Declines in insect numbers are largely driven by losses of more abundant species, find researchers

Researchers at iDiv looked at long-term trends of land-based insects, such as beetles, moths, and grasshoppers, and found that decreases in the number of the formerly most common species have contributed most to local insect declines. Common or abundant insect species are those species that are locally found in the highest numbers, but which species these are differ among locations. The study's findings, published in Nature, challenge the idea that changes in insect biodiversity result from rarer species disappearing.