Insects even disappear from “intact” landscapes, warns the study

Insects in distant ecosystems decrease rapidly. Climate change is probably the cause.

A recent survey of the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill revealed that the number of insects fell strongly, even in landscapes with few direct human disturbances. This trend raises serious concerns for the stability of ecosystems based on insects for essential functions.

Keith Sockman, an associate professor of biology at UNC-Chapel Hill, monitored the populations of flying insects on 15 seasons of land between 2004 and 2024 in a subalpine meadow of Colorado. The site provided 38 years of meteorological files and has experienced a minimal human impact. Its analysis showed an average annual reduction of 6.6% of the abundance of insects, which represents a loss of 72.4% over two decades. The decline was strongly linked to the increase in summer temperatures.

Ecological importance of insects

“Insects have a unique position, but not very favorable in the biodiversity crisis because of ecological services, such as nutrient cycling and pollination, they provide and their vulnerability to environmental change,” said Sockman. “Insects are necessary for land and freshwater ecosystems to work.”

These results help to fill an important gap in global research of insects. Although many studies on the decline of insects emphasize ecosystems strongly modified by humans, much less have examined populations in largely intact environments. This work shows that net reductions can still occur in such areas, pointing climate change as a probable driving factor.

“Several recent studies report significant insect reductions through a variety of ecosystems altered by humans, in particular in North America and Europe,” said Sockman. “Most of these studies report ecosystems that have been directly affected by humans or surrounded by impacted areas, raising questions about insects and their engines in more natural areas.”

Mountain ecosystems in danger

Sockman emphasizes the urgency of these results for the conservation of biodiversity: “The mountains are hosted by a disproportionate number of endemic numbers adapted locally speciesincluding insects. Thus, the status of the mountains as hot points of biodiversity can be in danger if the decreases indicated here reflect the trends largely. »»

This research highlights the need for more complete monitoring of insect populations in a variety of landscapes and adds urgency to the fight against climate change. By showing that even distant ecosystems are not immune, the study underlines the global scale of the biodiversity crisis.

Reference: “Long -term decline of mountain insects under the warming summers” by Keith W. Sockman, September 4, 2025, Ecology.
Two: 10.1002 / Ecy. 70187

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