides a basis from which we can measure future changes in these communities and how these changes, in turn, might affect global processes,” adds Rosenberg.
a million species
Given the lack of data on the world population abundance of these invertebrate groups, more than one million speciesThe Israeli team synthesized thousands of assessments from nearly 500 sites around the world, from tropical rainforests to deserts, farmlands and subsoils, and estimated the absolute biomass and abundance of terrestrial arthropods in different taxa and habitats.
They guessed The total biomass or bulk weight of terrestrial arthropods is about 1 billion tons.roughly equal to the combined weight of all humans (about 400 million tons) and all livestock (about 600 million tons).
The study shows that Most of the biomass of terrestrial arthropods belongs to creatures living underground.including bowtails (very similar to insects) and mites, which are small animals vitally important to the rich ecology of the underworld.
For example, subterranean arthropods are responsible for processes that make soil fertile and affect the global carbon cycle. They feed on other organisms, maintaining the ecological balance. Researchers calculated that The number of individual arthropods living underground is about 10 trillion95% are mites and springtails.
Social insects living in colonies make up half the mass of subterranean arthropods: termites and ants make up 40 percent and 10 percent, respectively, of this category. when it comes surface arthropodsMost of its biomass is probably found in tropical forests and includes “familiar” arthropods such as butterflies, ants, beetles, grasshoppers and spiders.
Human and climatic conditions
“Species with many individuals or a large bulk weight will generally have a greater impact than rarer species,” he says. Therefore, measuring global arthropod mass “helps develop a more accurate and relevant perspective on various ecological processes and promotes a holistic and quantitative understanding of their role in global ecology,” he adds.
The study corrects the common impression that arthropod populations are endless and inexhaustible.. “Despite their wide distribution, this is not the case. Arthropods f occur.Strongly affected by human and climatic influencesThis makes our ecological systems vulnerable,” said study co-author Ron Milo.
Studies have revealed, for example, that: farmland has far fewer arthropods than forests and forests in the same climatic zone
The study authors emphasize that: The health of the planet’s ecological systems “largely” depends on the state of arthropod populations..
“They’re a huge force when it comes to regulating vegetation. Thousands of bird, reptile, and amphibian species depend on them for food, and ultimately, arthropods help break down and recycle dead plants and animals and their excrement.” Rosenberg.
All of these have enormous implications for humans as well. “Even a service that may seem trivial, for example crushing the scum not only fertilizes the soil but also prevents disease and pest outbreaks.. Therefore, the decline in arthropod populations around the world requires careful monitoring.”
“A broad, quantitative perspective can help us assess how[a decline in arthropod populations]can and will alter our ecological systems. affects our health, economy, agriculture and quality of life“, they insist.
Reference report: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.abq4049
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