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Insect indicators of the environment: A review of progress toward environmental monitoring
Summary
Researchers review how insects serve as sensitive bioindicators of environmental pollution, synthesizing evidence that emerging contaminants including microplastics, nanoplastics, and PFAS trigger physiological, behavioral, and gut microbiome responses in insect communities, while proposing integrated monitoring frameworks combining eDNA tools with ecological modeling.
Insects are integral components of ecosystems and, due to their vast diversity and abundance, function as highly sensitive indicators of environmental health and pollution. Their primary significance lies in providing early warning signals of ecological disturbances across diverse habitats. Recent advancements, particularly in environmental DNA (eDNA) and environmental RNA (eRNA) technologies, have transformed insect-based monitoring by significantly improving the accuracy and efficiency of ecological assessments. This review synthesizes current applications of insect bioindication across various environments and discusses the integration of conventional morphological techniques with modern molecular tools. This review evaluates how environmental stressors—ranging from classical pollutants to emerging contaminants such as microplastics, nanoplastics, per - and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), and nanopesticides—affect insect communities. By examining multidimensional responses, including physiological alterations, behavioral shifts, and gut microbiome dysbiosis, this review highlights the robustness of insects as indicators of pollutant exposure and ecological risk. Finally, this review outlines future directions, emphasizing the standardization of monitoring frameworks, technological convergence, and adaptive strategies for global change, ultimately providing a theoretical and technical foundation for advanced environmental monitoring and ecological protection. • Systematically reviews the application and mechanisms of insects as multidimensional bioindicators in environmental monitoring. • Clarifies that environmental DNA/RNA technologies markedly improve the accuracy and efficiency of insect community monitoring. • Analyzes the physiological and molecular responses of insects to emerging pollutants including microplastics and PFAS. • Proposes an integrated monitoring framework integrating molecular tools, ecological modeling and intelligent sensing. • Discusses adaptive pathways and standardization challenges of insect bioindicators under global change.