A large-scale study highlights a concerning situation for tropical insects. One might imagine that these species, accustomed to heat, would adapt easily to warming, but the reality is quite different. Many lowland insects lack the flexibility needed to cope with rising temperatures.
To verify this, researchers examined more than 2,000 insect species in different regions of East Africa and South America, ranging from cool mountain forests to lowland savannas. This study, published in
Nature, was conducted in the field in 2022 and 2023 to measure these animals' heat tolerance limits.
Illustration image Pixabay
The results indicate that the ability to adapt to heat differs significantly among insect groups. These differences are linked to the structure and stability of proteins, characteristics deeply rooted in evolution. According to Dr. Marcell Peters, coauthor of the study, these properties can only be modified very slowly, limiting the response to climate change.
High-altitude insects can increase their heat tolerance in the short term, unlike their lowland counterparts. For the latter, the future seems more uncertain. Tropical forests like the Amazon host exceptional biodiversity, but they risk losing a large portion of their insects if temperatures continue to rise.
The consequences for ecosystems could be severe. Insects play essential roles as pollinators, decomposers, and predators. Their decline would threaten the balance of these environments. The loss of these functions could have cascading effects on the flora and fauna that depend on them.
The study predicts that under the current warming scenario, up to half of Amazonian insect species could experience dangerous heat stress. Scientists also analyzed the genomes of many species to understand why some are more heat-resistant, a clue to better anticipate the impact of climate change.