# Meta-analysis reveals negative but highly variable impacts of invasive alien species across terrestrial insect orders

## TL;DR

This study finds that invasive species significantly reduce insect abundance and diversity, with effects varying by insect type and invader kind.

## Contribution

The paper provides the first global meta-analysis quantifying the impact of invasive species on terrestrial insect orders.

## Key findings

- Invasive species reduce insect abundance by 31% and richness by 26%.
- Animal invaders have stronger negative impacts than plant invaders.
- Hemiptera and Hymenoptera are more affected than Coleoptera.

## Abstract

Insects are crucial to ecosystem functioning but face numerous threats, with invasive alien species likely among the most severe. As insect declines continue, there is a growing need to synthesise evidence on how invasive alien species affect insects, as research has historically focused more on insects as invaders than as victims. Here we conduct a global meta-analysis encompassing 318 effect sizes across 52 studies, assessing invasive alien species impact on terrestrial insect orders (Coleoptera, Hemiptera, Hymenoptera, and Orthoptera), and examining factors influencing these effects. We show that invasive alien species reduce the abundance of insects included in our study by 31%, and species richness by 26%, though these impacts are highly variable across taxa. Stronger negative impacts are found for invasive alien animals compared to invasive alien plants, and for Hemiptera (true bugs) and Hymenoptera (bees, wasps, ants) compared to Coleoptera (beetles). These findings provide quantitative estimates for the relative vulnerability of insects to invasive alien species, which is an important step towards halting declines.

Insects are crucial for ecosystem functioning but face multiple threats, including invasive alien species. Here the authors quantify impacts of invasive alien species on four insect orders, with effects varying by insect group and type of invader.