The decline in invertebrates also affects the functioning of ecosystems, including two critical ecosystem services: aboveground pest control and belowground decomposition of organic material, according to a new study published in Current Biology and led by researchers at the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) and Leipzig University.
The study provides evidence that loss of invertebrates leads to a reduction in important ecosystem services and to the decoupling of ecosystem processes, making immediate protection measures necessary.
Invertebrates, such as insects and also other arthropods, snails, slugs and nematodes, represent ~75% of all species described on Earth and are a fundamental part of ecosystems, providing many critical ecosystem functions and services, such as pollination, decomposition, and natural pest control.
Human-caused environmental changes, in particular land-use change, landscape simplification, and urbanization, including habitat loss and chemical pollution, have been driving the global decline of invertebrates in recent decades. However, measuring the potential effect of this loss has so far proven difficult.
“The manipulation of aboveground invertebrate communities has been a major challenge in ecological research, because of their functional diversity and mobility,” explains Nico Eisenhauer, lead author and professor for Experimental Interaction Ecology at iDiv and Leipzig University.
2023-09-26 16:48:02
Source from phys.org