以昆虫作为指示生物评估森林健康的生物学与生态学基础

昆虫是森林生物多样性的重要组成部分,在森林生态系统主体群落中,昆虫与植物密切关联.森林害虫胁迫及昆虫多样性变动,对于评估森林生态系统健康状况具有重要价值.昆虫多样性可用于对森林生态系统健康的快速评估,如基于昆虫指示生物评价森林生态系统的毒害水平、物种丰富度、多样性水平、靶标昆虫的地位和特有种水平等.针对影响森林环境健康的重要干扰因子,本文阐述了应用昆虫作为指示性生物监测与评估森林健康状况的生物与生态学依据,讨论了昆虫种群,特别是珍稀物种种群在生境破碎干扰下的种群波动,以及大气污染、干旱和二氧化碳浓度升高等对昆虫种群密度与分布的影响等.同时,分析了昆虫作为指示性生物监测与评估森林环境健康所存在的问题.     

Slippery or sticky? Functional diversity in the trapping strategy of Nepenthes carnivorous plants

The pitcher-shaped leaves of Nepenthes carnivorous plants have been considered as pitfall traps that essentially rely on slippery surfaces to capture insects. But a recent study of Nepenthes rafflesiana has shown that the viscoelasticity of the digestive fluid inside the pitchers plays a key role. Here, we investigated whether Nepenthes species exhibit diverse trapping strategies. We measured the amount of slippery wax on the pitcher walls of 23 taxa and the viscoelasticity of their digestive liquid and compared their retention efficiency on ants and flies. The amount of wax was shown to vary greatly between species. Most mountain species exhibited viscoelastic digestive fluids while water-like fluids were predominant in lowland species. Both characteristics contributed to insect trapping but wax was more efficient at trapping ants while viscoelasticity was key in trapping insects and was even more efficient than wax on flies. Trap waxiness and fluid viscoelasticity were inversely related, suggesting the possibility of an investment trade-off for the plants. Therefore Nepenthes pitcher plants do not solely employ slippery devices to trap insects but often employ a viscoelastic strategy. The entomofauna specific to the plant's habitat may exert selective pressures, favouring one trapping strategy at the expense of the other.     

Establishing arthropod community composition using metabarcoding: Surprising inconsistencies between soil samples and preservative ethanol and homogenate from Malaise trap catches

DNA metabarcoding allows the analysis of insect communities faster and more efficiently than ever before. However, metabarcoding can be conducted through several approaches, and the consistency of results across methods has rarely been studied. We compare the results obtained by DNA metabarcoding of the same communities using two different markers – COI and 16S – and three different sampling methods: (a) homogenized Malaise trap samples (homogenate), (b) preservative ethanol from the same samples, and (c) soil samples. Our results indicate that COI and 16S offer partly complementary information on Malaise trap samples, with each marker detecting a significant number of species not detected by the other. Different sampling methods offer highly divergent estimates of community composition. The community recovered from preservative ethanol of Malaise trap samples is significantly different from that recovered from homogenate. Small and weakly sclerotized insects tend to be overrepresented in ethanol while strong and large taxa are overrepresented in homogenate. For soil samples, highly degenerate COI primers pick up large amounts of nontarget DNA and only 16S provides adequate analyses of insect diversity. However, even with 16S, very little overlap in molecular operational taxonomic unit (MOTU) content was found between the trap and the soil samples. Our results demonstrate that none of the tested sampling approaches is satisfactory on its own. For instance, DNA extraction from preservative ethanol is not a valid replacement for destructive bulk extraction but a complement. In future metabarcoding studies, both should ideally be used together to achieve comprehensive representation of the target community.     

The effect of local land use and loss of forests on bats and nocturnal insects

Land‐use intensification at local and landscape level poses a serious threat to biodiversity and affects species interactions and ecosystem function. It is thus important to understand how interrelated taxa respond to land‐use intensification and to consider the importance of different spatial scales. We investigated whether and how local land‐use intensity and landscape features affect the predator–prey interaction of bats and insects. Bats and nocturnal insects were assessed on 50 grassland sites in the Schorfheide‐Chorin. We analyzed the effect of local land use and distance to forested areas as a proxy for site accessibility on bats and insects and their biological interaction measured in bat's feeding activity. Insect abundance increased with higher land‐use intensity, while size and diversity of insects decreased. In contrast, bat activity, diversity, and species composition were determined by the distance to forested areas and only slightly by land‐use intensity. Feeding attempts of bats increased with higher insect abundance and diversity but decreased with insect size and distance to forested areas. Finally, our results revealed that near forested areas, the number of feeding attempts was much lower on grassland sites with high, compared to those with low land‐use intensity. In contrast, far from forests, the feeding attempts did not differ significantly between intensively and extensively managed grassland sites. We conclude that the two interrelated taxa, bats and insects, respond to land‐use intensification on very different scales. While insects respond to local land use, bats are rather influenced by surrounding landscape matrix. Hereby, proximity to forests reveals to be a prerequisite for higher bat species diversity and a higher rate of feeding attempts within the area. However, proximity to forest is not sufficient to compensate local high land‐use intensity. Thus, local land‐use intensification in combination with a loss of forest remnants weakens the interaction of bats and insects.     

湖北神农架自然保护区昆虫的数量变化与环境关系的初步研究

昆虫物种多样性在生物多样性保护研究中有重要地位。湖北神农架自然保护区生物多样性极其丰富,保存状态相对良好,是我国生物多样性研究的关键地区之一。然而该地区的昆虫多样性研究极为薄弱,就是一般的物种调查也为数不多,所以调查主要昆虫类群的组成与数量变化,能为本区的生物多样性研究积累资料,并为长期监测打下基础。我们选择暖温带针叶林、落叶阔叶林、针阔叶混交林、亚高山草甸、箭竹林及溪边灌丛6种不同环境,以23块样地为代表,以巴氏罐诱法为主,结合网筛、扫网等方法,进行全面的标本采集与数据收集。经初步整理鉴定和数据分析,得到如下结果：（1）共获得标本58 368号,昆虫标本46 213号,其中膜翅目和鞘翅目数量较多,其次为半翅目、同翅目、双翅目、直翅目及脉翅目等。此外,环节动物、软体动物、多足纲及蛛形纲动物也有相当数量。在膜翅目中,个体数量最多的是蚂蚁（蚁科）;在鞘翅目中个体数量较多的类群依次是隐翅虫科、步甲科和叶甲科。（2）昆虫分布与环境的关系非常密切：仅从较高分类阶元来看,如昆虫纲的鞘翅目、双翅目、直翅目、膜翅目等,不同环境对昆虫数量分布的影响并不显著;而从相对低的分类阶元来看,如统计鞘翅目中步甲科、隐翅虫科等,则可以显示不同环境对昆虫数量分布的显著影响。（3）在一些特殊地点,发现若干比较特殊的昆虫物种,这表明神农架地区在昆虫物种保护上具有特殊地位。     

中国昆虫生态学研究的透视

<正> 昆虫生态学在我国是通过几十年来密切结合农、林、牧实际,解决生产中不断提出的重大问题而发展起来的。随着研究问题不断深入,交叉学科不断渗透,使昆虫生态学在生物学宏观领域中成为迅速发展的一门学科。现将7个主要领域研究的动态加以评述。     

A comparison of two common flight interception traps to survey tropical arthropods

Tropical forests are predicted to harbor most of the insect diversity on earth, but few studies have been conducted to characterize insect communities in tropical forests. One major limitation is the lack of consensus on methods for insect collection. Deciding which insect trap to use is an important consideration for ecologists and entomologists, yet to date few study has presented a quantitative comparison of the results generated by standardized methods in tropical insect communities. Here, we investigate the relative performance of two flight interception traps, the windowpane trap, and the more widely used malaise trap, across a broad gradient of lowland forest types in French Guiana. The windowpane trap consistently collected significantly more Coleoptera and Blattaria than the malaise trap, which proved most effective for Diptera, Hymenoptera, and Hemiptera. Orthoptera and Lepidoptera were not well represented using either trap, suggesting the need for additional methods such as bait traps and light traps. Our results of contrasting trap performance among insect orders underscore the need for complementary trapping strategies using multiple methods for community surveys in tropical forests.     

A poor international standard for trap selectivity threatens carnivore conservation

Unintentional mortality of endangered carnivores due to non-selective trapping is important for conservation and warrants urgent attention. Currently, non-selective traps are being approved and used based on trap selectivity tests conducted according to International Organization for Standardization (ISO) guidelines. We review these guidelines and find them inadequate, because: (1) the ISO definition of selectivity does not account for relative abundance of target and non-target species and does not therefore meaningfully reflect selectivity; (2) the guidelines methodology at best quantifies relative selectivity of one trap against another, which is of limited use unless the control trap is known to have an acceptable level of absolute selectivity for the target species; (3) information on relative trap selectivity cannot simply be extrapolated elsewhere, unless species assemblage and relative species abundances are consistent. We demonstrate that the ISO definition of trap selectivity is only a simple capture proportion and therefore does not represent trap selectivity. ISO guidelines on trap selectivity should be reviewed to reflect particular ecological scenarios and we suggest how this might be done. Policy-makers, practitioners and researchers should interpret scientific results more cautiously. Trap approval decisions should be based on scientific evidence to avoid undermining the conservation of biodiversity.     

Insect infestation of stored oats in Florida and field evaluation of a device for counting insects electronically

Automated methods of monitoring stored grain for insect pests will contribute to early detection and aid in management of pest problems. An insect population infesting stored oats at a seed processing plant in north-central Florida was studied to test a device for counting insects electronically (Electronic Grain Probe Insect Counter, EGPIC), and to characterize the storage environment. The device counts insects as they fall through an infrared beam incorporated into a modified grain probe (pitfall) trap and transmits the counts to a computer for accumulation and storage. Eight traps were inserted into the surface of the grain bulk, and the insects trapped were identified and counted manually at weekly intervals. Grain temperature and moisture content also were recorded for each trap location. Manual and automatic counts were compared to estimate error in the EGPIC system. Both over- and undercounting occurred, and errors ranged from -79.4 to 82.4%. The mean absolute value of error (+/- SE) was 31.7% (+/- 4.3). At least 31 species, or higher taxa, were detected, but the psocid Liposcelis entomophila (Enderlein) and the foreign grain beetle, Ahasverus advena (Waltl), accounted for 88% of the captured insects. Species diversity, phenology, and spatial distribution are presented, as well as temporal and spatial distribution of grain temperature and moisture content. The data sets generated will find application in population modeling and development of integrated pest management systems for stored grain.     

喀斯特高原山区灌丛草地昆虫群落多样性研究

为探讨喀斯特高原山区灌丛草地昆虫群落多样性.本研究于2018年9月-2019年8月使用"Z"字样方网捕法、陷阱法、黄盘诱集法三种相结合的方法对贵州省大方县星宿乡崔苏坝灌丛草地进行昆虫群落多样性的调查,采用单因素分析、线性回归分析、相关性分析探讨了灌丛草地昆虫群落多样性.本研究共获昆虫标本12481号,隶属8目77科,其中蚁科和蚊科为优势类群,分别占总个体数的35.045％和24.950％;从4个功能群昆虫个体数来看,其中杂食性功能群昆虫个体数量最大,占所有功能群昆虫总个体数的60.365％.研究区喀斯特灌丛草地昆虫群落多样性指数消长随着季节的更替而发生变化,其中昆虫物种数与丰富度的最高值和最低值分别出现在8月和1月;个体数最高值和最低值分别出现在5月和1月;均匀度最高值和最低值分别出现在11月和1月;多样性指数最高值与最低值分别出现在6月和1月;而优势度的最高值与最低值出现情况则与多样性指数相反;功能群昆虫中除植食性昆虫的最高值与最低值分别出现在5月和1月外,其余3个昆虫功能群的消长情况与昆虫群落多样性消长情况基本一致.相关性分析结果表明,喀斯特高原山区灌丛草地的环境因子与昆虫群落多样性均有一定的相关性,其中土壤温度、空气温度、植被物种数与之呈极显著正相关关系(P＜0.01).     

上海地区葡萄种植园昆虫种群调查

葡萄是上海地区重要的经济水果,为探明上海葡萄种植园中昆虫种群组成,本研究在2017-2018年间,通过搜捕法、马氏网诱集法和黄色粘纸诱集法,对上海市嘉定区、奉贤区、青浦区、浦东新区、崇明岛进行了昆虫种群调查,共采集并鉴定昆虫7目65科123属182种,明确了上海地区葡萄种植园内主要害虫、天敌昆虫及环境昆虫的种类,并对上海葡萄园的昆虫种群结构和多样性进行了分析。     

Lianas as a food resource for herbivorous insects: a comparison with trees

Woody climbers or, ‘lianas’, are one of the features that characterise rainforests. They contribute substantially to plant diversity and leaf biomass which makes them a potentially important food source for herbivores. Here, we focus on insect herbivores, folivores in particular, to show how disparities in the quantitative and qualitative availability of leaves between lianas and trees may differentially influence insect folivory and the herbivore communities themselves. We develop a conceptual model and show that lianas in general have lower structural and chemical defences, a greater nutritional profile and a preferable phenology in comparison with trees, which, contrary to our expectations, has led to assemblages of more‐specialised insects. The impacts this has on higher trophic levels and broader ecological networks, however, are poorly known. We show through a study of four tropical floras from different biogeographic realms that lianas are likely to be a target for a wide range of insect herbivore taxa as they are a phylogenetically diverse group and increase diversity of higher taxa at local scales. This, in combination with their highly palatable leaves, may also make them a suitable temporary food source for insects during times when preferred host plants are scarce. This phenomenon has been observed in mammalian herbivores but awaits investigation in insects as does the effects this may have on survival and fitness. Apparent recent increases in liana abundances in some forests, likely due to climate change, makes understanding their role in supporting and maintaining biodiversity an increasingly important and necessary challenge. Since trees or saplings have usually been the subject of studies on insect herbivory, major knowledge gaps remain about the ways in which lianas contribute to, support and maintain the ecosystems in which they exist. We use our conceptual model to guide future research directions and express the necessity for caution when extrapolating explanations of herbivory derived from data on trees to growth forms with fundamentally different ecologies.     

贵州玉米田害虫绿色灯光防控技术研究

为探明贵州玉米田昆虫群落结构和杀虫灯对害虫的防治效果,选取贵州玉米田3个具有代表性的点分别安装诱虫灯,进行诱集调查,并对近灯区（距离灯20 m以内）、远灯区（距离灯20~150 m）和对照区的昆虫种群消长情况进行田间调查。结果表明,贵州玉米田昆虫共有11目66科132种,主要为同翅目、鞘翅目、鳞翅目、膜翅目、直翅目、双翅目和半翅目类昆虫;灯诱共获得89个种类,其中害虫占64.77%,益虫占15.91%,中性昆虫占19.32%。田间调查结果显示,近灯区物种丰富度最高,对照区次之,远灯区最低;近灯区玉米螟Ostrinia furnacalis、黏虫Mythimna seperata (Walker)、灰飞虱Laodelphax striatellus和条赤须盲蝽Trigonotylus coelestialium (Kirkaldy)等趋光性昆虫的种群数量长期高于其他区域。综上所述,风吸式诱虫灯对玉米田害虫有较好的防治效果,为玉米田害虫的绿色防控提供了参考。     

中国半翅目昆虫多样性和地理分布数据集

全球生物多样性逐渐丧失已成为最严重的环境问题之一, 探究各地生物多样性资源及形成机制是生态学和生物地理学领域关注的重要科学问题。生物多样性数据的整合和共享可以为相关研究的开展提供科学依据。昆虫是地球上多样性最高的生物类群, 但是由于目前关于昆虫多样性数据的整理不足, 相关研究较为缺乏。为了促进昆虫类群的多样性数据整理和共享工作的发展, 本研究选取昆虫纲中重要且多样的半翅目作为对象, 通过广泛的数据检索和收集, 系统整理了截至2017年已发表的中国半翅目昆虫的多样性及地理分布信息。数据集中共收集了102科2,090属7,822种半翅目昆虫的分类信息及其39,298条地理分布记录。该数据集可以为今后开展生物多样性格局、生物区系演化和害虫防治等方面的研究工作提供帮助。     

北京市珍珠泉乡不同昆虫采集方法采集效果对比分析

为了探究科研调查中不同昆虫采集方法的采集效率差异,在北京珍珠泉乡不同的生境类型中,采用样线法、马氏网法、灯诱法、陷阱法(糖醋液)4种采集方法进行昆虫采集,按生境类型对不同采集方法采集的昆虫进行统计分析.在实验中共采集昆虫3996头,隶属12目87科,其中在昆虫种类数量上,鳞翅目最多,其次是半翅目和鞘翅目;在数量上,半翅目昆虫数量最多,依次是双翅目和鳞翅目.样线法共采集到昆虫61科72种、灯诱法共采集到45科95种、马氏网法共采集到39科41种、陷阱法共采集到14科25种.在调查中,不同方法在不同生境采集昆虫种类数多存在显著差异(P<0.05).不同的采集方式间除马氏网和样线法采集昆虫的种类相似度为中等不相似(q=0.436),其他方法间均为极不相似.采用不同的采集方式可以采集到更多的昆虫种类.马氏网法是最优选的采集方式,马氏网采集昆虫最方便,节省人力;样线法采集的效果最稳定;灯诱法的采集效果好,但是应用较为复杂;糖醋液陷阱法采集昆虫效率对比其他三种方法,既不能采集到大量昆虫也没有采集到特定种昆虫,如无特别需求可以考虑减少或者放弃使用.     

Effects of livestock grazing on aboveground insect communities in semi-arid grasslands of southeastern Arizona

Despite the importance of invertebrates in grassland ecosystems, few studies have examined how grassland invertebrates have been impacted by disturbances in the southwestern United States. These grasslands may be particularly sensitive to one common disturbance, livestock grazing, because they have not recently evolved in the presence of large herds of bison, an important mammalian herbivore. This study examined how livestock grazing influenced vegetation-associated insect communities in southeastern Arizona. Insect abundance, richness, diversity, community composition, and key environmental variables were compared between sites on active cattle ranches and sites on a 3160 ha sanctuary that has not been grazed by cattle for over 25 years. Vegetation-associated insect communities were found to be sensitive to livestock grazing. Overall abundance of these insects was lower on grazed grasslands, and certain insect orders appeared to be negatively affected by livestock grazing; beetles were less rich, flies were less diverse, and Hymenoptera were less rich and diverse on grazed sites. Conversely, Hemiptera were more diverse on grazed sites. Species composition of vegetation-associated insect communities also differed and was significantly correlated with percent vegetation cover and number of shrubs. Insect species responsible for these differences were taxonomically diverse, and included herbivores and predators/parasites. When compared to other studies conducted in areas of the United States that fall within the historic range of bison, this study suggests that invertebrates in areas outside this range may be more sensitive to grazing pressure.     

Trap color and placement affects estimates of insect family-level abundance and diversity in a Nebraska salt marsh

Sampling programs to establish baseline ecosystem information (e.g., species abundance and diversity) often fail to consider the potential influence of sampling techniques on results. Research on sampling economically important insects has demonstrated the possible influences of trap color and trap placement on results, but few data have been collected from natural environments. Consequently, we examined the effects of color (yellow and blue) and placement (exposed and shaded by plants) of sticky traps on insect captures and diversity estimates from a Nebraska inland salt marsh community. We identified 1913 specimens from 67 insect families collected during five trapping dates in July 1996. More Cicindelidae were collected on exposed traps, and more Staphylinidae, Dolichopodidae, Cicadellidae, and Thripidae were collected on shaded traps. More Dolichopodidae were collected on yellow traps, while more Syrphidae and Thripidae were collected on blue. Shannon and alpha diversity measures were significantly higher for shaded traps than exposed traps, but were not affected by trap color. Our results highlight the importance of characterizing sampling techniques when establishing diversity estimates. These data provide the first complete accounting of community-level insect response to colored sticky traps and provide new information for color preference of non-economic insect species.     

Plant cover associated with aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP) mediates insect community composition in steppes of Northwest China

Temperate steppe is one of the most important natural habitats for the conservation of arthropod and bird biodiversity across the Eurasian Tectonic Plate. Since 1950, fragmentation of the steppe habitat has caused a loss of biodiversity and degradation of the species communities found in natural steppe. Therefore, in this study, both plants and insects were sampled at 56 sites in the steppe biome of northwestern China to explore the effects of plant community on insect community composition and diversity. The insect community structure varied in the four different steppe types (meadow steppe, typical steppe, desert steppe, and steppe desert). Plant cover (diversity) was an important driving force, which could enhance number of families and abundance of an insect community. Aboveground net primary productivity and water content of plants had no significant effects on insect community, although the plant community as a whole did mediate insect composition and community structure. Future research should explore the ecological role of particular functional groups in plant and insect communities. Supplemental sowing to improve plant diversity in steppe habitat may be another strategy to enhance biodiversity and achieve sustainable management.     

Comparing four simple,inexpensive methods for sampling forest arthropod communities

Terrestrial arthropods are diverse, and quantifying their availability to consumers is important for understanding both consumer and insect distribution, abundance, and communities. However, characterizing arthropod communities in complex forest ecosystems is challenging. We compared arthropod communities in a wet‐limestone forest in Jamaica during the dry season sampled by four methods: branch clips, sweep netting, and sticky traps applied to tree trunks and hanging free of vegetation. We found no effect of relative height in the canopy for the two methods that could be used at different heights, i.e., hanging sticky traps and branch clips. In addition, the arthropod community sampled changed over time (season) for sweep nets and branch clips. We also found that branch clips and sweep nets sampled more arthropod taxa than the two sticky‐trap methods. In addition, branch clips and sweep nets sampled more ants and spiders than the two sticky‐trap methods, whereas collar sticky traps on tree trunks sampled more bark lice (Psocoptera), and hanging sticky traps more flies (Diptera) than the other methods. Percentages of flying insects and strong‐flying insects sampled did not differ between sweep netting and branch clipping, but a higher percentage of both groups were captured with collar and hanging sticky traps. Because we found that the different methods sampled different subsets of the arthropod community, both taxonomically and in terms of aerial versus non‐aerial taxa, investigators should choose the arthropod sampling methods that most closely align with their focal species and study questions. For example, investigators might use collar traps for studies of bark gleaners, hanging sticky traps for aerial foragers, and branch clips or sweep nets for foliage gleaners. Alternatively, if a focal species is known to prefer certain prey items, investigators may instead select a method that effectively samples those prey taxa. Finally, for some studies, using multiple sampling methods may be the best option.     

Can higher taxa be used as a surrogate for species-level data in biodiversity surveys of litter/soil insects?

We investigate the usefulness of higher taxa as surrogates for species richness and diversity of litter/soil insects. We use data for Coleoptera (beetles) and Formicidae (ants) collected during biodiversity surveys of five tropical and two temperate countries, and use Pearson’s product moment correlations to assess the surrogacy relationship. Our results suggest that genera would provide an adequate surrogate for species richness of Coleoptera, but not for Formicidae. We suggest that the usefulness of higher taxa as surrogates for richness is dependent on both taxonomy and scale. Higher taxa provided a poor surrogate for species diversity due to the added dimension of evenness of community structure, and we recommend that higher taxa should not be used as surrogates for species diversity.