The global biomass and number of terrestrial arthropods

Yuval Rosenberg; Yinon M Bar-On; Amir Fromm; Meital Ostikar; Aviv Shoshany; Omer Giz; Ron Milo

doi:10.1126/sciadv.abq4049

The global biomass and number of terrestrial arthropods

Yuval Rosenberg, Yinon M Bar-On, Amir Fromm, Meital Ostikar, Aviv Shoshany, Omer Giz, Ron Milo^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

36 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Insects and other arthropods are central to terrestrial ecosystems. However, data are lacking regarding their global population abundance. We synthesized thousands of evaluations from around 500 sites worldwide, estimating the absolute biomass and abundance of terrestrial arthropods across different taxa and habitats. We found that there are approximate to 1 x 10(19) (twofold uncertainty range) soil arthropods on Earth, approximate to 95% of which are soil mites and springtails. The soil contains approximate to 200 (twofold uncertainty range) million metric tons (Mt) of dry biomass. Termites contribute approximate to 40% of the soil biomass, much more than ants at approximate to 10%. Our estimate for the global biomass of above-ground arthropods is more uncertain, highlighting a knowledge gap that future research should aim to close. We estimate the combined dry biomass of all terrestrial arthropods at approximate to 300 Mt (uncertainty range, 100 to 500), similar to the mass of humanity and its livestock. These estimates enhance the quantitative understanding of arthropods in terrestrial ecosystems and provide an initial holistic benchmark on their decline.

Original language	English
Article number	eabq4049
Number of pages	12
Journal	Science advances
Volume	9
Issue number	5
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abq4049
Publication status	Published - 3 Feb 2023

Funding

Acknowledgments: We thank I. Armiach, K. Birkhofer, P . Eggleton, G. Eshel, A. Flamholz, L. Greenspoon, the people of HaMaarag–Israel’s National Ecosystem Assessment Program, Y . Leshno, S. Meiri, Z. Mendel, R. Phillips, U. Roll, M. Shachak, and D. L. W agner for help and useful comments and discussions. Funding: This work was supported by the Mary and Tom Beck Canadian Center for Alternative Energy Research (to R.M.), the Schwartz-Reisman Collaborative Science Program (to R.M.), the Ullmann Family Foundation (to R.M.) and the Yotam Project (to R.M.). R.M. is the Head of the Mary and Tom Beck Canadian Center for Alternative Energy Research and the incumbent of the Charles and Louise Gartner Professorial Chair. Author contributions: Conceptualization: Y .R., Y .M.B.-O., and R.M. Methodology: Y .R., Y .M.B.-O., and R.M. Investigation: Y .R., Y .M.B.-O., A.F ., M.O., A.S., and O.G. Formal analysis: Y .R. and Y .M.B.-O. Visualization: Y .R., Y .M.B.-O., and R.M. Supervision: R.M. Writing–original draft: Y .R., Y .M.B.-O., and R.M. Writing–review and editing: Y .R., Y .M.B.-O., and R.M.

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abstract = "Insects and other arthropods are central to terrestrial ecosystems. However, data are lacking regarding their global population abundance. We synthesized thousands of evaluations from around 500 sites worldwide, estimating the absolute biomass and abundance of terrestrial arthropods across different taxa and habitats. We found that there are approximate to 1 x 10(19) (twofold uncertainty range) soil arthropods on Earth, approximate to 95% of which are soil mites and springtails. The soil contains approximate to 200 (twofold uncertainty range) million metric tons (Mt) of dry biomass. Termites contribute approximate to 40% of the soil biomass, much more than ants at approximate to 10%. Our estimate for the global biomass of above-ground arthropods is more uncertain, highlighting a knowledge gap that future research should aim to close. We estimate the combined dry biomass of all terrestrial arthropods at approximate to 300 Mt (uncertainty range, 100 to 500), similar to the mass of humanity and its livestock. These estimates enhance the quantitative understanding of arthropods in terrestrial ecosystems and provide an initial holistic benchmark on their decline.",

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AU - Milo, Ron

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The global biomass and number of terrestrial arthropods

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