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Author Spotlight: Influence of Temperature on Drosophila melanogaster and Desert-Adapted Beetles
Published on: July 7, 2023
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Climate change, temperature extremes, and impacts on hyperparasitoids.
Michal Segoli1, Miriam Kishinevsky2, Jeffrey A Harvey3
1The Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, The Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, SIDEER, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Sede Boqer Campus, 8499000 Israel.
Current Opinion in Insect Science
|June 29, 2024
Summary
Climate change significantly impacts insects, particularly hyperparasitoids, due to their sensitive life histories. More research is urgently needed to understand these effects on insect populations and biological control.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Entomology
- Climate Change Biology
Background:
- Anthropogenic climate change, characterized by rising temperatures and extreme weather events, profoundly affects insect physiology, phenology, behavior, populations, and communities.
- Hyperparasitoids, insects developing on primary parasitoid hosts, are particularly vulnerable due to traits like low fecundity, slow development, small population sizes, and their position high in the food chain.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review existing evidence on the direct and indirect impacts of temperature and climate change on hyperparasitoid populations.
- To discuss the potential feedback mechanisms of hyperparasitoid responses on ecological communities and biological control programs.
Main Methods:
- Literature review synthesizing data on temperature and climate-related effects on hyperparasitoids.
- Focus on impacts mediated through plants, herbivores, and primary parasitoid hosts, especially at higher temperatures.
Main Results:
- Evidence suggests significant direct and indirect effects of climate change on hyperparasitoid populations.
- Cascading effects through lower trophic levels and host-parasitoid interactions are key pathways of impact.
Conclusions:
- Despite their ecological importance, the effects of climate change on hyperparasitoids remain largely understudied.
- Further research is crucial to predict and mitigate potential disruptions to insect communities and biological control services.
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