Climate Change Impacts on Insect Pests in the Urban Environment

Flashcards on Climate Change Impacts on Insect Pests in the Urban Environment

Insect Collection Deadline

The deadline for submitting the Insect Collection is June 6 by 5 pm in Room 103 (Entomology Museum).

Climate Change Significance

Climate change is an economic, human livelihood, and political challenge, posing an existential threat affecting ecosystems, food security, and water resources.

IPCC Report 2021

The 2021 IPCC report indicates humans are responsible for the climate changes being currently experienced.

Key Takeaways from IPCC Report

The report indicates temperatures are expected to rise (1.5–2°C), extreme weather events such as heat waves, cyclones, and droughts will increase, Arctic summers could be ice-free by 2050, and sea levels will rise (2–3 m).

Major Effects of Climate Change on Insects

Elevated atmospheric CO2 concentrations, increasing temperatures, and changing rainfall patterns.

Effects of Elevated CO2 on Plants

Under elevated CO2 conditions, photosynthesis and leaf area growth increase.

Effects of Elevated CO2 on Insects

Under elevated CO2 conditions, nitrogen content in plants decreases, leading to insects increasing their food intake.

Impact of Elevated CO2 on Nutrition

Elevated CO2 reduces mineral concentrations in plants, potentially leading to mineral malnutrition in humans.

Elevated CO2 Affect on Wood

Wood density may be reduced, leading to increased feeding by wood-destroying insects.

Projected Temperature Increases

Mean temperatures are expected to increase significantly in regions such as the Arctic, Canada, Brazil, Africa, and India.

Urban Temperature Increase

The urban environment experiences more pronounced temperature increases compared to overall global increases.

Urban Heat Island Effect Definition

Occurs when a city experiences much warmer temperatures than nearby rural areas due to human activities and surface materials.

Insects and Temperature

Insects are unable to regulate their body temperature, with their body temperature similar to the ambient temperature.

Characteristics Governing Insect Sensitivity to Climate Change

Persistent outdoor pests, overwintering ability, r-strategists, generalist feeding habits, human-mediated dispersal, and temperature/moisture dependence.

Urban Insect Pests Likely to Increase with Higher Temperatures

Argentine ants, ghost ants, yellow crazy ants, subterranean termites, house flies, wasps, and outdoor cockroaches.

Climate Change Impact on Buildings

Climate extremes can degrade building materials, increase moisture, and facilitate pest invasion, affecting occupants’ health.

Climate Change and Termite Distribution

Climate change alters termite distribution, with some areas seeing increases in invasive termite species while others see decreases.

Formosan Subterranean Termite

It is the world’s most destructive subterranean termite species, with increased infestations in Southern California in recent years.

Factors Contributing to Formosan Subterranean Termite Increase

Warmer temperatures and changes in water management.

Climate change impact on Mosquitoes

Emergence may occur earlier, increasing survival rates.

Cause of Aedes albopictus Spread

Likely due to both climate and non-climate drivers

Climate change affect on Mosquitoes

Geographic distribution and disease ranges are changing, potentially leading to increased disease transmission.

Lyme Disease

The most common vector-borne disease in the US, transmitted by the blacklegged tick.

Climate Change and Deer Tick Range

Milder winters have expanded the range of deer ticks.

Climate Effect on Honey Dew Bugs and Ants

Honeydew availability from these insects can increase ant abundance, spread, colony size, and aggressiveness.

Climate Change and Invasive Ants

Higher temperatures increase growth rate, foraging duration, and colony size of invasive ants.

Pavement Ant Distribution

Northern distribution is limited only to urbanized habitats because of the urban heat islands in major cities.

Water and ant spread

Spread is related to Rainfall, while droughts can force ants into irrigated areas and buildings.

Argentine ant in Northern California

Are decreasing over the years while Native ant species richness increase.

Climate Change and Insecticide Performance

Elevated temperatures can increase insecticide detoxification in insects due to higher enzymatic activities.

Climate Change and Termiticide Performance

Higher rainfall and flooding increase degradation of soil termiticides.

Climate Change and Invasive Ant Management

Insecticides used against invasive ants could become less effective as climate changes.

Climate change affects natural enemies

Warmer environment affect insect pests will develop faster, limiting the impact of parasitoid wasps that normally help keep those pest populations down.

Climate Change and semiochemicals

Temperature, humidity, and air speed can affect performance of semiochemicals.

mechanisms on how climate change could affect insecticide resistance

Thermotolerance & insecticide resistance and humidity, dessication resistance and insecticide resistance.

Climate change and environmental microbiome

Changes due to climate change will affect the both indoor and outdoor urban insect pests and treatment strategies is unknown at this stage.

Preparation for change

Modify control strategies and which pests dominate, Major changes in pest complexes, New invasive species, A rise in generalists.

Our challenges

Universities are down-sizing faculty numbers and agricultural-based departments.

Summary and future challenge

Urban insect pests are driven by both climate and non-climate drivers (urbanization, globalization, etc).