There are over one million described invertebrate species on Earth, the majority of which are likely to inhabit the highly biodiverse rain forests around the equator. These are some of the most vulnerable ecosystems on Earth due to the pressures of deforestation and climate change with many of their inhabitants at risk of extinction. Invertebrates play a major role in ecosystem functioning from decomposition and nutrient cycling to herbivory and pollination; however, while our understanding of these roles is improving, we are far from being able to predict the consequences of further deforestation, climate change, and biodiversity loss due to the lack of comparative data and the high proportion of species which remain to be discovered. As we move into an era of increased pressure on old-growth habitats and biodiversity, it is imperative that we understand how changes to invertebrate communities, and the extinction of species, affect ecosystems. Innovative and comprehensive methods that approach these issues are needed. Here, we highlight priorities for future tropical terrestrial invertebrate research such as the efficiency of sustainable land management, exploration of innovative methods for better understanding of invertebrate ecology and behavior, and quantifying the role of invertebrates in ecosystem functioning.

中文翻译：

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热带陆生无脊椎动物——何去何从？

地球上有超过一百万种已描述的无脊椎动物物种，其中大部分可能栖息在赤道周围生物多样性丰富的雨林中。由于森林砍伐和气候变化的压力，这些生态系统是地球上一些最脆弱的生态系统，许多居民面临灭绝的危险。无脊椎动物在从分解和营养循环到食草和授粉的生态系统功能中发挥着重要作用；然而，虽然我们对这些作用的理解正在提高，但由于缺乏比较数据和仍有待发现的物种比例很高，我们还远不能预测进一步砍伐森林、气候变化和生物多样性丧失的后果。随着我们进入一个对古老栖息地和生物多样性压力越来越大的时代，我们必须了解无脊椎动物群落的变化和物种的灭绝如何影响生态系统。需要解决这些问题的创新和综合方法。在这里，我们强调了未来热带陆生无脊椎动物研究的优先事项，例如可持续土地管理的效率、探索创新方法以更好地了解无脊椎动物生态和行为，以及量化无脊椎动物在生态系统功能中的作用。