Insects and Climate Change (2)
Well, there’s safety in numbers-coming out all at once helps the cicadas survive predators. As for how they can tell 17 years have passed, no one knows for sure. Some scholars think something is built into the insects’ DNA. But global warming may be shortening the 17-year cycle. We’re beginning to see 13-year cicadas.
Kyohei, I remember your telling us that you’ve eaten fried tarantula in Cambodia. Did you eat any Brood X specimens, by any chance?
How could I resist? They tasted like nuts, just like many other insects. They tasted a bit like popcorn, too. The lab scientists and I prepared the cicadas in a paella and a pizza. That was before a public-health warning telling people not to eat cicadas because in some places there were toxic substances in the ground.
Tell us more about how global warming and climate change affect insects.
So far there have been only a few studies that have investigated the effects of rising temperatures on different insect species. But scientists believe that when it gets warmer, plants and insects develop faster.
Are insect populations falling because of climate change?
Yes, climate change is one reason. Others include the loss of habitat due to agricultural practices, urbanization and deforestation.
