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INHS Seminar - Leafhopper biodiversity of the Mexican Tropical Dry Forest: Evidence of declines over 70 years

Event Type
Seminar/Symposium
Sponsor
Illinois Natural History Survey Seminar Committee
Virtual
wifi event
Date
Feb 15, 2022   4:00 pm  
Speaker
Dr. J. Adilson Pinedo-Escatel, Postdoctoral Research Associate, Illinois Natural History Survey
Contact
Chris Dietrich
E-Mail
chdietri@illinois.edu
Views
182
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Tropical forests cover 7% of earth's surface but harbor 50% of known terrestrial arthropod species. Recent data on insect declines in northern countries have suggested an ongoing insect apocalypse with substantial declines in insect biomass and diversity. Comparable data for tropical insect faunas are scarce. To understand the possible effects of deforestation, livestock, and agriculture on insect biodiversity, a survey of historic collecting localities was conducted to determine whether species documented in the Mexican dry forests during the 1920s to 1940s were still present. Data showed a strong trend in species decline and loss over seven decades. All places surveyed are disturbed and reduced by modern anthropogenic processes. Mexico harbors large numbers of endemic taxa with many of these inhabiting the dry forest due to their association with plants endemic to this ecosystem

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