Investigating the Impact of Climate Warming on Phenology of Aphid Pests in China Using Long-Term Historical Data

Global climate warming has significant influence on individual development, population dynamics, and geographical distribution of many organisms, which has drawn much attention in recent years. As a large group of poikilotherms, insects whose life activities are closely linked with ambient temperature are supposed to be influenced by global warming. In order to test the consistency or difference of the effects of long-term climate warming on phytophagous insect pests in different geographical environments, this study collected historical data on the occurrence and population dynamics of three aphid pests (Myzus persicae, Aphis gossypii, and Sitobion avenae) in China, and systematically explored their phenological responses. We found that, during a period of about 60 years, in general, the first occurrence dates and the first migration dates of the three aphids almost moved earlier, while the end of the occurrence and the last migration dates were slightly delayed. However, these responses also represented geographical variation at a local scale. Basically, our results showed that the occurrence and migration seasons of these three aphid pests have been prolonged along with climate warming. This study based on historical literature data provides empirical evidence and valuable implications for understanding the impact of climate warming on insect pests and future management strategies.