Climate Change and Insect Populations: A Decade of Ecological Responses, Adaptation and Emerging Challenges

Abstract

Climate change alters insect populations through interacting effects on development, reproduction, seasonal timing and habitat suitability. This narrative review evaluates research published during 2015–2024, distinguishing population decline from redistribution and changes in community composition. Evidence from monitoring, experiments and ecological models indicates substantial vulnerability, but responses differ among climatic regions, life histories and land uses. Earlier emergence can favour insects with several annual generations, whereas heat extremes, restricted dispersal and reproductive damage can undermine persistence. Behavioural flexibility and evolutionary change provide partial buffering, without establishing that adaptation will match future warming. Agricultural intensification further modifies climatic exposure and access to refuges. The principal emerging challenges concern disrupted ecological interactions, crop protection, vector redistribution and inadequate monitoring of poorly studied taxa. Effective responses require emissions mitigation, connected and thermally diverse habitats, and demographic observations that separate climatic effects from concurrent environmental pressures. Conserving insect diversity therefore depends on understanding which populations can persist, where ecological functions are changing, and which interventions reduce exposure before losses become irreversible.