Department Systems Analysis, Integrated Assessment and Modelling
Analysing recent developments in abundance, biomass and species richness of aquatic and terrestrial insects
This project contributes to the Blue-Green Biodiversity Research Initiative – an Eawag-WSL collaboration focusing on Biodiversity at the interface of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems.
We study recent developments in insect abundance, biomass and species richness in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems of Switzerland. We analyse multi-year time series on terrestrial (RBA, 2000-2007) and aquatic (BDM, 2009-2018) insect data from the last 20 years. Ultimately and if time allows, we strive to interlink these results with population trends of insectivorous bird species dependent on aquatic or terrestrial habitats. The project will (1) provide important evidence on recent developments in aquatic and terrestrial insect abundance and richness in Switzerland, (2) establish the relationship with important environmental factors, and (3) provide important evidence-based information for decision and policy makers on the urgency of conservation measures for insect communities.
Publications:
Gebert F, Obrist MK, Siber R, Altermatt F, Bollmann K, Schuwirth N. 2022 Recent trends in stream macroinvertebrates: warm-adapted and pesticide-tolerant taxa increase in richness. Biol. Lett. 18: 20210513. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2021.0513
Gebert, F., Bollmann, K., Siber, R., & Schuwirth, N. (2022). Zeitliche Trends von Makroinvertebraten. Kantonale und nationale Monitoringdaten im Vergleich. Aqua & Gas, 102(10), 76-82. Institutional Repository
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Dr. Kurt Bollmann (WSL), Principal Investigator
Dr. Friederike Gebert (WSL/Eawag), Postdoc
Collaborators:
Dr. Martin Obrist (WSL)
Rosi Siber (Eawag)
Prof. Dr. Florian Altermatt (Eawag)