Introduction to the collection: Climate change, insect pests, and beneficial arthropods in production systems

Authors: EIGENBRODE, SANFORD - University Of Idaho; ADHIKARI, SUBODH - University Of Idaho; KISTNER-THOMAS, ERICA - National Institute Of Food And Agriculture (NIFA); Neven, Lisa

Submitted to: Journal of Economic Entomology
Publication Type: Review Article
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/27/2022
Publication Date: 7/28/2022
Citation: Eigenbrode, S., Adhikari, S., Kistner-Thomas, E., Neven, L.G. 2022. Introduction to the collection: Climate change, insect pests, and beneficial arthropods in production systems. Journal of Economic Entomology. 115(5):1315-1319. https://doi.org/10.1093/jee/toac107.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/jee/toac107

Interpretive Summary: The literature on climate change and insect pests and beneficial insects is growing rapidly, in pace with ongoing climate change affecting agriculture worldwide. This Journal of Economic Entomology collection on the topic provides a sample with example papers on projected range expansions, effects on pest phenology and responses to warming, and trophic interactions; all major themes in this growing literature. The collection was also conceived to capture the additional dimension of how climate change, by altering cropping systems directly or indirectly through responsive changes made by producers to changing or anticipated climatic conditions – a proactive response. The editors hold that both dimensions are essential for understanding climate effects on insects in production systems. In soliciting papers, we were only able to attract a few to illustrate the potential of the pro-active perspective, but we expect more such works will appear going forward, since substantive changes to cropping systems is underway and expected to continue (Bowers et al. 2020, Rowen et al. 2022, Lyon et al. 2021, Wartenberg et al. 2021). We encourage the research community to consider this in efforts to address anticipated effects of climate change on insects in agricultural systems. We hope to see work on this theme appearing in future issues of Climate Change section of this and other journals.

Technical Abstract: Climate change is expected to alter pressure from insect pests and the abundance and effectiveness of insect pollinators across diverse agriculture and forestry systems. In response to warming, insects are undergoing or are projected to undergo shifts in their geographic ranges, voltinism, abundance and phenology. Drivers include direct effects on insect biology and physiology and indirect effects on interacting species at higher or lower trophic levels. These climate driven effects are complex and variable, sometimes increasing pest pressure or reducing pollination and sometimes with the opposite effects depending on baseline conditions and the interplay of these drivers. This special collection includes several papers illustrative of these biological effects of pests and pollinators. In addition to these biological effects, climate can alter production systems with cascading effects on associated pests or pollinators. Importantly, producers modify production systems in response to ongoing or anticipated climate change by introducing more or different crops into rotations or as cover crops or intercrops, with potentially substantial effects on associated insect communities. An aspect of climate change that is relatively understudied. This collection includes several papers illustrating these indirect system level effects. Together, biological, ecological and management-related effects on insects comprise the necessary scope for anticipating and responding to the effects of climate change on insects in agriculture and forest systems.