Summary
This review synthesises evidence on the mechanisms linking climate change to agricultural insect pest dynamics, examining how altered temperature regimes, moisture patterns, and seasonal timing affect pest population growth, geographic range, and interactions with host crops. The authors argue that these climate-driven shifts necessitate adaptive pest management strategies, including enhanced monitoring and revised control thresholds. The paper contributes to understanding climate adaptation needs in crop protection, though it is primarily a literature synthesis rather than primary empirical research.
Regional applicability
The findings are relevant to UK agriculture, where warming temperatures are already altering pest phenology and enabling range expansion of previously southern pest species (e.g., aphids, whiteflies). The review's emphasis on adaptive monitoring and integrated pest management approaches informs UK policy discussions on agricultural resilience and climate adaptation, though region-specific validation of predictions is needed.
Key measures
Range shifts in pest distributions; changes in pest lifecycle timing and duration; overwintering survival rates; host-pest phenological mismatches; relative pest pressure under different climate scenarios
Outcomes reported
The study synthesises mechanisms by which climate variables (temperature, precipitation, seasonality) alter pest population dynamics, geographic distribution, and crop damage risk. It reviews evidence on how these changes affect pest life cycles, overwintering survival, phenological synchronisation with host plants, and implications for pest management.
Topic tags
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