Checklist of Odonata (Insecta) of Doon Valley, Uttarakhand, India

In this communication, we have collated a checklist of 97 species of odonates from Doon valley, Uttarakhand by reviewing the literature. These species are distributed across 13 families, 58 genera, and eight superfamilies. Of these species, 60 were Anisoptera (dragonflies) and 37 were Zygoptera (damselflies). Three species of dragonflies and two damselflies are endemic to India. This checklist updates existing knowledge on insect diversity in the Doon valley and will aid conservation management of wetlands in the region.

Weeds Enhance Pollinator Diversity and Fruit Yield in Mango

Agriculture is dependent on insect pollination, yet in areas of intensive production agriculture, there is often a decline in plant and insect diversity. As native habitats and plants are replaced, often only the weeds or unwanted vegetation persist. This study compared insect diversity on mango, Mangifera indica, a tropical fruit tree dependent on insect pollination, when weeds were present in cultivation versus when they were removed mechanically. The pollinating insects on both weeds and mango trees were examined as well as fruit set and yield in both the weed-free and weedy treatment in South Florida. There were significantly more pollinators and key pollinator families on the weedy mango trees, as well as significantly greater fruit yield in the weedy treatment compared to the weed-free treatment. Utilizing weeds, especially native species, as insectary plants can help ensure sufficient pollination of mango and increase biodiversity across crop monocropping systems.

Perbandingan Indeks Keanekaragaman Serangga Di Wilayah Ekosistem Hutan Penyangga Taman Nasional Gunung Leuser Bukit Lawang

This study aims to determine the diversity index and the comparison of insect diversity index in Gunung Leuser Bukit Lawang National Park in the Buffer ecosystem area. The research method uses a quantitative descriptive approach. The population in this study were all animals classified as insects (Insecta). The samples used were insects in the buffer forest area with 3 standpoints (lines). The data analysis technique uses the Shannon–Wiener diversity index. The results showed that the insect with the highest significance index (INP) from the three lines (without stands, rubber stands, and cocoa stands) was Macrotermes gilvus, namely 91.71 (rubber tree stands), 87.54 (cocoa tree stands), and 57. 42 (without stands). The insect diversity index H' using (Shannon-Wiener Index) from the three lines without stands (-2), rubber stands (-1), and brown stands (-1) were “low”. The low diversity index of the buffer forest is because the buffer forest in Bukit Lawang is a homogeneous forest.

Changes in nocturnal insect communities in forest-dominated landscape relevant to artificial light intensity

Background Artificial light at night has recently been identified as a major factor adversely affecting global insect diversity. Here, we compared the insect diversity in Gwangneung Forest Biosphere Reserve, specifically in the Korea National Arboretum (with no artificial light at night), with that of three nearby urban sites with a gradient of artificial light at night (five locations at each site). We analyzed the effects of the artificial night lighting index, mean annual temperature, and field light intensity (lux) at night on the insect community structure. Results The urban sites generally exhibited higher species richness and abundance as well as clear indicator species compared with the control site. The size distribution of the collected insects markedly differed between the control and the three urban sites. The abundance of herbivorous and omnivorous insects increased and decreased, respectively, with the increase in light intensity. Species richness of herbivorous and omnivorous insects was likely correlated with the field light intensity at night and artificial night lighting index, respectively. Conclusions This study demonstrates the association between nighttime environment and marked changes in insect community structure and revealed consequent transition of ecosystem services by changes in trophic group composition.

Studies on insect diversity in jasmine (Jasminum sambac L.) ecosystem

Aim: Study was carried out to record the abundance and diversity of insects in jasmine (Jasminum sambac L.) ecosystem. Methodology: To determine insect pests, natural enemies and non-insect diversity, fortnight observations were taken from second fortnight of September'19 to March'20 on insect population at three adjacent locations. Abundance and diversity indices were computed using mean data. The management practices, presence of weeds and adjacent cropping systems were also recorded at three locations to determine the reasons for variation in the diversity of organisms. Results: A total of 3335 individuals arthropods belonging to 55 species, which included 32 species of herbivores and 23 species of natural enemies were recorded throughout the study period. Location 3 had perennial crops in the vicinity, un-weeded ecosystem with no chemical inputs. Among various diversity indices calculated, Margalef Richness Index of herbivores was higher at location 3 (1.67) than location 1 (1.17) and 2 (0.76). Interpretation: The abundance and diversity of insects in different jasmine ecosystem depends on the chemical inputs and adjacent cropping system.

Post-fire insect fauna explored by crown fermental traps in forests of the European Russia

Wildfires considerably affect forest ecosystems. However, there is a lack of data on the post-fire status of insect communities in these ecosystems. This paper presents results of a study conducted in 2019 which considered the post-fire status of the insect fauna in a Protected Area, Mordovia State Nature Reserve (Republic of Mordovia, centre of European Russia), considered as regional hotspot of insect diversity in Mordovia. We sampled insects on intact (unburned, control) and fire-damaged (burnt in 2010) sites and compared the alpha-diversity between sites. In total, we sampled and analysed 16,861 specimens belonging to 11 insect orders, 51 families and 190 species. The largest orders represented in the samples were Coleoptera (95 species), Diptera (54 species), Hymenoptera (21 species), and Neuroptera (11 species). Other insect orders were represented by between one and four species. The largest four orders (Coleoptera, Lepidoptera, Diptera and Hymenoptera) represented 96.7% of all studied specimens. We found that in the ninth year after low intensity surface fire damage, the insect diversity had returned to a similar level to that of the control (unburned) sites. Sites damaged by crown wildfire differed considerably from other sites in terms of a negative impact on both species diversity and the number of specimens. This indicates the serious effect of the crown fires on the biodiversity and consequent long-term recovery of the damaged ecosystem.

A Study of Insect Diversity in Different Habitats Found in Nearby Locality of Raipur, Chhattisgarh

Insects are most diverse, successful and dominant taxon of the animal kingdom. They are found in almost every habitat across the globe. It is due to their diverse body size, habit, fecundity, different modes of respiration, food diversity etc. Because of these diverse characteristics, they became an important component of our ecosystem. They have significant influence on agriculture, human health and natural resources. This was the main reason for analysing the status of insects’ diversity across Raipur city. During this study various species of insects were collected and identified for estimating the insect species diversity and abundance in the different types of habitats found in Raipur. Insects were collected from various habitats like public park, gardens, fruit & vegetable market, agricultural fields etc. Total 603 species from 38 families, from 10 orders of insects were obtained during the sampling from January2019 to February 2020. The contributions of different orders were as follows: Lepidoptera (6), Coleoptera (6), Hemiptera (6), Hymenoptera (5), Orthoptera (3), Dermaptera (1), Diptera (6), Odonata (3) and Isoptera (1) and Mantodea(1) were collected. Diptera were having highest species diversity which was followed by Hymenoptera. Biodiversity of insects were highest in gardens and agricultural fields. The diverse habitats present in and around Raipur provide a favorable climate for insects.

Potential Reasons for Insect Decline

Insects are the key component of world’s ecosystem and act as vital force to maintain life’s framework. But in present scenario, Insects are under multi-continental crisis apparent as reduction in abundance, diversity and biomass. The impact of decline is severe in areas which are highly impacted by human activities such as industrialized and agricultural landscapes. Habitat loss and degradation; intensive use of pesticides; pollution; introduction of invasive species and climate change are the most influential factors for their alarming decline and each factor is multifaceted. The accelerated decline in insect population can cause unpredictable negative consequences for the biosphere and is a matter of global concern that requires immediate and effective international collaborations. An urgent need is to identify the species at greatest threat; factors threatening their survival and finally the consequences of their loss. In order to maintain the integrity of managed and natural ecosystems, the protection of Insect diversity is critically important.

Mangroves are an overlooked hotspot of insect diversity despite low plant diversity

Background The world’s fast disappearing mangrove forests have low plant diversity and are often assumed to also have a species-poor insect fauna. We here compare the tropical arthropod fauna across a freshwater swamp and six different forest types (rain-, swamp, dry-coastal, urban, freshwater swamp, mangroves) based on 140,000 barcoded specimens belonging to ca. 8500 species. Results We find that the globally imperiled habitat “mangroves” is an overlooked hotspot for insect diversity. Our study reveals a species-rich mangrove insect fauna (>3000 species in Singapore alone) that is distinct (>50% of species are mangrove-specific) and has high species turnover across Southeast and East Asia. For most habitats, plant diversity is a good predictor of insect diversity, but mangroves are an exception and compensate for a comparatively low number of phytophagous and fungivorous insect species by supporting an unusually rich community of predators whose larvae feed in the productive mudflats. For the remaining tropical habitats, the insect communities have diversity patterns that are largely congruent across guilds. Conclusions The discovery of such a sizeable and distinct insect fauna in a globally threatened habitat underlines how little is known about global insect biodiversity. We here show how such knowledge gaps can be closed quickly with new cost-effective NGS barcoding techniques.