Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • News & Views
  • Published:

GLOBAL CHANGE ECOLOGY

Complex causes of insect declines

Insects across the globe are facing multiple anthropogenic pressures. A study combining several data streams and advanced modelling helps to unravel the main factors underlying declines in monarch butterfly populations.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Relevant articles

Open Access articles citing this article.

Access options

Buy this article

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Fig. 1

Janet MacFarlane

References

  1. Vidal, O. & Rendon-Salinas, E. Biol. Conserv. 180, 165–175 (2014).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Schultz, C. B., Brown, L. M., Pelton, E. & Crone, E. E. Biol. Conserv. 214, 343–346 (2017).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Semmens, B. X. et al. Sci. Rep. 6, 23265 (2016).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Zylstra, E. R. et al. Nat. Ecol. Evol. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-021-01504-1 (2021).

  5. Warren, M. S. et al. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 118, e2002551117 (2021).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. van Strien, A. J., van Swaay, C. A. M., van Strien-van Liempt, W., Poot, M. J. M. & WallisDeVriesb, M. F. Biol. Conserv. 234, 116–122 (2019).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Wepprich, T., Adrion, J. R., Ries, L., Wiedmann, J. & Haddad, N. M. PLoS ONE 14, e0216270 (2019).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. van Klink, R. et al. Science 368, 417–420 (2020).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Outhwaite, C. L., Gregory, R. D., Chandler, R. E., Collen, B. & Isaac, N. J. B. Nat. Ecol. Evol. 4, 384–392 (2020).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Pleasants, J. M. & Oberhauser, K. S. Insect Conserv. Diversity 6, 135–144 (2013).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Agrawal, A. A. & Inamine, H. Science 360, 1294–1296 (2018).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Inamine, H., Ellner, S. P., Springer, J. P. & Agrawal, A. A. Oikos 125, 1081–1091 (2016).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Thogmartin, W. E. et al. R. Soc. Open Sci. 4, 170760 (2017).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Flockhart, D. T. T., Pichancourt, J. B., Norris, D. R. & Martin, T. G. J. Anim. Ecol. 84, 155–165 (2015).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Wagner, D. L., Grames, E. M., Forister, M. L., Berenbaum, M. R. & Stopak, D. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 118, e2023989118 (2021).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Raven, P. H. & Wagner, D. L. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 118, e2002548117 (2021).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Montgomery, G. A. et al. Biol. Conserv. 241, 108327 (2020).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Hallmann, C. A. et al. PLoS ONE 12, e0185809 (2017).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Hallmann, C. A. et al. Insect Conserv. Diversity 13, 127–139 (2020).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Miller, D. A. W., Pacifici, K., Sanderlin, J. S. & Reich, B. J. Methods Ecol. Evol. 10, 22–37 (2019).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Isaac, N. J. B. et al. Trends Ecol. Evol. 35, 56–67 (2020).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Pagel, J. et al. Methods Ecol. Evol. 5, 751–760 (2014).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Schaub, M. & Abadi, F. J. Ornithol. 152, 227–237 (2011).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Dennis, E. B. et al. Ecol. Modell. 441, 109408 (2021).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Zipkin, E. F. & Saunders, S. P. Biol. Conserv. 217, 240–250 (2018).

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Diana E. Bowler.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The author declares no competing interests.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Bowler, D.E. Complex causes of insect declines. Nat Ecol Evol 5, 1334–1335 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-021-01508-x

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-021-01508-x

This article is cited by

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing