Long-term trends in the occupancy of ants revealed through use of multi-sourced datasets
Julie K Sheard1, Carsten Rahbek1,2,3,4,5, Robert R Dunn6
1Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 15, Copenhagen 2100, Denmark.
Biology Letters
|October 19, 2021
Abstract:
We combined participatory science data and museum records to understand long-term changes in occupancy for 29 ant species in Denmark over 119 years. Bayesian occupancy modelling indicated change in occupancy for 15 species: five increased, four declined and six showed fluctuating trends. We consider how trends may have been influenced by life-history and habitat changes. Our results build on an emerging picture that biodiversity change in insects is more complex than implied by the simple insect decline narrative.


