eDNA metabarcoding of archived leaf samples reveals arthropod diversity decline in South Korean but not in German forest ecosystems
Hans, Julian; Stothut, Manuel; Schubert, Caroline; Gold, Elisabeth; Chung, David; Lee, JangHo; Koschorreck, Jan; Kennedy, Susan; Oh, JungKeun; Udelhoven, Thomas
Insect Conservation and Diversity
Abstract
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Widespread arthropod decline has been reported in numerous studies. However, due to a lack of standardised time series data and a strong geographic bias of available time series, the global extent of this phenomenon is not well understood.
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While pronounced insect decline in intensively used landscapes is well documented, recent studies have found relatively stable arthropod diversity in forests.
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Here, we explore 11 years of arthropod diversity change in forests of different levels of anthropogenic disturbance in Germany and South Korea. By eDNA metabarcoding leaf material from the two countries' environmental specimen banks (ESBs)—highly standardised pollution monitoring archives—we reconstruct communities of hundreds of arthropod species.
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Samples from both ESBs recover a diverse and functionally similar assemblage of plant-associated arthropods. The data from Germany show a temporally stable α-diversity in both anthropogenically disturbed and near-natural landscapes. However, across our sampling locations in South Korean communities, forest arthropod α-diversity declined by, on average, 61% (95% confidence interval: 42.12%–74.99%) between the start and end of the decade.
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Our results show that the extent of arthropod decline can vary considerably by geographic region and ecosystem and highlight the immense value of biological archives to support long-term biodiversity research.