Crop-munching pests are traveling north as the climate changes

[marmar]

from Grist:


Crop-munching pests are traveling north as the climate changes
By John Upton


Pests are packing their metaphorical bags and heading for fresh starts nearer the North Pole as the climate warms around them.

Beetles, moths, fungi, and other pests that afflict forests and crops in the Northern Hemisphere are expanding their ranges northward by an average of 24 feet every day.

That’s according to British scientists who studied the records of infestations of 470 pests around the world since 1960 and measured the rate at which their ranges appeared to be shifting. They say their findings reveal a potential threat to food security posed by global warming.

The northerly march “is more rapid than that reported for many wild species,” the scientists wrote in a paper published Sunday in the journal Nature Climate Change. And it’s “nearly identical” to what would be expected from rising temperatures. .................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://grist.org/news/crop-munching-pests-are-traveling-north-as-the-climate-changes/

[antiquie]

1. The ones that are moving faster than average are really scary.

The findings show that termite pests are moving poleward the most quickly, at an average rate of 177 feet daily. Butterfly, moth, thrip, and beetle pests are moving north at an average of about 70 feet per day.