一项发表在《自然评论生物多样性》上的研究表明，昆虫对生态系统的贡献远不止充当食物来源。1由宾厄姆顿大学助理教授Eliza Grames领导的研究团队记录了数十种昆虫与脊椎动物之间的非捕食关系，包括黑猩猩利用昆虫治疗伤口、鸟类借助蚂蚁清除寄生虫、以及多种生物将白蚁丘用作庇护所等现象。1该研究强调，随着土地使用方式的改变导致昆虫群落构成发生变化，这些长期被忽视的相互作用关系变得愈加重要。1
昆虫在维持生态系统功能中承担着多方面的重要角色。1研究指出，昆虫负责分解约30%的地表凋落物和枯木，对全球森林碳储存的贡献达12%。1康涅狄格大学生态与进化生物学教授Chris Elphick表示："如果想要保护脊椎动物，就必须思考昆虫保护，但我们做得还远远不够。"1Grames将这项研究称为"生物多样性危机的警钟"。1全球估计有1400万至3000万昆虫物种，其中近四分之三的陆生和淡水脊椎动物以无脊椎动物为食。1
A study published Wednesday in Nature Reviews Biodiversity reveals that insects serve far more diverse functions in ecosystems than commonly understood, providing vertebrates with protection, hygiene, and shelter in addition to nutrition 1. Led by Eliza Grames, an assistant professor of biological sciences at Binghamton University, the research documents dozens of non-predatory relationships between insects and vertebrates, demonstrating the breadth of these ecological interactions 1. Grames characterized the findings as "a wake-up call for the biodiversity crisis" 1.
The study catalogs specific examples of these overlooked connections: over 200 bird species use ants to remove parasites from their feathers, sloths maintain mutualistic relationships with moths, and beetles have been found consuming dinosaur feathers in nests dating back to the Cretaceous period 1. Beyond these direct interactions, insects play a fundamental role in ecosystem functioning—they are responsible for decomposing approximately 30 percent of leaf litter and dead wood on the surface, accounting for 12 percent of global forest carbon storage 1. An estimated 14 million to 30 million insect species exist globally, with nearly three-quarters of terrestrial and freshwater vertebrates depending on invertebrates as a food source 1.
Chris Elphick, a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Connecticut, emphasized the implications of these findings: "If you want to protect vertebrates, you have to think about insect conservation, but we're not doing nearly enough of it" 1. As land-use changes drive shifts in insect communities, these previously neglected relationships are becoming increasingly critical to ecosystem stability 1.
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