Article Leafhoppers as markers of the impact of climate change on agriculture Graphical abstract Highlights d Migratory leafhoppers benefit from temperature increases d Strawberry leafhopper-transmitted diseases have increased in the last decade d New nonmigratory leafhoppers species were found in Nearctic regions d Leafhopper insecticide resistance could be happening in Nearctic regions

Climate change has facilitated the introduction, establishment, and movement of invasive species in northern regions, enabling the colonization of previously unsuitable areas. While the responses of insects to these changes have been increasingly studied, our understanding of how such alterations impact trophic interactions still requires further research to make reliable predictions about the spread of diseases in a warming world. Phytoplasmas, a group of obligate parasitic unculturable Mollicutes, primarily rely on leafhoppers (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) for transmission, spread, and survival. Phytoplasmas are associated with over 600 diseases affecting more than 1,000 plant species, including berries, grapevines, and other small fruits. In North America, diseases such as grapevine yellows, blueberry stunt, and strawberry green petal diseases have been linked to phytoplasma strains transmitted by known leafhopper species. However, the number of phytoplasma diseases has significantly increased in North America over the past decade, suggesting the presence of unidentified vectors or an abundance of leafhopper vectors. This short review provides an overview of the current knowledge on leafhoppers as vectors of phytoplasmas to berries, focusing on the last decade's research in Canada. This paper also explores the potential implications of climate change on this pathosystem, including the anticipated range expansion of leafhopper species, changes in phytoplasma acquisition and transmission, and the risk of new leafhopper-transmitted plant-pathogen introductions through the arrival of new leafhopper species.

Climate change is reshaping agriculture and insect biodiversity worldwide. With rising temperatures, insect species with narrow thermal margins are expected to be pushed beyond their thermal limits, and losses related to herbivory and diseases transmitted by them will be experienced in new regions. Several previous studies have investigated this phenomenon in tropical and temperate regions, locally and globally; however, here, it is proposed that climate change’s impact on agriculture can be traced through the study of Nearctic migratory insects, specifically leafhoppers. To test this hypothesis, leafhoppers in strawberry fields located in the province of Québec, eastern Canada, were evaluated. The strawberry-leafhopper pathosystem offers a unique opportunity because leafhoppers can transmit, among other diseases, strawberry green petal disease (SbGP), which is associated with pathogenic phytoplasmas. Here, we found that in the last ten years, the number of leafhoppers has been increasing in correspondence with the number of SbGP cases detected in eastern Canada, reporting for the first time ten species new to eastern Canada and two to the country, although the leafhopper diversity has been seriously affected. Our model using more than 34 000 leafhoppers showed that their abundance is influenced by temperature, a factor that we found also influences the microbiome associated with Macrosteles quadrilineatus , which was one of the most abundant leafhoppers we observed. One of our most striking findings is that none of the insecticides used by strawberry growers can control leafhopper incidence, which could be linked to microbiome changes induced by changing temperatures. We suggest that Nearctic leafhoppers can be used as sentinels to trace the multilayered effects of climate change in agriculture. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT IN BRIEF The current climate crisis is reshaping insect biodiversity and abundance, but little is known about the direct effect of this phenomenon on agriculture. In this study, we explored leafhoppers, a group of agriculturally important insect pests and disease vectors, as sentinels of the effect of climate change on agriculture. Our findings indicate that this group of insects can help us to understand the effect of the current climate crisis on insect invasions, diversity, abundance, disease dynamics and insecticide resistance and to take quick action to ensure food security while achieving more sustainable agriculture. HIGHLIGHTS Migratory leafhoppers benefit from temperature increases Leafhopper-transmitted diseases have increased in the last decade New non-migratory leafhoppers can be found now in Nearctic regions Leafhopper insecticide resistance could be linked to the insect microbiome