Asquith, A.; Lattin, J. D.; Moldenke, A. R. 1990. Arthropods: the invisible diversity. The Northwest Environmental Journal. 6: 404-405.
The interest in old-growth forests of all types is part of a largerconcern for the loss of biological diversity in general (Wilson, editor.1988. Biodiversity. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press). Therate of habitat modification and destruction is escalating, and withit the accompanying loss of species and the unique genetic infor-mation they contain. Animal diversity in terrestrial ecosystems isnearly synonymous with arthropod (insects and their allies) diver-sity. Arthropod species are associated with every plant and verte-brate species in every habitat type. Their ecological functions arethe very fabric of food webs—digesting the plants, recycling thesoil nutrients, and as food sources for and parasites of vertebrates.