Climate structures global associations between human footprint and arthropod diversity
Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: Human pressure is widely regarded as a major driver of insect decline, yet whether its impact is globally uniform remains unknown. This is because most arthropod species are undescribed, available diversity metrics often disagree and are sensitive to sampling efforts, and many existing analyses combine heterogeneous sampling designs. Using data on 11.5 million arthropods collected across all continents via standardized protocols, we find that the association between human foot-print and arthropod diversity is structured by climate: richness is 17%, 19%, and 24% lower at heavily impacted sites in temperate, tropical, and dry regions, and increases in polar ones. These patterns are revealed by Hubbell regression, a novel statistical model that enables reliable comparisons across unequal sampling efforts in terms of familiar biodiversity indicators. Together, the data and the method make the human imprint on undescribed biodiversity measurable at a global scale.
Language: English
Subfield: Nature and Landscape Conservation
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
SDGs: Life on land, Climate action
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7163205178