Herbivory in global climate change research: direct effects of rising temperature on insect herbivores

Abstract

This review examines the direct effects of climate change on insect herbivores. Temperature is identified as the dominant abiotic factor directly affecting herbivorous insects. There is little evidence of any direct effects of CO2 or UVB. Direct impacts of precipitation have been largely neglected in current research on climate change. Temperature directly affects development, survival, range and abundance. Species with a large geographical range will tend to be less affected. The main effect of temperature in temperate regions is to influence winter survival; at more northerly latitudes, higher temperatures extend the summer season, increasing the available thermal budget for growth and reproduction. Photoperiod is the dominant cue for the seasonal synchrony of temperate insects, but their thermal requirements may differ at different times of year. Interactions between photoperiod and temperature determine phenology; the two factors do not necessarily operate in tandem. Insect herbivores show a number of distinct life‐history strategies to exploit plants with different growth forms and strategies, which will be differentially affected by climate warming. There are still many challenges facing biologists in predicting and monitoring the impacts of climate change. Future research needs to consider insect herbivore phenotypic and genotypic flexibility, their responses to global change parameters operating in concert, and awareness that some patterns may only become apparent in the longer term.

Climate change impacts on extreme events in the United States: an uncertainty analysis

“…Decreases in extreme cold events can result in earlier springs, longer growing seasons, and higher crop productivity, which have been observed in the past few decades (Hicke et al 2002). At the same time, it can result in decreases in the number of frost days and the expansion of the frost-free zone (see Online Resource 3), which would increase the survival of many insects and pests as well as the spread of crop diseases (Bale et al 2002). Changes in extreme temperatures can also impact human morbidity and mortality (Luber and McGeehin 2008;O'Neill and Ebi 2009).…”

Will climate change be beneficial or detrimental to the invasive swede midge in North America? Contrasting predictions using climate projections from different general circulation models

“…Some will adapt to the changes, some will move, and some will go extinct. Insects in particular are likely to be affected by climate change because they are ectothermic and are sensitive to precipitation (Bale et al, 2002). Small fluctuations in climate variables, such as temperature and precipitation, could dramatically influence their metabolic function, rates of consumption and development, migration, voltinism, larval emergence and survival (Beaumont & Hughes, 2002), and hence their geographic distribution.…”

Starch, growth, and development in cuttings of rootstock 'Paulsen 1103' from plants infested with ground pearl

“…Biological activities of insects, in general, are related to environmental aspects, particularly temperature, which can be considered as a pest strategy, adapting its biological cycle to the phenological synchrony of the plant (BALE et al, 2002). Therefore, if it was considered that the ground pearl has a cycle of about 1 year in southern Brazil (BOTTON et al, 2004) and that phases of higher metabolic activity and growth of the vine (increased circulation of nutrients) and of the insect are coincident in the warmer months of the year (October-April for the southern hemisphere), the lower growth observed in the branches may be a consequence of the diversion of nutrients related to the eating habits of the cochineal.…”