Climate change interacts with insect biogeomorphic agents to alter physical and ecological processes

Area of Science:

• Ecology
• Environmental Science
• Zoology

Background:

• Insects are crucial biogeomorphic agents influencing physical and ecological processes via ecosystem engineering.
• Understanding climate change effects on insect biogeomorphology is vital for predicting their roles in global change.

Purpose of the Study:

• To discuss climate change interactions with insect biogeomorphology.
• To explore physical and ecological consequences of climate-mediated changes in insect biogeomorphic roles.
• To highlight the under-explored nature of insect biogeomorphic agents.

Main Methods:

• Review and synthesis of existing literature on insect biogeomorphology and climate change.
• Examination of climate-mediated trait shifts, range shifts, and diversity loss in insect taxa.
• Focus on both terrestrial and aquatic insect examples.

Main Results:

• Insect biogeomorphic roles are taxonomically, functionally, and geographically underexplored.
• Climate change may alter insect traits and distributions, leading to unknown impacts on physical processes and ecosystem services.
• Both terrestrial and aquatic insects face potential alterations in their biogeomorphic agency.

Conclusions:

• Climate change poses significant, yet poorly understood, risks to insect biogeomorphic functions.
• Further research is needed to address taxonomic, functional, and geographic gaps in understanding insect biogeomorphology.
• Anticipating and mitigating the consequences of climate-driven insect changes is crucial for ecosystem stability.