Micronutrients, key to the diversity and abundance of soil insects in tropical forests

by the Biodiversity Research Institute (IRBio)
June 25, 2025

Soil insect communities in tropical forests are among the richest and most complex, but the mechanisms that structure them remain largely unknown. Identifying whether nutrient availability plays a relevant role in the assembly of these communities poses several challenges due to the diverse nutritional requirements of insects.

The study published in the scientific journal Ecosphere shows that the availability of micronutrients such as sodium, potassium, magnesium and calcium is a determining factor in the structure of soil insect communities in tropical forests. This work was carried out by researcher Miquel Ferrín from CREAF, during his thesis work supervised by Dr. Peguero from the Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat de la Universidad de Barcelona- IRBio and Dr. Peñuelas from CREAF in collaboration with an international team of scientists

Keep reading: http://www.ub.edu/irbio/micronutrients-key-to-the-diversity-and-abundance-of-soil-insects-in-tropical-forests-n-1231-en

Read the Ecosphere paper: https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ecs2.70200