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Insects
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Arthropods in Ecosystem Resilience: Biodiversity, Distribution, and Conservation Strategies
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Arthropods in Ecosystem Resilience: Biodiversity, Distribution, and Conservation Strategies

A special issue of Insects (ISSN 2075-4450). This special issue belongs to the section "Insect Ecology, Diversity and Conservation".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2025 | Viewed by 3778

Special Issue Editor

Dr. María Villa

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Centro de Investigação de Montanha (CIMO), Instituto Politécnico de Bragança, Campus de Santa Apolónia, 5300-253 Bragança, Portugal
2. Laboratório para a Sustentabilidade e Tecnologia em Regiões de Montanha, Instituto Politécnico de Bragança, Campus de Santa Apolónia, 5300-253 Bragança, Portugal
Interests: conservation biological control; plant-arthropod interactions; landscape ecology; arthropod ecology; agroecology; sustainability
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Arthropods are the most abundant and diverse group of animals on Earth, playing indispensable roles in ecosystem functioning. They remain one of the least studied animal groups despite their ecological importance. Recent studies have documented alarming declines in arthropod diversity and abundance, primarily driven by agricultural intensification, climate change, habitat loss, pollution, and the widespread use of insecticides, with severe challenges to ecosystem stability and human well-being.

The conservation of arthropods is, therefore, critical to maintaining biodiversity and ensuring the functionality of ecosystems. Protected areas, as pristine regions where biodiversity exists with minimal human intervention, offer unique opportunities to study the natural dynamics of arthropod populations and their critical roles in ecosystem processes.

This Special Issue welcomes research articles, reviews, and opinion papers exploring arthropods' biodiversity, ecology, and ecosystem functions, particularly in conservation-priority regions such as protected areas. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Arthropod ecology, including resource preferences and habitat requirements.
  • Ecosystem services provided by arthropods.
  • Comparative studies of biodiversity and ecological functions under varying levels of human intervention.
  • Patterns and drivers of arthropod distribution, including biogeographical and environmental influences.
  • Investigations of arthropod diversity in biodiversity hotspots.
  • Impact of management and landscape factors on arthropod populations, ecological functions, and services.
  • Trophic and other ecological interactions among arthropods and other organisms within ecosystems.

This Special Issue aims to deepen our understanding of the role of arthropods in ecosystem resilience and to inform strategies for their conservation in a changing world. We invite researchers to contribute their insights and findings to advance this critical field of study.

Dr. María Villa
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Insects is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • arthropods
  • biodiversity
  • distribution
  • conservation
  • ecology
  • environmental impact

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 1618 KB  
Article
Impact of Biogenic Structures of the Soil-Nesting Ants Lasius niger and Lasius flavus on the Soil Microarthropod Community in Urban Green Spaces
by Maria Sterzyńska, Dariusz J. Gwiazdowicz, Paweł Nicia, Paweł Zadrożny, Gema Trigos-Peral and Mohamed W. Negm
Insects 2025, 16(10), 1058; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects16101058 - 17 Oct 2025
Viewed by 538
Abstract
Organisms that physically modify their environment, known as ecosystem engineers, can influence resource availability, species interactions and the structure of soil communities. However, the specific effect of ecosystem engineers like ants on the abundance and diversity of non-engineering soil organisms remains understudied. To [...] Read more.
Organisms that physically modify their environment, known as ecosystem engineers, can influence resource availability, species interactions and the structure of soil communities. However, the specific effect of ecosystem engineers like ants on the abundance and diversity of non-engineering soil organisms remains understudied. To address this knowledge gap, we conducted a survey of a multi-taxon belowground community of soil microarthropods—Collembola, Mesostigmata, Oribatida and Actinedida—in urban areas, comparing nest mounds of the ant species Lasius niger and Lasius flavus with areas without ant-nesting activity (control). We hypothesised differences in abundance and distribution patterns of different soil microarthropod taxa between ant mounds and the control soil. We also hypothesised that ant-induced soil disturbance is species-specific, and may result in different patterns of diversity and composition of soil microarthropod assemblages within trophic levels, such as among detritivores (e.g., Collembola) and predators (e.g., Mesostigmata). Our results reveal how ecological filters shape different soil microarthropod groups’ responses to ant-driven changes in their environment. As we expected, soil disturbance caused by ant nest-building activity significantly influenced the abundance, distribution patterns and diversity of soil microarthropods, especially in the assembly of detritivorous—but not predatory—guilds of soil microarthropods. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Arthropods in Ecosystem Resilience: Biodiversity, Distribution, and Conservation Strategies)
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16 pages, 1311 KB  
Article
Differences in Diversity of Collembola Communities Between Primary and Secondary Forests and Driving Factors
by Mingxin Zheng, Zhijing Xie, Yueying Li, Zhuoma Wan, Haozhe Shi, Liping Wang, Qiaoqiao Ji, Zhaojun Wang and Donghui Wu
Insects 2025, 16(8), 853; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects16080853 - 17 Aug 2025
Viewed by 947
Abstract
Primary forests harbor extraordinary biodiversity, but conversion from primary forests to secondary forests often leads to biodiversity loss and diminished ecosystem functioning. While much of the existing research has focused on plants and vertebrates, soil fauna—particularly Collembola—remain underexplored in this context. To address [...] Read more.
Primary forests harbor extraordinary biodiversity, but conversion from primary forests to secondary forests often leads to biodiversity loss and diminished ecosystem functioning. While much of the existing research has focused on plants and vertebrates, soil fauna—particularly Collembola—remain underexplored in this context. To address this gap, we conducted a comprehensive assessment of the Collembola diversity and community composition in primary and secondary forests across two regions in northeastern China. Among 5587 Collembola individuals, 69 morphospecies were identified. The Collembola abundance and Shannon–Wiener index were significantly higher in primary forests, although the species richness did not differ significantly between the forest types. In contrast, the community composition differed markedly, with several taxa found exclusively in primary forests. Notably, environmental factors exerted stronger influences on Collembola communities in primary forests, suggesting that these ecosystems may be more vulnerable to climate change and external disturbances. These findings demonstrate that primary forests play a crucial role in protecting soil fauna diversity and emphasize that future conservation efforts should focus on the strict protection of primary forests. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Arthropods in Ecosystem Resilience: Biodiversity, Distribution, and Conservation Strategies)
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13 pages, 5283 KB  
Article
Assessing the Conservation Priority of Alpine Carabid Beetle Communities by Mapping the Index of Natural Value (INV) in Natura 2000 Habitats in the Brenta Dolomites (Italian Alps)
by Emiliano Peretti, Marco Armanini, Roberta Chirichella, Andrea Mustoni and Mauro Gobbi
Insects 2025, 16(6), 602; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects16060602 - 7 Jun 2025
Viewed by 997
Abstract
The Dolomites (European Alps) are a UNESCO World Heritage Site known to harbor distinctive communities of carabid beetles adapted to high-altitude environments, whose composition is shaped mainly by landform and habitat type. We aimed to assess the conservation priority of carabid beetle communities [...] Read more.
The Dolomites (European Alps) are a UNESCO World Heritage Site known to harbor distinctive communities of carabid beetles adapted to high-altitude environments, whose composition is shaped mainly by landform and habitat type. We aimed to assess the conservation priority of carabid beetle communities in the Brenta mountain group (Italy). We used the Index of Natural Value (INV), based on the relative frequencies and abundances of highly specialized Alpine species, as a proxy of the sensitivity to disturbance, and, thus, to the vulnerability of the carabid beetle communities to extinction. We used information on Natura 2000 habitat cover to produce a map for identifying areas of the Brenta Dolomites inhabited by the carabid beetle communities most relevant for conservation. We also report on the main differences in terms of species composition between the investigated communities. We found a positive correlation between vulnerability and altitude. Specifically, the most vulnerable communities were recorded in high-altitude habitat types (limestone cliffs and pavements, calcareous and calcschist screes, and alpine calcareous grasslands). Alkaline fens resulted in having the least vulnerable community, while those in all other habitats (bush and forests) were found to have intermediate levels of vulnerability. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Arthropods in Ecosystem Resilience: Biodiversity, Distribution, and Conservation Strategies)
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16 pages, 31608 KB  
Article
Wing Variability in Some Andean Brown Lacewing Insects as an Adaptive Survival Strategy (Insecta, Neuropterida, Neuroptera: Hemerobiidae)
by Víctor J. Monserrat and Óscar Gavira
Insects 2025, 16(4), 401; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects16040401 - 11 Apr 2025
Viewed by 688
Abstract
The variability in shape and coloration patterns associated with strategies of crypsis increases the environmental entropy and makes it more difficult for a potential predator to learn a certain prey to locate. To demonstrate this concept, we composed images of the wings of [...] Read more.
The variability in shape and coloration patterns associated with strategies of crypsis increases the environmental entropy and makes it more difficult for a potential predator to learn a certain prey to locate. To demonstrate this concept, we composed images of the wings of two Hemerobiidae species (Gayomyia falcata and Megalomus stangei) on a leaf background and then optically analyzed them by calculating the entropy of the images (in color as well as grayscale). For comparison, we colored the wings of Hemerobiidae artificially, and the analysis was repeated with these non-cryptic wings. The results indicate that the artificially colored wings reduce the entropy of the image, facilitating the location of the specimen, while the natural wings increase the entropy, thus hiding the presence of the specimen. In this context, the more morphological and chromatic diversity that the wings show, the greater the increase in entropy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Arthropods in Ecosystem Resilience: Biodiversity, Distribution, and Conservation Strategies)
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