Agriculture Canada scientist Jeff Skevington, who works with the Canadian National Collection of Insects, says the country has lost a significant amount of its insect biodiversity in recent years based on the results of annual collection samples. That means a lot of the insects at the bottom of our food chain are dying out, which could have an unexpected, but noticeable impact on the lives of humans. “There are hundreds, probably thousands of species that have just disappeared from the collection – things that haven’t turned up for years,” Skevington told CTV’s Your Morning on Wednesday.
Skevington acknowledges that pest insects are the first ones that spring to mind for most people, but he says those are a minority of the overall insect population. “Most insects are benign or actually beneficial,” he said, pointing out that many will keep other pest insects, such as crop-killing aphids, in check. Without those predator insects, an out-of-control aphid population could mean major trouble for Canada’s agricultural industry. “The whole ecosystem’s going out of balance,” Skevington said. Research in other parts of the world show it’s a widespread issue, he added, citing one European study that showed an 80 per cent decline in biomass at a nature reserve over 30 years, despite there being no changes made to the reserve itself.
Source: CTV News, 4 October, 2017
http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/expert-warns-of-huge-decline-in-canada-s-b…
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