Impoverishment of insect populations of agro-landscapes of Ukraine

Abstract

The planet is experiencing the epoch of the sixth mass extinction of the biota. Of particular concern is the impoverishment of insect populations, since the latter account for about two-thirds of all biota species on the planet and are essential for maintaining the stability of ecosystems. The purpose of the work was to determine the state of populations of major insect pests in agrolandscapes of Ukraine. The evaluation of the entomophage agrocenoses was carried out with the help of faunal studies of indicator groups of species that dominated the crops and plantings of crops in the first half of the 20th century. The World Wildlife Indicator was also counted as an index of the living planet. It has been established that about 50% of insect species of agro-landscapes, which previously had the status of dominant and constant, as a result of adverse environmental factors became small, which is the first step towards their actual disappearance. This conclusion is confirmed by the analysis of the dynamics of the index of the living planet. Thus, the average number of insect populations of the dominant species of winter wheat phytophages decreased in the last 10 years at a rate of about 3% per year, indicating the processes of impoverishment of the entomological diversity of agro-landscapes in Ukraine. The results of our research are in good agreement with the literature on the global impoverishment of insect populations.