Infodoc : Sciences, Techniques et Culture

Mediterranean forest ecosystems have specific characteristics which, like other ecosystems, will very probably evolve during the 21st century under the influence of climate change. Variations in productivity, growth, phenology, fruit production and growing threats to survival of trees in connection with water stress and the risk of fire are already visible. The communities of phytophagous insects that inhabit Mediterranean forest ecosystems also show signs of being affected by climate change. These changes come about as a direct effect of climate on the demographics, phenology and geographic distribution of insects, and as an indirect effect of climate by modifying the quality, resistance and attraction of the trees they feed on. While some of the consequences of climate change on pla[...]

Mediterranean forest ecosystems have specific characteristics which, like other ecosystems, will very probably evolve during the 21st century under the influence of climate change. Variations in productivity, growth, phenology, fruit production and growing threats to survival of trees in connection with water stress and the risk of fire are already visible. The communities of phytophagous insects that inhabit Mediterranean forest ecosystems also show signs of being affected by climate change. These changes come about as a direct effect of climate on the demographics, phenology and geographic distribution of insects, and as an indirect effect of climate by modifying the quality, resistance and attraction of the trees they feed on. While some of the consequences of climate change on plant/insect interaction in these ecosystems appear to be predictable on the basis of these observations, much of these projections remain difficult to establish for two reasons: firstly, the impact of climate on insects is far less documented for Mediterranean areas than it is for temperate or boreal zones; secondly, the direct and indirect interactions of climate with both insects and trees increase the degree of complexity of long-term predictions for these sensitive ecosystems.