Abstract

The effects of climate change on insect pest populations can be direct, through impacts on physiology/ behaviour; or indirect, through biotic interactions. Relationship between insect pests and their natural enemies will change because of global warming, resulting in both increase and decrease in the status of individual pest species. Change in temperature also alters the timing of diurnal activity patterns of different groups of insects and changes in inter-specific interactions which could also alter the effectiveness of natural enemies for pest management. The climate change affects the crop production by three ways viz., direct effect of changes in temperature, precipitation and carbon dioxide (CO₂) levels on plant growth and health; indirect effect on plant health via climate-induced changes in herbivore and competitor distribution and abundance; indirect effect on plant health via changes in higher trophic level interactions of predation, parasitism and competition on herbivore and/or competitor distribution and abundance. The effects of climate change on natural enemies that are mediated by CO₂, temperature and moisture effects on plants can be complex. Extreme weather events can influence the interactions between crops, pests, diseases and natural enemies in an unpredictable way, potentially resulting in the failure of some crop protection strategies and subsequent reductions in yields. Climate change, an emerging global phenomenon, with a potential to affect every component of agricultural ecosystems, is reported to impact insect pollinators at various levels, including their pollination efficiency.

Kumar, S., 2024. Impact of climate change on parasitoids, predators and pollinators. Plant Health Archives, 2024, online first.