Potential Impacts of Climate Change on Insect Behavior

Tarun Sharma; Ayushi Singla

doi:10.37591/rrjols.v11i3.3261

Abstract

Climate change is a major source of concern across the globe. It is being fueled by an increase in global mean temperature, an increase in atmospheric CO2 concentration, and an irregular shift in yearly precipitation. This will have a significant impact on the distribution, abundance, ecology, and behaviour of all species, and specifically insects, which are poikilothermic in nature. Insects will go through multiple life cycles as a result of their fast growth rate. Also the reliability of existing insect pest economic threshold level (ETL) will be diminished as a result of changes in population dynamics, such as dispersion and migration. Climate change is having both positive and negative influence on insect behaviour in relation to economic perspective. It was observed that parasitism of the caterpillar Spodoptera littoralis by the parasitoid Microplitis rufiventris is less at 27 °C than at 20 °C. Impact of climate change (particularly CO2 concentration and temperature) on aphid biology and the potential consequences with respect to their mutualistic interactions with ants is well documented. Warming temperatures throughout the world have caused plants to flower earlier in the spring, causing pollinator species to be confused. As a result of these asynchronies, plant reproduction may be hampered, and pollinator food supplies may be limited. Many additional insect species, forest pests, disease vectors are also expected to be impacted by climate change, and may represent significant threats to food security and human health.

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