**4. Discussion**

Undeniably, insects are responsible for many of the ES provided by the ecosystems, where they occur (see **Figure 2**), covering all services categories (Provisioning, Regulating and Maintenance, and Cultural). The use of indicators of the services provided by insects will support the use of ES concept in an integrated approach (e.g., related to habitat status, drivers of change, pressures, new potential services, trade-offs), acknowledging the paramount importance of the most abundant and diverse group of organisms in the planet. From our search, we extracted (see **Table 1**) a total of 73 indicators, divided as 17 Provisional indicators, 27 Regulation and Maintenance indicators, and 29 Cultural indicators. The use of indicators has been recognized as a useful communication tool that facilitates the simplification of human-environmental systems high complexity, e.g., [13], they can be selected for mapping and assessment of ES [14] and to support specific management purposes involving ES trade-offs. As we can only protect and manage what we know, the proposed indicators might in this way give a contribution to the global International Platform of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services and to the UN Natural Capital Accounting. Looking at the indicators that emerged from this review, it is clear that there are fewer indicators for the provisional services provided by insects. This may result from a negative attitude toward insects, especially in

**Acknowledgements**

**Author details**

Ana I. Lillebø1

**References**

2004;**427**(6970):145-148

United Nations; 2003

This chapter was supported by Portuguese funds, through the national Foundation for Science and Technology – FCT to cE3c (UID/BIA/00329/2013). Thanks are also due, for the financial support to CESAM (UID/AMB/50017/2013), to FCT/MEC through national funds, and the cofunding by the FEDER, within the PT2020 Partnership Agreement and Compete 2020. A postdoctoral grant to OMCCA (SFRH/BPD/102965/2014) supported by FCT is also acknowledged.

, Amadeu M.V.M. Soares1

http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.74847

Ecosystem Services Provided by the Little Things That Run the World

and

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Olga Maria Correia Chitas Ameixa1,2\*, António Onofre Soares<sup>2</sup>

1 Biology Department and CESAM, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal

Group, Department of Biology, University of the Azores, Portugal

Paper Presented at the Proc. Neth. Entomol. Soc. Meet; 2006

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2 CE3C, Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes, Azorean Biodiversity

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\*Address all correspondence to: olga.ameixa@ua.pt

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**Figure 2.** Different ecosystem services provided by insects. A—Lacewing adult: larvae are voracious predators of eggs and immature stages of many soft bodied insect pests; B—Syrphid fly: adults are pollinators, larvae are predators of agricultural pests; C—Cricket selling in the religious ceremony "Senhor de Matosinhos", Portugal; D—Bumblebee: pollinator; E—Damselfly: predator of other insects (e.g., mosquitoes); F—Ladybird: predator of agricultural pests; G— Butterfly: non-bee pollinator; H—Tiger beetle: ground predator.

Western countries. Public perception of insects needs to be improved and the profiles of beneficial species must be raised [200] to fully preserve essential ES. The opposite occurs in more nature orientated cultures, in which apart from being important food sources, insects are also providers of materials and medicines. However, this potential is at risk, threatened by current environmental changes which are contributing to the degradation of insect habitats. The lack of important ES providers has greatly affected human lives around the world, e.g., the decline of pollinator species. Its consequences can be devastating, especially in a context of current predictions of food shortage to feed an increasing world population, since abiotic pollination or pollination carried by other animals is not so effective, which makes insect pollination an irreplaceable service.

Citing the famous entomologist Edward Osborne Wilson: "If insects were to vanish, the terrestrial environment would soon collapse into chaos" and "More respect is due the little things that run the world."
