Addressing global challenges with unconventional insect ecosystem services: Why should humanity care about insect larvae?

People and Nature

article

Juliano Morimoto¹ 

[1] School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen

关键词: caterpillars;    climate change;    edible insects;    ethnobiology;    grubs;    indigenous culture;    maggots;    renewable energy;   

DOI  :  10.1002/pan3.10115

学科分类：护理学

来源: Wiley

【 摘 要 】

Ecosystem services are essential for the health of current and future generations and key to the sustainable development of our societies. The role of insects in providing ecosystem services has been increasingly recognized, becoming the focus of several management and conservation initiatives world-wide. However, ecosystem services framework traditionally overlooks the full range of services that can be provided by insects, largely because services provided by life stages other than the insect adult are often neglected. In this paper, I first review the traditional ecosystem services primarily attributed to insects, namely edible insects and mass-rearing for biological control. Next, I provide a collection of unconventional ecosystem services provided by insect larvae which highlights the importance of considering life stage-specific services in a holistic view of the ecosystem services framework. In particular, I discuss recent advances that revealed how insect larvae can degrade plastic, which is one of humanity's greatest environmental pollutants, and how larvae can be used to produce biofuel to help overcome the increasing contribution of the fossil fuel industry to climate change. I then discuss how toxic compounds produced by the larvae of some insects provide potential new medicines for clinical treatment and lastly, I discuss a unique example of how the larval stage of insects is entrenched into the cultural values of Aboriginal communities in Australia. In conclusion, by acknowledging life stage-specific ecosystem services provided by insects, this paper raises awareness of unconventional services that can underpin innovative solutions to contemporary global challenges, which can ultimately help create more sustainable and culturally diverse societies.

【 授权许可】

CC BY