Insect Declines Threaten Ecosystem Services and Vertebrate Survival, Study Finds

A new international study by 21 researchers funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation has mapped the wide-ranging roles insects play beyond food. The team highlighted that insects engineer habitats—termite and ant nests provide climate‑controlled sites for reptiles, frogs, and even gazelles—, defend other species—horned lizards and poisonous frogs use ant toxins, and protect predators by deterring attacks with wasp nests. Insects also clean ecosystems, breaking down carcasses and dung to reduce disease, and control disease vectors, with dragonfly larvae eating mosquito larvae and mosquitoes used to curb invasive rabbits in Australia. Declines in insect abundance over the past decade could ripple through food webs, reducing pollination of key plants, altering predator‑prey dynamics, and destabilizing ecosystems that support charismatic vertebrates and human livelihoods alike.