Impact of Climate Change on Communities, Response and Migration of Insects, Nematodes, Vectors and Natural Enemies in Diverse Ecosystems

Abstract

Global climate change, the current burning issue around the globe, is the change in climate for an extended period of time, due to either natural variability or human activities. It exerts a multitude of threats to human life in various forms. Global average temperature increased by 1.2 C since the industrial revolution. By the end of the twenty-first century, the global average temperature is projected to increase by 1.4–7.5 C and CO2 by 560 ppm, if the uncontrolled anthropogenic activities continue with the same speed to meet the demanding needs of growing population. Rising temperature directly affects the biology and physiology of insect communities by shortening the life cycle and increasing the number of generations which aggravate the pest problems. The feeding rate of the insect pests increases by 25% to meet their nutritional requirements in the form of amino acids under elevated CO2 (500 ppm). Global climate change also affects the migratory pattern and behaviour of insects like locusts, monarch butterflies and fruit flies. Recently in India, the pest scenario of cotton, rice and other ecosystems is being changed; with the minor pests becoming major pests, invasion of new pests and pest outbreaks under specific climatic conditions are true evidences of changing climate besides the outbreaks of vector-borne diseases like malaria, dengue, chikungunya, filariasis and leishmaniasis. Mitigation activities from all sectors are essential in the form of increased use of alternative substances, energy efficiency improvements and short-term emission reduction steps to counteract the adverse effects of climate change in future. The development of pest management strategies to reduce insect pest population under changing climate is the challenging task ahead of the scientific community. In this chapter, we have discussed the impact of climate change on insect pests of forest, agriculture, nematodes and vectors of human diseases.