Invasive alien species threat to insects revealed
Research published in Nature Communications on Thursday 15 January 2026, co-authored by Dr Joseph Millard of Zoology's Agroecology Research Group, provides new insights into the threat that invasive alien species pose to terrestrial insects.
This is the first study to analyse and quantify the impact of invasive alien species on insects on a global scale. Led by the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH), the research reveals that invasive species reduce abundance of terrestrial insects by 31% on average and reduce species richness by 26%. Invasive animals outcompete or eat insects, while invasive vegetation replaces native plants that insects feed upon.
Invasive species are a major global threat, but their effects on insects have been far less studied than other pressures such as urbanisation and nutrient enrichment.
Grace Skinner, a data scientist at UKCEH leader of the study, said: “Insects are undergoing concerning declines across the world and as this trend continues, essential ecosystem services will increasingly be at risk.
“Identifying the insects most vulnerable to biological invasions will support better prioritisation of habitat management and action to prevent and control invasive alien species.” Enhancing cross-border collaborations on biosecurity is critical to preventing the spread of species to new regions.
Dr Millard added, “We hope our analysis encourages more research into how invasive alien species interact with other threats to insect biodiversity – for example how climate change might influence invasive alien species populations and amplify their impacts.”
The analysis, which was based on 52 studies from across the world, involved researchers from UKCEH, the University of Cambridge, University of Exeter, University College London, the Zoological Society of London and Stellenbosch University. It received funding from the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) as part of the GLiTRS (Global Insect Threat-Response Synthesis) project.
Read the paper: Skinner, G.L.V., Cooke, R., Roy, H.E. et al. Meta-analysis reveals negative but highly variable impacts of invasive alien species across terrestrial insect orders. Nat Commun 17, 296 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-67925-9
Image: Infographic showing impact of invasive alien species on key insect groups credit: UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology
The original article on the Department of Zoology's website was submitted by Abigail Youngman on Thu, 15/01/2026 - 11:20