Impacts on Insect and Mite Pests

Abstract

The occurrence of climate changes is evident from increase in global average temperature, changes in the rainfall pattern, and extreme climatic events. Climate and weather can substantially influence the fauna, flora, population dynamics development, and distribution of insects. Anthropogenically induced climatic change arising from increasing levels of atmospheric greenhouse gases would, therefore, be likely to have a significant effect on agricultural insect pests. Current best estimates of changes in climate indicate an increase in global mean annual temperatures of 1 °C by 2025 and 3 °C by the end of the next century. Such increases in temperature have a number of implications for temperature-dependent insect pests in midlatitude regions. Changes in climate may result in changes in geographical distribution, increased overwintering, changes in population growth rates, increases in the number of generations, extension of the development season, changes in crop–pest synchrony, changes in interspecific interactions, and increased risk of invasion by migrant pests.