Social behavior and climate change: how rising temperatures shape insect societies

Bračić, Marko; Ostwald, Madeleine M; Bujan, Jelena (2026) Social behavior and climate change: how rising temperatures shape insect societies. Current Opinion in Insect Science, 76 . ISSN 2214-5745

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Abstract

Eusocial insects are master regulators of their thermal environments, using collective behaviors to thrive in diverse and extreme climates. Nevertheless, accelerating climate warming threatens to destabilize insect societies, due to the temperature-dependence of behaviors that underpin group organization and functioning. Here, we synthesize recent advances in our understanding of temperature effects on social behavior, focusing on the eusocial bees, wasps, ants, and termites, and scaling from individual behaviors to group-level processes. We highlight evidence that warming temperatures can disrupt foraging behavior, compromise the stability of social interactions, and exceed the capacity for nest thermoregulation. To find general patterns and understand evolutionary consequences of these effects, we need more long-term studies, research that incorporates fitness measurements, and a greater focus on tropical species, as well as understudied taxa like wasps and termites. Subtle behavioral shifts could unravel finely balanced social interactions, with cascading effects on colony fitness and ultimately ecosystem functioning.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	social insects; climate change; global warming; heat stress; nest thermoregulation; aggression; foraging
Subjects:	NATURAL SCIENCES > Biology > Ecology
Divisions:	Division for Marine and Enviromental Research
Projects:	Project title Project leader Project code Project type Jadranski otoci kao prirodni laboratoriji klimatskih promjena: jesu li kukci otporni na globalno zatopljenje? Jelena Bujan NPOO.C3.2.R2-I1.06.0034 EU Islands as natural laboratories of global warming: discovering insects’ ability to survive thermal extremes Jelena Bujan ERC-2024-STG-101161952 EU
Depositing User:	Lorena Palameta
Date Deposited:	10 Jul 2026 12:48
URI:	https://fulir.irb.hr:/id/eprint/12045
DOI:	10.1016/j.cois.2026.101525

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