Abstract
Recent global changes have triggered a biodiversity crisis. However, climate fluctuations have always influenced biodiversity and humans have affected species distributions since prehistoric times. Conservation palaeobiology is a developing field that aims to understand the long-term dynamics of such interactions by studying the geohistorical records in a conservation perspective. Case studies exist for vertebrates and plants, but insects have largely been overlooked so far. Here, we analysed the current red-listed beetle species (Coleoptera) in Sweden and investigated their occurrence and representation in the European Quaternary fossil record. Fossil data currently exist for one third of the Swedish red-listed beetle species. All the red-list conservation classes are represented in the fossil record, which may allow for comparative studies. We found significantly different representations in the fossil records among taxonomic groups and ecological traits, which may depend on the fossil depositional and sampling environments and variation in how difficult species are to identify. Species that are today associated with modern urban environments were mostly found in Quaternary sites with archaeological human settlements, reflecting early human-driven environmental change. Combining modern and fossil insect species data for biodiversity conservation needs to be undertaken with care, and attention paid to biases in both modern and palaeo-data. Nevertheless, this approach opens new opportunities for conservation biology by providing a millennial-scale perspective on biodiversity change, including consideration of the long-term dynamics of species range shifts, species invasions and regional extinctions under changing climates.
Highlights
Recent global change is causing species range shifts and contractions, species extinctions, decline in species abundances and biotic homoge nization (Dirzo et al, 2014; Parmesan, 2006)
Fossils have been recorded for 41% (n = 2357) of the Coleoptera species reported for Sweden
Most of the red-listed species are present in low numbers (
Summary
Recent global change is causing species range shifts and contractions, species extinctions, decline in species abundances and biotic homoge nization (Dirzo et al, 2014; Parmesan, 2006). Changes in insect biodiversity have so far been almost exclusively analysed within the time frame of one or a few decades (e.g. Baranov et al, 2020; Hallmann et al, 2017; Thomas, 2016) studies spanning about a century exist (Jeppsson et al, 2010; Kerr et al, 2015; Maes and Van Dyck, 2001; McDermott, 2021). Palaeoecology provides unique tools that can aid conservation biology by analysing previous periods of environmental and climate stress, putting the magnitude and dynamics of current biodiversity trends in context and elucidating the legacy of past changes (Barnosky et al, 2017; Dietl and Flessa, 2017; Fordham et al, 2020). A palaeoecological study on molluscs found that species with declining long-term distributional trends are those with highest current risk of extinction (Foote et al, 2007). Fossil data have been used to improve ecological niche models, and better predict the effects of future climates on, for example, the jaguar (Panthera onca; Lima-Ribeiro et al, 2017) and to support the apparent resilience of the North cod fisheries (Eide, 2017)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
