The Use and Prospects of Nonlethal Methods in Entomology

Arthropods are declining globally, and entomologists ought to be in the forefront of protecting them. However, entomological study methods are typically lethal, and we argue that this makes the ethical status of the profession precarious. Lethal methods are used in most studies, even those that aim...

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Published inAnnual review of entomology Vol. 69; no. 1; pp. 183 - 198
Main Authors Lövei, Gábor L, Ferrante, Marco
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States Annual Reviews 25.01.2024
Subjects
Animals
arthropod conservation
Arthropods
Artificial Intelligence
ethics
insect decline
monitoring
sampling
arthropod conservation
ethics
monitoring
insect decline
sampling
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Summary:Arthropods are declining globally, and entomologists ought to be in the forefront of protecting them. However, entomological study methods are typically lethal, and we argue that this makes the ethical status of the profession precarious. Lethal methods are used in most studies, even those that aim to support arthropod conservation. Additionally, almost all collecting methods result in bycatch, and a first step toward less destructive research practices is to minimize bycatch and or ensure its proper storage and use. In this review, we describe the available suite of nonlethal methods with the aim of promoting their use. We classify nonlethal methods into ( a ) reuse of already collected material, ( b ) methods that are damaging but not lethal, ( c ) methods that modify behavior, and ( d ) true nonlethal methods. Artificial intelligence and miniaturization will help to extend the nonlethal methodological toolkit, but the need for further method development and testing remains.
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ISSN:0066-4170
1545-4487
DOI:10.1146/annurev-ento-120220-024402