利用“群落基因组学”方法，研究团队估计了数百万年来斐济群岛蚂蚁物种的群落聚集和最近的人口统计学趋势。该研究团队发现79%的特有物种正在减少，从大约3000年前人类到达后开始，在过去的300年里加速，而最近的到来正在扩大。发现特有种种群数量下降的主要相关因素是对生境干扰的敏感性。本研究证明了当代收集资料对估算长期群落趋势的价值，并强调了特有岛屿物种对人为变化的脆弱性。
据介绍，全世界的昆虫数量都在下降，但这种下降的程度和原因仍存在争议。大多数研究依赖于过去一个世纪进行的实地调查，对长期趋势的理解存在差距。
附：英文原文
Title: Genomic signatures indicate biodiversity loss in an endemic island ant fauna
Author: Cong Liu, Eli Sarnat, Jo Ann Tan, Julia Janicki, John Deyrup, Masako Ogasawara, Miquel L. Grau, Lijun Qiu, Francisco Hita Garcia, Georg Fischer, Akanisi Caginitoba, Nitish Narula, Clive T. Darwell, Yasuhiro Kubota, Naomi E. Pierce, Alexander S. Mikheyev, Evan P. Economo
Issue&Volume: 2025-09-11
Abstract: Insect populations have declined worldwide, but the extent and drivers of these declines are debated. Most studies rely on field surveys performed in the past century, leaving gaps in our understanding of longer-term trends. Using a “community genomics” approach, we estimated community assembly over millions of years and more recent demographic trends of ant species in the Fijian archipelago. We found that 79% of endemic species are in decline, starting after the arrival of humans approximately 3000 years ago and accelerating in the past 300 years, whereas recent arrivals are expanding. The primary correlate of population decline among endemic species was found to be sensitivity to habitat disturbance. This study demonstrates the value of contemporary collections for estimating long-term community trends and highlights the vulnerability of endemic island species to anthropogenic change.
DOI: ads3004
Source: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.ads3004