CANBERRA, Sept. 12 (Xinhua) -- 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 a statement released Friday by the Australian National University (ANU).

"Ants are part of 'little things that run the world' and are critical for maintaining healthy ecosystems," said ANU Professor Alexander Mikheyev, the senior author of the study published in science.

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 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.

"Being closed, isolated ecosystems, islands are expected to feel the effects of human impact faster, so they are kind of a canary in the coal mine," Liu said. ■