Recognizing the quiet extinction of invertebrates

Invertebrates are central to the functioning of ecosystems, yet they are underappreciated and understudied. Recent work has shown that they are suffering from rapid decline. Here we call for a greater focus on invertebrates and make recommendations for future investigation.

[1]  M. Schloter,et al.  Biodiversity at multiple trophic levels is needed for ecosystem multifunctionality , 2016, Nature.

[2]  Sebastian T Meyer,et al.  Towards a standardized Rapid Ecosystem Function Assessment (REFA). , 2015, Trends in ecology & evolution.

[3]  R. Dirzo,et al.  Defaunation in the Anthropocene , 2014, Science.

[4]  E. Wilson The Little Things That Run the world* (The Importance and Conservation of Invertebrates) , 1987 .

[5]  M. Schütz,et al.  Size-dependent loss of aboveground animals differentially affects grassland ecosystem coupling and functions , 2018, Nature Communications.

[6]  J. Schnoor,et al.  Citizen Science , 2017 .

[7]  J. Biesmeijer,et al.  Safeguarding pollinators and their values to human well-being , 2016, Nature.

[8]  R. Julliard,et al.  The European Butterfly Indicator for Grassland species: 1990-2015 , 2015 .

[9]  H. de Kroon,et al.  More than 75 percent decline over 27 years in total flying insect biomass in protected areas , 2017, PloS one.

[10]  C. Wirth,et al.  Biodiversity across trophic levels drives multifunctionality in highly diverse forests , 2018, Nature Communications.

[11]  Erin K. Cameron,et al.  Global gaps in soil biodiversity data , 2018, Nature Ecology & Evolution.

[12]  E. Wilson,et al.  The Barometer of Life , 2010, Science.

[13]  J. Greenwood,et al.  Comparative Losses of British Butterflies, Birds, and Plants and the Global Extinction Crisis , 2004, Science.

[14]  Walter Jetz,et al.  Monitoring biodiversity change through effective global coordination , 2017 .