The impacts of long-term declines in insect abundance on ecosystem function

昆虫的困境引起了全世界科学界和广大公众的关注。最近，一项为期27年的研究激发了人们的兴趣1，该研究表明，德国保护区的飞虫生物量减少了75%，很快被贴上了“生态世界末日”的标签。如果在其他生境和区域也发生这种情况，这种损失的规模可能会对昆虫在生态系统功能中的作用（例如授粉、害虫防治、养分循环以及作为其他物种的食物资源）产生重大影响。有必要了解昆虫种群状况与人类驱动的环境变化（如气候变化和栖息地退化）之间的联系，以及它们对支撑人类福祉的生态系统功能和服务的恢复力的影响。

The plight of insects has generated worldwide attention from the scientific community and wider public. Recent interest was stimulated by a 27 year study1 suggesting a loss of 75% in the biomass of flying insects from Protected Areas in Germany, quickly labelled as 'ecological Armageddon'. If replicated in other habitats and regions, the scale of this loss is likely to have major implications for the role of insects in ecosystem functioning (e.g. pollination, pest control, nutrient cycling and as a food resource for other species). There is a need to understand the linkages between the status of insect populations and human-driven environmental changes, such as climate change and habitat degradation, and their impact on the resilience of ecosystem functions and services which underpin human well-being.