Fireflies Face Global Threats
BioScience Talks24 Feb 2020

Fireflies Face Global Threats

Worldwide declines in insect populations have sparked considerable concern. To date, however, significant research gaps exist, and many insect threats remain under-investigated and poorly understood. For instance, despite their charismatic bioluminescent displays and cultural and economic importance, the 2000-plus species of firefly beetles have yet to be the subject of a comprehensive threat analysis.

Writing in BioScience, Sara M. Lewis of Tufts University and her colleagues aim to fill the gap with a broad overview of the threats facing these diverse and charismatic species—as well as potential solutions that may lead to their preservation into the future. Lewis and colleagues catalog numerous threats, foremost among them habitat loss, followed closely by artificial light and pesticide use. The future is not bleak, however, and the authors describe considerable opportunities to improve the prospects of bioluminescent insects, including through the preservation of habitat, reduction of light pollution, lowered insecticide use, and more-sustainable tourism. Dr. Lewis and coauthors Candace Fallon and Michael Reed join us on this episode of BioScience Talks to shed light on these challenges and opportunities. Listeners are also invited to read Dr. Lewis's book on fireflies, linked below.

Episoder(177)

Resist–Accept–Direct, a Paradigm for Management

Resist–Accept–Direct, a Paradigm for Management

Natural resource managers worldwide face a growing challenge: Global change increasingly propels ecosystems on strong trajectories toward irreversible ecological transformations. As once-familiar hist...

6 Jan 202233min

In Their Own Words: Thomas Lovejoy III (Republication)

In Their Own Words: Thomas Lovejoy III (Republication)

The American institute of Biological Sciences, publisher of the BioScience Talks podcast, mourns the loss of visionary ecologist Thomas E. Lovejoy III. Dr. Lovejoy was the AIBS President in 1994. In 2...

30 Des 202145min

Coral Reefs: Insults and Prospects

Coral Reefs: Insults and Prospects

In this episode of BioScience Talks, we're joined by Dr. Michael Lesser, Professor Emeritus at the University of New Hampshire. He's here to talk about his recent BioScience article, which details the...

16 Des 202131min

Biodiversity Collections Enable Foundational and Data Skills

Biodiversity Collections Enable Foundational and Data Skills

The task of training an effective cadre of biodiversity scientists has grown more challenging in recent years, as foundational skills and knowledge in organismal biology have increasingly required com...

8 Des 202141min

Disease Transmission: The Case of Sarcoptes Scabiei

Disease Transmission: The Case of Sarcoptes Scabiei

In this episode of BioScience Talks, we're joined by Liz Browne, who has bachelor of science degree with honors from the University of Tasmania, and Scott Carver, disease ecologist at the University o...

17 Nov 202125min

Values and Water Security in a Dry Era

Values and Water Security in a Dry Era

In this episode of BioScience Talks, we're joined by previous guest Paolo D'Odorico, professor of hydrology and the Chair of the Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management at the Univ...

27 Okt 202129min

Empowering Communities through Local Monitoring

Empowering Communities through Local Monitoring

Over recent decades, community-based environmental monitoring (often called "citizen science") has exploded in popularity, aided both by smartphones and rapid gains in computing power that make the an...

13 Okt 202148min

In Their Own Words: Nalini Nadkarni

In Their Own Words: Nalini Nadkarni

This episode is the next in our oral history series, In Their Own Words. These pieces chronicle the stories of scientists who have made great contributions to their fields, particularly within the bio...

31 Aug 20211h 6min

Populært innen Vitenskap

fastlegen
tingenes-tilstand
rekommandert
jss
vett-og-vitenskap-med-gaute-einevoll
smart-forklart
rss-nysgjerrige-norge
rss-rekommandert
forskningno
sinnsyn
fjellsportpodden
rss-paradigmepodden
villmarksliv
pod-britannia
nordnorsk-historie
aldring-og-helse-podden
diagnose
tidlose-historier
rss-overskuddsliv
tomprat-med-gunnar-tjomlid