Vulnerabilities of parasitoid-mediated biocontrol to climate stress

Abstract

Climate change threatens vital ecosystem services, including biological control mediated by parasitoids. As higher-trophic-level organisms, parasitoids, compared to their hosts, are disproportionately vulnerable to climatic stress because their survival depends on both their own physiology and that of their hosts. This review synthesizes how rising temperatures reconfigure host–parasitoid interactions, with outcomes that are system-dependent. Common disruptions include reduced parasitism success due to narrower parasitoid thermal tolerance, phenological mismatches that desynchronize life cycles, and altered overwintering activity. As these shifts can undermine both natural and artificial biological control, elevating pest outbreak risks and threatening agroecosystem stability, we discuss how mitigating them may require adapting current biocontrol strategies.

HIGHLIGHTS • Parasitoids often exhibit narrower thermal windows than their hosts. • Warming differentially alters host and parasitoid development and longevity, increasing chances of phenological mismatch. • Climate change may reduce overwintering survival in parasitoids and their ability to regulate host populations. • Warming may reduce parasitism success, impacting both artificial and natural biocontrol.