Climate change is making insects eat more crops

By Victoria Clare

Posted July 17, 2024

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Transcript

D: Are you still here, Yael? I thought you’d be on your road trip by now.

Y: Just downloading one more audiobook. I need to be ready for all those endless miles of driving past cornfields.

D: Not to sound ominous, but they might not be so endless before long.

Y: That definitely sounds ominous. What are you talking about?

D: Scientists are saying that as the climate warms and temperatures rise, we might lose more crops to insects. Heat makes insects’ metabolisms speed up, and the faster they burn energy, the more they eat and reproduce. That means a greater number of increasingly hungry insects feeding on our staple crops. Using a mathematical model, scientists were able to predict just how much damage they could do: for every degree Celsius that temperatures rise, insects could do an extra ten to twenty-five percent of damage to wheat, maize, and rice.

Y: But all places wouldn’t be affected the same way, right?

D: That’s true. There’s only so much heat that insects can stand, so in tropical climates any increase in metabolism would likely be offset by insects dying off from heat damage. Crops like wheat that are grown in mild climates are the most vulnerable, since rising temperatures there would give insects a lot of leeway to eat and reproduce more without having to contend with temperatures they can’t tolerate. Of course, farmers will adopt new strategies and defenses, and temperatures could also affect parasites that prey on crop-eating insects. Plants and insects might evolve to adapt, but rising temperatures could also mean new pests become a problem.

Y: Maybe I’ll spend some time appreciating those cornfields while I still can.

A cornfield under some gathering dark clouds

Heat makes insects’ metabolisms speed up, and the faster they burn energy, the more they eat and reproduce. (Andrew Seaman / flickr)

When you're on a roadtrip, those miles driving past cornfields can feel endless. Not to sound ominous, but they might not be so endless before long.

Scientists are saying that as the climate warms and temperatures rise, we might lose more crops to insects. Heat makes insects’ metabolisms speed up, and the faster they burn energy, the more they eat and reproduce. That means a greater number of increasingly hungry insects feeding on our staple crops. Using a mathematical model, scientists were able to predict just how much damage they could do: for every degree Celsius that temperatures rise, insects could do an extra ten to twenty-five percent of damage to wheat, maize, and rice.

Not all places would be affected the same way. There’s only so much heat that insects can stand, so in tropical climates any increase in metabolism would likely be offset by insects dying off from heat damage. Crops like wheat that are grown in mild climates are the most vulnerable, since rising temperatures there would give insects a lot of leeway to eat and reproduce more without having to contend with temperatures they can’t tolerate.

Of course, farmers will adopt new strategies and defenses, and temperatures could also affect parasites that prey on crop-eating insects. Plants and insects might evolve to adapt, but rising temperatures could also mean new pests become a problem.

Maybe spend some time appreciating those cornfields next time you drive past.

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