Insects are not mammals with internal temperature regulation. Their temperature regulation is dependent on the climate and environmental temperatures. If insects are displaced or extinct because of climate and/or temperature, the bird populations will definitely be affected. Insect population will cause issues with the food chain.
Since forest insect populations (click here) are influenced by environmental conditions, future changes in climate can be expected to significantly alter the outbreak dynamics of certain forest insect species. In some cases, larger and more frequent insect outbreaks may occur, but in other cases recurring outbreaks may be disrupted or diminished. Shifts in temperatures that directly influence insects, as well as reduced host tree resistance caused by changes in precipitation can contribute to forest insect population growth. Alternatively, disruption of local adaptation to climate could result in localized population extirpation. Much is known about the influence of biotic and abiotic factors on some forest insect population eruptions. From this research it is clear that the effects of climate change on outbreaks will vary regionally as well as among different insect/host associations. Due to the complexity of the food webs and host tree dynamics that most forest insects are part of, in addition to the uncertainty of climate forecasts, predicting the effects of future climate change on insect-caused forest impacts will be challenging. Current research is aimed at increasing our understanding of the complexity of forest insect dynamics and enhancement of models for predicting forest impacts associated with future changes in climate. Options for applied forest management to mitigate the associated impacts can then be addressed.
