CLIMATE-DRIVEN SHIFTS IN AGRICULTURAL INSECT PEST DYNAMICS: PROJECTED IMPACTS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR ECOSYSTEM MANAGEMENT

Abstract

Climate change is altering the biology, ecology and distribution of important insect pests and transforming agricultural systems at the global scale. Rapid increase in pest development, geographic ranges are expanding and natural enemy-pest interactions are being disturbed with increasing temperatures, rising atmospheric CO₂, and unpredictable precipitation patterns. The result is that these changes are ultimately threating crop production and food security by leading to an earlier infestation, overwinter, and an outbreak of pests. Although the high CO₂ concentration changes the nutritional quality of plants and influences the feeding behavior and performance of insects, the high temperatures may increase the metabolic rate, reduce the development stages, and enhance the reproductive capacity. It also highlights how fluctuations in rainfall influence both soil dwelling and aerial pests by modifying host availability, microhabitat conditions, and predator prey dynamics. Also, climate change undermines the power of biological control programs and exacerbates the transmission of plant diseases vectors by insects. This review presents an overview of the latest studies on the changes in the physiology of pests, population dynamics and ecosystem interactions under the influence of the changing environment associated with climate changes. The study emphasizes adaptive management strategies, such as ecofriendly crop protection methods, advanced predictive modeling tools, and climate smart integrated pest management systems. To develop resistant agricultural systems that can minimize the emergence of new pest threats to agriculture in the future under climatic conditions, understanding of these mechanisms is necessary.