Insect farming is promoted as a sustainable alternative to traditional livestock, offering substantial reductions in land, water, and feed use while generating fewer greenhouse gas emissions. However, the escape or release of farmed insects into non-native environments may create significant biological invasion risks, with consequences for biodiversity, human well-being, and economies. This study provides the first systematic assessment of the ecological characteristics influencing the likelihood of edible insects becoming invasive, and identifies species not yet reported as invasive that could present risks if farmed outside their native ranges. We evaluated 1,030 species (943 native and 88 introduced) spanning six insect orders (Coleoptera, Lepidoptera, Hymenoptera, Hemiptera, Orthoptera, and Blattodea) in a multidimensional functional space. Our analyses highlight the importance of both larval and adult diet breadth, macroecological factors such as temperature and humidity, and native-range distribution size as predictors of invasion potential. Using machine learning, we identified species with high invasive risk, with Orthoptera, Lepidoptera, Hemiptera, and Hymenoptera being the groups most likely to become invasive. By combining ecological variables with predictive modeling, this work provides a framework for invasion risk assessment and delivers practical guidance to support sustainable insect farming while minimizing ecological threats.

Insect research remains hindered by limited data availability and fragmented knowledge compared to other, better-documented taxonomic groups. Yet, both the macroecological and insect research communities highlight the need to integrate large-scale ecological trait datasets for insects. Insects and humans are interconnected through diverse relationships, ranging from beneficial interactions, such as the use of insects as nutritional resources, to adverse impacts, including their role in biological invasions. Understanding the traits of insects associated with human activities is therefore important for linking insects to ecosystem function and global change. We present AnthropInsect, one of the largest database on insect traits to date, which uniquely includes variables describing human-insect associations. AnthropInsect describes species through 35 variables grouped into five categories: (i) taxonomic descriptors; (ii) ecological descriptors (native bioregions and habitat); (iii) human-insect associations (edibility and invasive status); (iv) functional traits (behavior, morphology, life history and feeding); (v) and macroecological descriptors of native-range geography and climate. AnthropInsect currently includes 5855 species across six major orders: Coleoptera, Lepidoptera, Hemiptera, Hymenoptera, Orthoptera and Blattodea. Data extracted from peer-reviewed, grey literature and from existing databases were standardized and validated with expert knowledge to ensure accuracy. By providing traits data with information on insect–human interactions, this rigorously curated resource supports global research in entomology, ecology, conservation, and global change.

Researchers worldwide have drawn inspiration from nature to optimize network design and dynamics. Some of the wonders of the living world exhibit remarkable abilities in generating efficient and resilient spatial structures. By mimicking biological strategies, transportation infrastructures could be profoundly rethought. This paper aims to provide the basis for a biomimicry framework for addressing transportation networks. In light of examples from the literature, the relevance of such a framework for advancing research in nature-inspired networks is demonstrated, with the aim of achieving resilience and efficiency.

Habitat loss and fragmentation are main drivers of biodiversity decline. However, disentangling their respective effects remains tricky and contrasting results have emerged in previous studies leading to a call for finely designed landscape-scale experiments that compare different levels of habitat fragmentation at fixed habitat loss, and that for different levels of habitat loss. Here we present early-stage results from MESOLAND, a new landscape-scale experiment designed to monitor the response of ground-dwelling arthropod communities to habitat loss and fragmentation, focusing on their short-term responses. Our experiment took place in a dry grassland in France, with natural stone cover representing the habitat and bare soil with stone cover manually removed being the matrix. We thus created experimental landscapes with nine levels of habitat loss (from 0 to 99%) combined with three levels of fragmentation (low, medium, high). Ground-dwelling arthropod communities were monitored using dry pitfall traps during six non-lethal capture sessions. In the months following habitat removal, we observed a drop in the number of captured arthropods with increasing habitat loss. Humidity-dependant groups such as woodlice and silverfish were affected. We observed no effect of habitat fragmentation at any level of habitat loss and no interactive effect with habitat amount. Early-stage results following the implementation of the MESOLAND experiment indicate that habitat loss has a greater effect than habitat fragmentation on ground-dwelling arthropods communities. We expect detecting further effects in the years to come, as most species will have completed several life cycles. The results of this experiment will contribute to the ongoing debate on habitat loss versus fragmentation, providing essential knowledge for applied spatial conservation.

Increasing temperatures and resulting stronger spring and summer drought have exponentially increased irrigation in Mediterranean vineyards. So far, little is known about the potential effects of irrigation on vineyard agroecosystems. The aim of this study is to assess the effect of vineyard irrigation on vegetation, soil mesofauna, the decomposition of organic matter, grapevine yield and berry sugar content. Five pairs of vineyards were selected in South-eastern France (Luberon), each comprising an irrigated and a non-irrigated vineyard. The irrigated vineyards received on average 60 mm of water which doubles usual summer rainfall. Under-vine vegetation and soil mesofauna were analysed during the growing season (April) and the following summer drought (August). Organic matter decomposition was tested using tea bags that were buried from January to May in the grapevine row. We found a significant difference in vegetation cover between treatments in April but not in the following August. Springtail and mite abundance were only different between treatments in August being higher in irrigated vineyards. In August, we also found significant differences between treatments in the structure of the soil mesofauna community. The effect of irrigation on the decomposition of organic matter was not significant. Grapevine yield was higher in irrigated vineyards but no effect on the chlorophyll index of grapevine leaves was found. This study highlighted the effect of irrigation showing that even moderate irrigation has significant effects on Mediterranean vineyard ecosystems. The strong increase of irrigated vineyards advocates for further research to obtain a better understanding of irrigation consequences under different pedoclimatic conditions.

Soil is a key compartment providing important ecosystem services for sustainable agriculture. Our study examined the effects of three inter-row vegetation types on soil biological activity, mesofauna, and organic matter decomposition in 15 Mediterranean vineyards of South-eastern France. The three vegetation types included inter-rows sown with a high-diversity plant mixture, inter-rows with spontaneous vegetation, and tilled inter-rows with very low vegetation cover. Soil respiration was measured as a proxy of soil biological activity, mesofauna was extracted using the Berl & egrave;ze-Tullgren method, and organic matter decomposition was evaluated using the tea-bag index method. Soil respiration and springtail densities were significantly higher in vegetated inter-rows, with respiration rates being twice as high and springtail densities nearly 10 times greater on average. Several springtail groups (Entomobryomorpha, Symphypleona) and mites (Mesostigmata) were more than twice as abundant in high-diversity sown inter-rows compared to tilled ones, whereas no significant differences were observed between sown and spontaneously vegetated vineyards. However, the decomposition of standardised teabag biomass was marginally higher in tilled inter-rows, suggesting that the greater biological activity and mesofauna density in vegetated inter-rows were mainly driven by higher organic matter content. Our findings highlight the beneficial effects of species-rich inter-row vegetation on soil fertility of Mediterranean vineyards.

AimBiological invasions result from the combination of (i) population dispersal opportunities and (ii) adaptations to the recipient environment. Identifying complex migration histories, made of long-distance dispersal from the native range and secondary introductions, or genetic patterns indicative of adaptation is crucial to build coherent management efforts of problematic invasive species. We here aimed at determining the routes of introduction and describing the genetic peculiarities of recent introductions of Wasmannia auropunctata, a destructive invasive ant species with a polymorphic clonal/sexual reproduction system.LocationWe focused on three recently established European populations (Cyprus, France and Spain) and their relationship with earlier worldwide introductions and the native South American range of W. auropunctata.MethodsWe used a combination of cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) sequencing and genotyping of a total of 686 European individuals at 12 microsatellite loci (from 76 nests and seven localities), together with previous worldwide datasets totalling 503 COI sequences and 6963 genotyped individuals. Phylogenetic reconstruction and genetic differentiation analyses were used to infer the origin, reproduction systems and genetic diversity of the three European populations.ResultsWe show that the history of the invasion of Europe is a mix of secondary introductions from a Mediterranean bridgehead population (Israel), and a novel long-distance introduction from a climatically similar area of northeastern Argentina. All newly introduced populations reproduce clonally and display an outbred genotypic pattern, consistent with all prior introductions and with anthropised areas of the native range.Main ConclusionsThis study confirms that preventing novel introductions is complex and requires adequate surveillance tools to simultaneously monitor areas of the native range with potential prior adaptation and previous introductions that could act as bridgeheads. Because of their ecological and genetic similarities, the fate of more ancient introductions could help us foresee what the future holds for European introductions.

As a major adaptation to climate change in European crop production, irrigation is constantly increasing, particularly in Mediterranean agroecosystems. However, changes in microclimatic conditions due to irrigation may affect agroecosystem components, including soil organisms, ground-dwelling arthropods and their associated ecological functions. This study analyses the short-term effects of irrigation on Mediterranean vineyard ecosystems during the summer drought period. Soil microorganisms (phospholipid fatty acid analysis), enzymatic activity, soil respiration, organic matter decomposition, mesofauna and ground-dwelling arthropods were analysed in South-eastern French vineyards. We set up a randomised block design in two vineyards, each comprising 12 blocks with one irrigated and one non-irrigated plot per block. All response variables were measured four times: before irrigation, during irrigation, two days after irrigation, and one month later following the first rainfall. Effects of irrigation were analysed using mixed models. Irrigation exclusion reduced the abundance and activity of microorganisms, the abundance of mites and springtails, and soil respiration. It also affected the decomposition of organic matter, as evaluated using the tea bag method. The duration of these effects varied from a few hours for microorganism abundance to one month for mesofauna abundance. No differences remained after the drought period, when late summer precipitations compensated for differences in soil moisture. As drought periods may become more frequent and severe, the effects of irrigation are likely to increase. This may lead to long-term changes in soil community composition and associated functions. Our study highlighted the need for long-term monitoring of irrigation effects, as irrigation will likely become standard practice in future.

Habitat destruction and land use intensification are major causes of arthropod decline in agroecosystems. Arthropods are key organisms that are linked to many ecosystem functions and sustainability of agriculture. Using 37 vineyards in Southern France as a model system, we analysed which characteristics of spontaneous inter-row vegetation positively influence beneficial arthropods and pest insect predation. We specifically studied the effects of flower cover, grass cover, the ratio of perennials to annuals, plant species richness and extrafloral nectar on beneficial arthropod communities in vineyards. We used direct observation and net hunting to evaluate arthropod abundance. Sentinel cards with Lucilia sp. larvae were placed on grapevine plants to analyse caterpillar predation. We found that most groups of tested beneficial arthropods were positively influenced by flower cover and plant species richness. In particular, the abundance of predators such as ladybirds (adults and larvae) and crab spiders and the abundance of parasitic wasps were positively correlated to flower cover in vineyard inter-row vegetation. The abundance of ladybirds, hoverflies and crab spiders was also positively related to plant species richness. Our results demonstrated the importance of floral resources and plant diversity for beneficial arthropods and caterpillar predation confirming their key role in biological control of pest insects.

The intensification of crop management has resulted in a decline of biodiversity in the last decades, in particular through habitat loss, fragmentation and degradation. Semi-natural habitats within agricultural landscapes such as hedges, grasslands or herbaceous field margins, provide resources and refuge to beneficial arthropods. In vineyards, extensively used inter-row vegetation may be functionally equivalent to such semi-natural habitats, and sowing of plant species rich in floral resources may improve habitat functions. In this study, three types of vineyard inter-row vegetation treatments were compared in 15 vineyards of South-eastern France: (1) sowing a high-diversity seed mixture (HD) with a high number of nectariferous plant species, (2) spontaneous vegetation, and (3) tilled inter-rows. We monitored the inter-row vegetation including problematic weeds, the abundance of beneficial arthropods, and the predation of sentinel prey. The invasive weedy grass species Cynodon dactylon showed a lower cover in HD inter-rows than in spontaneous vegetation, whereas no differences were found for the invasive herb Erigeron sumatrensis. Both weed species were still best controlled in tilled inter-rows. Beneficial arthropods were less abundant in tilled than in spontaneously vegetated and sown inter-rows. Day predation was higher in HD inter-rows than in spontaneous vegetation although no significant differences were found for observed predators. Over all treatments, plant species richness, flower and grass cover had a positive influence on several beneficial arthropod groups. Our results highlight the positive effects of species-rich inter-row vegetation on weed control, beneficial arthropod abundance and predation but also showed that further research is needed to improve the efficiency beyond services already provided by spontaneous vegetation.

Invasive ants are among the alien species causing the greatest ecological, economic and health damage. The European Union has added four ant species to their list of alien species of Union concern in 2022, based on legislation in force since 2015. This Regulation constitutes a significant progress, but we believe that several actions are still needed to overcome and fill remaining policy and implementation gaps. Managing invasive ant species with efficient strategies can avert their severe ecological and economic impacts. Resulting from collaboration between ecologists, legislators, and practitioners, we propose seven actions that will enhance the prevention, surveillance, and management of invasive ants in the EU. We recommend: (1) prohibiting the intentional introduction of all alien ants for commercial and personal purposes, except in authorized cases; (2) establishing an Invasive Ants Prevention Plan; (3) cooperating with countries at points of exit; (4) establishing an Invasive Ants Management Plan; (5) building a network of ant taxonomists to ensure rapid identification; (6) raising awareness among the public and stakeholders; and (7) creating a dedicated and secure 'Emergency Fund for Invasive Alien Species' to support the rapid response mechanism. For all actions, we provide metrics to evaluate their implementation and success. By combining our own empirical experience, the situation in other countries, and expert consultations, we believe our recommendations offer a pragmatic and achievable path to improving the European Union's resilience to this growing threat. Although the actions are developed for ants, they can be extended to other invasive species.

Global changes call for more nature-based solutions, especially in nature conservation involving ecological restoration. Current methods essentially based on civil engineering are both expensive and costly in non-renewable energy consumption and pollution terms. The non-sustainability of these techniques is leading to the direct use of certain species to restore degraded ecosystems. Ants, because of their central role in ecosystem functioning and their occurrence on almost all terrestrial ecosystems, are promising candidates for environmental monitoring and such ecological restoration projects. We provide here a narrative review of the ecological functions performed by ants, and we take stock of how ants are currently considered in passive and active restoration. We then propose a trait-based approach to facilitate their use by practitioners in future restoration projects. We list and discuss both life-history traits relevant for environmental monitoring and functional traits known to affect abiotic (physical and chemical soil properties) and biotic (plant and fauna communities) components.

Eradication of invasive alien species (IAS) is often proposed to restore invaded ecosystems, with information on subsequent ecosystem recovery key to conservation policies. Although ants perform major ecological functions in the ecosystem, their response to IAS eradication has received relatively little monitoring. This study investigated ant response to iceplant (Carpobrotus spp.) and black rat (Rattus rattus) eradications on the small Mediterranean island of Bagaud (Var, France). Ant communities were monitored over a ten-year period, including two years before eradications, at six different sites: two invaded by iceplants, two under high rat pressure, and two native vegetation sites without intervention. We found inter-annual variations in ant communities but no before-after eradication trend at both native vegetation and rat eradication sites. However, there was a clear increase in ant species richness and abundance score after the iceplant eradication. A core of common Mediterranean species, including Pheidole pallidula, Messor bouvieri, and Plagiolepis pygmaea, increased their foraging activity after the removal. As xerophilous and thermophilous species they would benefit from the return of native vegetation with possibly warmer and dryer microclimatic conditions, but also from habitat and resource diversification. The trend was even stronger on the denser and thicker iceplant eradication patch. Our results emphasize the relevance of implementing ant monitoring to evaluate the effectiveness of such restoration and conservation strategies.

The little fire ant, Wasmannia auropunctata , is one of the most widely distributed invasive alien ant species on earth, with major environmental, economic and sanitary impacts. Here we report the first established outdoor population of W. auropunctata in South East of France. We describe its detection, its extent and its early ecological impacts. Currently, the invaded area extends over around 1 ha. Given the area invaded and the first reports of stings in 2019, it is likely that W. auropunctata was introduced at least 5 years ago. Although the introduction is probably recent, negative impacts on the abundance and richness of native ants can already be observed. We have not yet recorded any impact on other arthropods. In parallel with identifying the pathway of introduction, an eradication plan is being prepared to tackle this major environmental and economic problem. Widespread species such as the little fire ant represent a new challenge for biosecurity monitoring for Europe.

Long‐term studies are needed to monitor recovery following restoration, as it may take decades or even centuries, particularly in the case of Mediterranean dry grasslands, for communities to reach their former equilibrium before the degradation occurred. A multi‐component approach is also needed to evaluate restoration success and better understand the complex impacts of former restoration projects on present‐day ecological interactions and ecosystem functions. The objective of this study was to address the restoration of a Mediterranean grassland in southern France, 20 years after implementation. Particularly, we examine the long‐term impact on soil, vegetation, and arthropods of the reintroduction of a dominant grass species ( Brachypodium retusum ) and the restoration of the natural stone cover on a degraded former cultivated field. Soil analyses revealed that reestablishing stone cover only slightly acidified the soil, while B. retusum presence enhanced soil fertility. Brachypodium retusum also decreased the nutritional value of forage and increased plant biomass and litter. Plant composition shifted with treatments: B. retusum and stone cover favored xeromesophilous species, while B. retusum alone encouraged less palatable species. The soil seed bank composition and abundance were positively influenced by stone cover but negatively impacted by B. retusum reintroduction. Negative outcomes on some arthropods and mesofauna were measured in treatments with both B. retusum and stones, except for Acari, which were positively impacted by the presence of stones. The findings emphasize that B. retusum is an ecological engineer with complex effects on the different ecosystem components.

Over the last decades, the use of irrigation in vineyards has grown exponentially in response to climate change. In the Mediterranean region, irrigation is the most widely used method of preventing water stress and high sugar content in grapes. However, little is known about potential irrigation effects on biodiversity. This study aims to understand the effect of irrigation on inter-row vegetation, on the abundance of beneficial arthropods and on the predation of pest insects. In the Luberon region of South-Eastern France, nine irrigated and nine non-irrigated vineyards were analysed. Drip irrigation was applied only during the two driest months of the growing season. We found lower flower cover in irrigated vineyards but no difference in species richness and total vegetation cover. Similarly, abundances of several beneficial arthropods were directly affected by irrigation, such as crab spiders, ladybirds, ladybird larvae and parasitic wasps. Structural equation modelling (SEM) revealed that negative irrigation effects on these arthropods were mediated by negative effects on flower cover. Predation rates were also lower in irrigated vineyards but only during daytime. Grapevine yield was not affected by irrigation. Experiments manipulating water availability under controlled conditions may help to understand this surprisingly strong effect of irrigation on flower cover and beneficial arthropod abundance.

Better understanding insects' movements could help preserve and restore the insect communities that are key to the functioning of grasslands. Recent technological advances have led to spectacular achievements in movement ecology, making it possible to track the individual movements of a wide variety of organisms, including the smallest. However, monitoring systems such as RFID tags may negatively impact an organism's life history, with potential consequences on the reliability of data and conclusions. This study explored the potential of passive RFID tags to track the movements of three small ground-dwelling beetle species, a predator (Poecilus sericeus, Carabidae), a detritivore (Asida sericea, Tenebrionidae) and a granivore (Acinopus picipes, Carabidae), in a Mediterranean dry grassland degraded by years of cultivation. First, we tested whether carrying tags might impact individuals' behaviour, using a before-and-after design under laboratory conditions. Despite a trend toward shorter displacements, we found no significant short-term effect of the tags on individuals' movements. Second, we tracked a total of 25 tagged beetles in their natural environment every 4 h for 48 h. We highlight the principal limitation of using passive tags with small terrestrial beetles: the antenna has to pass over the tags to detect them, which restricts tracking to a few consecutive days after which the probability of locating an individual is low. However, the data obtained sheds light on the biological rhythms and daily movement capabilities of our target species: A. sericea is more mobile and P. sericeus less mobile than expected. Such knowledge could help predict the species' ability to recolonise degraded areas, enabling appropriate restoration actions to be designed based on landscape ecology principles.

The Argentine ant is one of the five worst invasive ants. Recently it has been shown that one of the main compounds of its pygidial gland, iridomyrmecin, is used as a venom against competitors and enemies. Here, we explore the variability in the quantities of iridomyrmecin of individual workers, along a range of locations pertaining to both its native and invasive ranges, in order to know whether its venom could have contributed to the differential invasion success of European supercolonies. We specifically compared the amount of iridomyrmecin among supercolonies in the native range and among three invasive supercolonies: the Main supercolony (the most extended worldwide), the Corsican and the Catalonian supercolonies (both with a restricted distribution in Europe). Our main result is that the variability of the iridomyrmecin is very high. Looking at mean values, we found that the amount of iridomyrmecin of the Main supercolony was the lowest while the highest corresponded to the Corsican supercolony, with the Catalonian and the native range supercolonies having intermediate values. However, variability in the values within each supercolony was similar between supercolonies. This suggests that the success of a given invasive supercolony may not be explained by higher quantities of this defensive compound. Our results open the way for exploring the connection between defensive compounds and the invasion success of this global invader.