Winter is a challenging season for ectothermic species such as insects. In addition to thermal stress imposed by cold temperatures, food scarcity during winter can lead to starvation and energy drain. In preparation for winter, most insects accumulate lipid (fat) reserves, which are the principal source of energetic fuel during overwintering. In this review, we highlight the most recent literature on lipid metabolism in response to cold. We first discuss how lipid metabolism is affected by biotic and abiotic environmental changes in preparation for winter. We then highlight how lipid dynamics are affected during winter, including physiological and (epi)genetic mechanisms. We end our review emphasizing the importance of remaining fat reserves in spring and how climate change can negatively impact lipid metabolism and fitness.

对于昆虫等变温物种来说，冬季是一个充满挑战的季节。除了低温造成的热应激外，冬季食物短缺还会导致饥饿和能量消耗。为了准备过冬，大多数昆虫会积累脂质（脂肪）储备，这是越冬期间能量燃料的主要来源。在这篇综述中，我们重点介绍了有关应对寒冷的脂质代谢的最新文献。我们首先讨论生物和非生物环境变化如何影响脂质代谢，为冬季做好准备。然后我们强调冬季脂质动态如何受到影响，包括生理和（表观）遗传机制。我们在评论结束时强调了春季剩余脂肪储备的重要性，以及气候变化如何对脂质代谢和健康产生负面影响。