Where have all the beetles gone? Long‐term study reveals carabid species decline in a nature reserve in Northern Germany

1. The drastic insect decline has received increasing attention in scientific as well as in public media. Long-term studies of insect diversity trends are still rare, even though such studies are highly important to assess extent, drivers and potential consequences of insect loss in ecosystems. 2. To gain insights into carabid diversity trends of ancient and sustainably managed woodlands, we analysed data of carabid beetles from a trapping study that has been run for 24 years in an old nature reserve of Northern Germany, the Luneburg Heath. We examined temporal changes in several diversity measures € (e.g. biomass, species richness, functional diversity and phylogenetic diversity) and tested diverse species traits as predictor variables for species occurrence. 3. In contrast to recently published long-term studies of insect diversity, we did not observe a decline in biomass, but in species richness and phylogenetic diversity in carabids at our study site. Additionally, hibernation stage predicted the occurrence probability of carabids: Species hibernating as imagines or both imagines and larvae and breeding in spring showed strongest declines. 4. We assume the detected trends to be the result of external effects such as climate change and the application of pesticides in the surrounding. Our results suggest that the drivers for the insect decline and the responses are multifaceted. This highlights the importance of long-term studies with identification of the catches to, at best, species level to support the understanding of mechanisms driving changes in insect diversity and abundance

The debate on matriarchy in the German-speaking area

The paper first analyzes the importance of the debate on matriarchy as a paradigm for the constitution of the new women's movement directed against a range of patriarchally determined theories and against the patriarchal social conditions. The search for identification and the development of feminist theories were based on historical matriarchy; this is shown by means of a synthesis of older works by Bachofen, Vaerting and Eckstein-Diener and new approaches such as those of Bornemann and Göttner-Abendroth. A critical reception is included, exploring the projections into the past within the concepts of matriarchy and the discussion on godesses which influence spiritualism as well as esoterics. In the article, the present-day context is particularly considered by the development of feminist ethnology which sheds new light on the debate on matriarchal societies and on the gender-specific suppression of females in the Third World. The paper concludes that the term matriarchate(s) intended to oppose against the androcentric claim and that continuing the discussion guarantees that research on women will be carried on.The paper first analyzes the importance of the debate on matriarchy as a paradigm for the constitution of the new women's movement directed against a range of patriarchally determined theories and against the patriarchal social conditions. The search for identification and the development of feminist theories were based on historical matriarchy; this is shown by means of a synthesis of older works by Bachofen, Vaerting and Eckstein-Diener and new approaches such as those of Bornemann and Göttner-Abendroth. A critical reception is included, exploring the projections into the past within the concepts of matriarchy and the discussion on godesses which influence spiritualism as well as esoterics. In the article, the present-day context is particularly considered by the development of feminist ethnology which sheds new light on the debate on matriarchal societies and on the gender-specific suppression of females in the Third World. The paper concludes that the term matriarchate(s) intended to oppose against the androcentric claim and that continuing the discussion guarantees that research on women will be carried on.