Jacobus Luke M, Macadam Craig R, Sartori Michel
Division of Science, Indiana University Purdue University Columbus, 4601 Central Ave., Columbus, IN 47203, USA.
Buglife-The Invertebrate Conservation Trust, Balallan House, 24 Allan Park, Stirling, Scotland FK8 2QG, UK.
Insects. 2019 Jun 14;10(6):170. doi: 10.3390/insects10060170.
This work is intended as a general and concise overview of Ephemeroptera biology, diversity, and services provided to humans and other parts of our global array of freshwater and terrestrial ecosystems. The Ephemeroptera, or mayflies, are a small but diverse order of amphinotic insects associated with liquid freshwater worldwide. They are nearly cosmopolitan, except for Antarctica and some very remote islands. The existence of the subimago stage is unique among extant insects. Though the winged stages do not have functional mouthparts or digestive systems, the larval, or nymphal, stages have a variety of feeding approaches-including, but not limited to, collector-gatherers, filterers, scrapers, and active predators-with each supported by a diversity of morphological and behavioral adaptations. Mayflies provide direct and indirect services to humans and other parts of both freshwater and terrestrial ecosystems. In terms of cultural services, they have provided inspiration to musicians, poets, and other writers, as well as being the namesakes of various water- and aircraft. They are commemorated by festivals worldwide. Mayflies are especially important to fishing. Mayflies contribute to the provisioning services of ecosystems in that they are utilized as food by human cultures worldwide (having one of the highest protein contents of any edible insect), as laboratory organisms, and as a potential source of antitumor molecules. They provide regulatory services through their cleaning of freshwater. They provide many essential supporting services for ecosystems such as bioturbation, bioirrigation, decomposition, nutrition for many kinds of non-human animals, nutrient cycling and spiraling in freshwaters, nutrient cycling between aquatic and terrestrial systems, habitat for other organisms, and serving as indicators of ecosystem health. About 20% of mayfly species worldwide might have a threatened conservation status due to influences from pollution, invasive alien species, habitat loss and degradation, and climate change. Even mitigation of negative influences has benefits and tradeoffs, as, in several cases, sustainable energy production negatively impacts mayflies.
本文旨在对蜉蝣生物学、多样性以及为人类和全球淡水与陆地生态系统其他部分所提供的服务进行全面而简要的概述。蜉蝣目昆虫，即蜉蝣，是一类体型较小但种类多样的两栖昆虫，与全球范围内的淡水水域相关联。除南极洲和一些非常偏远的岛屿外，它们几乎遍布世界各地。亚成虫阶段的存在在现存昆虫中是独一无二的。尽管有翅阶段没有功能性口器或消化系统，但幼虫或若虫阶段有多种取食方式，包括但不限于收集者 - 采集者、滤食者、刮食者和主动捕食者，每种方式都有多种形态和行为适应作为支撑。蜉蝣为人类以及淡水和陆地生态系统的其他部分提供直接和间接服务。在文化服务方面，它们为音乐家、诗人和其他作家提供了灵感，同时也是各种水上和飞行器的命名来源。世界各地都有纪念它们的节日。蜉蝣对渔业尤为重要。蜉蝣有助于生态系统的供给服务，因为它们被全球人类文化用作食物（是所有可食用昆虫中蛋白质含量最高的之一）、实验室生物以及抗肿瘤分子的潜在来源。它们通过清洁淡水提供调节服务。它们为生态系统提供许多重要的支持服务，如生物扰动、生物灌溉、分解、为多种非人类动物提供营养、淡水营养物质循环和螺旋式上升、水生和陆地系统之间的营养物质循环、为其他生物提供栖息地以及作为生态系统健康的指标。由于受到污染、外来入侵物种、栖息地丧失和退化以及气候变化的影响，全球约20%的蜉蝣物种可能处于受威胁的保护状态。即使减轻负面影响也有其利弊权衡，因为在一些情况下，可持续能源生产会对蜉蝣产生负面影响。
