Emerging technologies revolutionise insect ecology and monitoring
Roel van Klink, Tom August, Yves Bas, Paul Bodesheim, Aletta Bonn, Frode Fossøy, Toke T. Høye, Eelke Jongejans, Myles H. M. Menz, Andreia Miraldo, Tomas Roslin, Helen E. Roy, Ireneusz Ruczyński, Dmitry Schigel, Livia Schäffler, Julie Koch Sheard, Cecilie S. Svenningsen, Georg F. Tschan, Jana Wäldchen, Vera Zizka, Jens Åström, Diana E. Bowler
Abstract
Insects are the most diverse group of animals on Earth, but their small size and high diversity have always made them challenging to study. Recent technological advances have the potential to revolutionise insect ecology and monitoring. We describe the state of the art of four technologies (computer vision, acoustic monitoring, radar, and molecular methods), and assess their advantages, current limitations, and future potential. We discuss how these technologies can adhere to modern standards of data curation and transparency, their implications for citizen science, and their potential for integration among different monitoring programmes and technologies. We argue that they provide unprecedented possibilities for insect ecology and monitoring, but it will be important to foster international standards via collaboration.