Will cockroaches survive a nuclear blast? Tyumen biologist explains

This summer, all of Russia — and Tyumen is no exception — has been buzzing about several insect-related topics. First, the invasion of the gypsy moth alarmed everyone. Second, hordes of mosquitoes attacked residents in many regions.

We spoke with Roman Yakovlev, director of the X-BIO Institute at Tyumen State University and a biologist, about what is happening with nature, how global warming plays a role, and what other interesting insects live in Siberia.

Gypsy moths, mosquito invasions, and typical Tyumen insects

— This summer, many people are talking about a mosquito problem. Is it really an invasion, or is it within normal limits and people are exaggerating?

— In recent years, biting insects have generally been increasing. This is linked to worsening flood conditions. Due to abundant glacier melting, more water is being released from the mountains, creating a large flow in all Siberian rivers.

As a result, there are more flooded areas, oxbow lakes, swamps, and other stagnant water bodies, which are natural breeding grounds for mosquitoes and other two-winged bloodsuckers: blackflies, horseflies, biting flies, and others.

— Is there any point in fighting mosquitoes, poisoning them?

— Yes, of course. Mosquito control is a very important topic for normalizing the urban environment in any region of the world where such a problem exists. But there are different ways to fight. You could pour kerosene over all water bodies, creating an oxygen-impermeable film on the surface through which mosquito larvae cannot breathe. That was done in the past when fighting malaria. Or you can do it with care for nature, affecting only mosquitoes and controlling their numbers. There are many methods for that.

— Is the concept of a «pest insect» a normal one? How do you feel about it?

— Well, you know... We are humans, so our consciousness is most often anthropocentric. Therefore, if certain biological species cause damage worth tens of millions of units, they can probably be called pests.

— But what about the impact on the ecosystem?

— Here«s the thing. I think the stage of mindless poisoning of ecosystems is almost over. When very strong insecticides and broad-spectrum pesticides first appeared, like DDT (an insecticide extremely toxic to humans and animals — Ed.), all insects, rodents, and all birds died out. But now no one will use that.

There is even a term for this — bioeconomy. It implies that it is important, as in medicine, to follow the principle of «do no harm.» A national project «Bioeconomy» has now been developed, and our institute was among the first in the country to open a corresponding master«s program.

— Another notorious creature is the gypsy moth. What kind of pest is it, and why is it dangerous?

— It is probably one of the most unpleasant forest pests. Why is it dangerous? First, it is a polyphagous insect. That is, unlike monophagous insects that feed on one plant species, it eats all deciduous plants — any shrubs, birches, willows, poplars. Sometimes this leads to a July forest looking like May — everything stands transparent, all the foliage is eaten.

The gypsy moth is distributed across all of Eurasia — from Portugal to Japan, is accidentally introduced to North America, and many teams of scientists study it, including me (we looked at how heterogeneous the genotype of the gypsy moth is across its entire range). People are trying to find ways to affect it with fungal and chemical agents. But if it were that simple, the moth would already be gone.

Currently, this pest is on a big upswing throughout Siberia. Soon, all gas stations and bus stops with nighttime lights will be plastered with white moths — these are female gypsy moths. They are robust butterflies, about five centimeters across.

— What is causing such high activity?

— The fact is that many insect species are characterized by so-called waves of life. There are periods of decline and periods of population growth, tied to natural ecological mechanisms.

But now, you see, everything is also layered on climate change. I think that could add its own accent to this situation.

— What are typical Tyumen insects — what are they like?

— Maybe I«ll offend someone here, but actually, contrary to a number of opinions, Russia»s fauna is rather poor. Our biodiversity hotspots are the Caucasus, Altai, and the south of the Far East. The rest of the territory, including Tyumen, is in very biodiversity-poor zones. You walk a thousand kilometers and, conventionally, encounter two or three tree species. In Zimbabwe, on 1000 km, there would be 1500 tree species.

Therefore, the Tyumen region has the same insect species as the whole country. There is practically no specificity here. Areas bordering Kazakhstan will be richer. There you can find rare steppe species.

Also, do not forget that due to climate warming, many species are now appearing here that were not previously recorded. For example, the Apatura butterflies previously reached Bashkiria, but now they are found up to the Yenisei. In just 25 years, the range has advanced about 2000 km.

— Are there any venomous insects in our region or the Ural Federal District as a whole — ones that directly threaten human life?

— There are none. At the same time, anywhere in South America with dangerous scorpions and spiders, you would be much more comfortable outdoors than here. Because nowhere are there as many bloodsuckers as in Siberia. Maybe only in Alaska or northern Canada.

— What insects could have inhabited the Tyumen region a thousand years ago? How much has biodiversity changed compared to that time?

— Over a thousand years, nothing much has definitely changed. But if we go deeper into time, say, to the pre-glacial period, then our territory was occupied by a belt of broadleaf forests, similar to the Far East or the European part of Russia today.

At that time, the forests had a more heat-loving fauna — species typical of modern Europe.

Why are bees dying out, and why is locusts advancing on Siberia?

— The climate is changing worldwide. Could insects unusual for our ecosystem appear in the Tyumen region as a result?

— Indeed, species of southern origin have appeared in Siberia. I already mentioned the Apatura butterflies. The first to arrive in a new territory are more mobile species. For example, hawk moths can reach speeds of up to 50 km/h.

— Are malaria mosquitoes already here?

— Malaria is specifically transmitted by mosquitoes of the genus Anopheles. They were, are, and will be in the Tyumen region. But why do we not have malaria? Malaria is an anthroponosis, that is, a disease transmitted from person to person. In the Soviet Union, this disease was eradicated, so we have no carriers — no people whose blood carries the malaria plasmodium.

I worked three seasons in Mali, West Africa. And there, malaria is more common in places with denser populations. If you are in the wild, in the savanna, it is harder to catch the disease. But in villages with many people, the infection rages. In short, the disease needs a contingent of sick people.

— What other changes does warming bring? What should we keep in mind when we realize the climate in Siberia and the world is changing?

— Yes, there are moments when our services are not always ready for certain things. Let me give an example that does not yet affect the Tyumen region as a cooler area. In Altai Krai, for instance, locusts have appeared, which, as is known, is a very dangerous agricultural pest.

But we do not have a widespread network of anti-locust units like in neighboring Kazakhstan or the southwestern regions of Russia. Simply, such a phenomenon has never occurred in Siberia. Now we need to figure out how to deal with it, build relationships with the Kazakh anti-locust service.

Another example is the karakurt spider, which inhabited the steppes and semi-deserts of Kazakhstan and was not found in Siberia. Now it is also regularly recorded in Altai — the southernmost region of Western Siberia. This is, of course, a rarity, a curiosity. It is not like it happens at every step, but problems can arise. Our main task is to be ready for this and to train appropriate specialists. And here our X-BIO Institute is up to the mark; we train masters in the «Biological Safety» program.

— Is the extinction of certain insects natural or not?

— In 99% of cases, extinction is linked to anthropogenic (human — Ed.) influence — primarily deforestation, especially tropical forests. For example, take Madagascar — only 5% of the forest remains. The biodiversity-rich territories of the Amazon, equatorial Africa, and Southeast Asia are also under significant pressure.

Many animals and plants disappear before they are even discovered. This applies not only to insects but to all biota: frogs, small mammals, plants, fungi. At the same time, every biological species is a whole world, including genetic resources.

— One of the most discussed problems is bee extinction. What is happening with bees, and why is it so important?

— Let me clarify right away that I am not a bee specialist, so I can only share a layman«s opinion. The loss of pollinators — not just bees, by the way — is indeed a very serious and important problem. Colleagues» research shows a decline in the number of species that pollinate flowering plants, and the causes are complex.

And what do pollinators mean to us? Horticulture, fruits, agriculture. Beyond agricultural losses, this also brings losses to wild biodiversity. For example, thousands of orchid species are each pollinated by their own specific pollinator. If that pollinator disappears, then the orchid it pollinates also disappears. And there are countless such examples.

Where do cockroaches come from in the house, and how to protect against gnats: answering silly questions

— The stereotypical image of an entomologist is a guy in the jungle sitting in a cork hat with a magnifying glass. How do such expeditions and studies actually go?

— You know, studies differ. Some think the era of field biologists is over, but that is a misconception. There are still many poorly studied regions on our planet biologically. In Russia, there are also plenty of such examples: the Kuril Islands, Sakhalin, Koryakia, Evenkia. As for tropical regions, there are far more blank spots.

And how do studies go? Mostly it is observation and collecting materials. I recently returned from an expedition in Azerbaijan; I am actively working on that territory now. It is a very poorly studied compact area with rich flora and fauna.

— You have been to many places. Which trip was most memorable?

— I worked a lot in Mongolia. We did our first expedition in 1999. I was a very young guy then. In total, I have worked 15 seasons in this most interesting country. As a result, my colleagues and I wrote a big beautiful book on local butterflies.

Then there was Africa: Zimbabwe, Mozambique, South Africa, Mali, Namibia, Botswana. These studies provided a huge amount of scientific novelty. They were also useful for broadening horizons and for teaching: students trust you more if you have seen all these hippos, elephants, lions, and giraffes yourself.

Now Polina Pavlova is entering my doctoral program; she will work on African topics. In general, my students are undoubtedly among the elite of Russian entomology: Svyatoslav Knyazev from Omsk, Alexander Fomichev from Novosibirsk, Yuri Dyachkov from Barnaul. They have a huge number of publications and a wide range of trips across Siberia, the Far East, the Caucasus, Central Asia, and even tropical regions: South Africa, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea. Another talented doctoral student, Artyom Naidenov, completed a dissertation on the fauna of the New World.

— Since you often visit places with many dangerous insects, maybe share a life hack on how to protect against them?

— Obviously, you should use mosquito nets, repellents, and head nets, but there are more specific methods. For example, in camp we used special industrial fumigators that help create an insect-free dome.

I can probably recommend washing more often with cold water, as heated bodies are attractive to mosquitoes. You can also wear white clothing; it is less interesting to insects.

— And where do insects come from in the house? Spiders, woodlice, and others.

— For example, in a damp environment, silverfish can appear, small spiders, and spider mites are always in houses. Because they have a food base in the house: food leftovers, book glue, fur and wool items, and so on. It is clear that under unsanitary conditions, cockroaches, bedbugs, and lice will appear. But now this is not a common occurrence.

— Speaking of cockroaches. Is it true they are so hardy they could survive a nuclear war?

— God only knows. Not worth testing. But I will note that cockroaches have not changed much over millions of years of existence. This is evidence that evolution made them so adaptable that they did not need modernization to survive.

— It seems there are fewer cockroaches now...

— Yes, fewer, significantly fewer. I don«t know what that is linked to. There are various opinions: pesticides, some radiation.

— Another common myth is about the danger of large long-legged mosquitoes. Why did that come about? And why are we afraid of insects at all?

— They are not dangerous, although people for some reason have called them malaria mosquitoes. But they do not bite at all; they just look a bit exotic. That is why they cause irrational fear in people.

There are many factors linked to irrational fears. Probably, they have remained with us since the times when our ancestors lived in tropical environments where there were more poisonous insects, and archetypal forms of behavior became evolutionarily fixed.

— Are there insects whose existence we do not yet know about because we have not found them?

— I think more than half. That is, if we know about 1,500,000 species, then even more are undiscovered. Because biodiversity in tropical regions simply staggers the imagination.

If you enjoy science interviews, check out our other conversations. For example, we talked about medicine with science journalist and medical blogger Alexei Vodovozov. And here you can learn a bit more about forensic examination — about the profession, popular lecturer and doctor Alexei Reshetun told us.