Professor Breno Freitas from Universidade Federal do Ceará, Brazil gives an international lecture for the Cardiff Scientific Society, sponsored by the Learned Society of Wales and the South East Wales Section of Royal Society of Chemistry.
The Amazon rainforest is a haven of unparalleled insect biodiversity, housing an estimated 2.5 million species, many of which remain undiscovered. This vast ecosystem supports a staggering array of insects ranging from the formidable army ants, known for their massive swarms and predatory behavior, to the elusive vulture bees, which feed on decaying flesh rather than pollen.
Between these extremes lie countless other insect species, each with its niche and contribution playing crucial roles in pollination, decomposition, and food webs, from the forest floor to the canopy, that sustain the entire forest ecosystem.
Threats to insect biodiversity in the Amazon include habitat destruction due to deforestation, climate change affecting temperature and precipitation patterns, increases in forest fires and environmental contamination due to illegal mining. Conservation efforts are essential to preserving this rich insect diversity, not only for the Amazon’s ecosystem but also for global biodiversity and ecosystem stability.