A recent study indicates that climate change could threaten hundreds of insect species in Missouri that may not recover after they die during extreme weather conditions.
A 2019 study by the University of Missouri at St. Louis examined 250 insect species whose populations plummeted after mid-spring frosts and summer droughts, decreasing as much as 95% for some species…
…
Although the study indicates that populations eventually recovered, climate change contributes to more frequent droughts and spring frost, said Robert Marquis, a professor emeritus of biology at UMSL.
“These kinds of events actually will eventually show a long-term decline of insect populations in Missouri,” Marquis said.