Fiji: Fiji's native ant species have plunged since humans arrived, highlighting the global "insect apocalypse," a new research has found. The international study involving Australian researchers reported that 79 percent of Fiji's native ant species show population declines, while non-native ants are rapidly expanding.

According to Namibia Press Agency, a statement released by the Australian National University (ANU) emphasized the critical role ants play in maintaining healthy ecosystems. ANU Professor Alexander Mikheyev, the senior author of the study published in Science, noted that ants are among the "little things that run the world."

Studies like this help identify the causes of the "insect apocalypse," the widespread loss of insect diversity and numbers around the world, Mikheyev said, adding global conservation efforts often overlook insects in favor of larger, more visible animals. The research team used small fragments of DNA from museum collections to track historic population trends across multiple species, a breakthrough in reconstructing community-wide changes, the authors said.

The researchers warned that while the study focused on the Fijian archipelago, the results signaled broader global biodiversity declines. "Most recorded animal extinctions have historically been from island groups," said the study's senior author Liu Cong from Japan's Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology. Liu highlighted that island ecosystems, being closed and isolated, are expected to feel the effects of human impact faster, serving as a warning signal for global biodiversity.