The subtle effects of the climate crisis

diapause: noun, a period of suspended development during unfavourable environmental conditions.

The usual vision of the climate crisis is apocalyptic - floods, flames and desertification. While that's true, most of the reality is a lot more subtle, but should be none the less worrying for that. A new paper looks at the cost of diapause in mirid bugs. In the paper, the cause of diapause is day length, but diapause is diapause and the costs are the same for climate-induced diapause, e.g. due to temperature or drought. Under diapause conditions, oviposition was delayed and 30% fewer eggs were produced, reflecting the cost of producing diapause eggs. This shows that producing diapause eggs to ensure long-term survival incurs costs. It's subtle but as the frequency of adverse events increases, it's bad news. 

The cost of diapause egg production in two mirid bugs, Trigonotylus caelestialium and Adelphocoris triannulatus (Hemiptera: Miridae). (2025) Journal of Insect Physiology, 104915. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jinsphys.2025.104915