Overwintering is a serious challenge for insects, and winters are rapidly changing as climate shifts. The capacity for phenotypic plasticity and evolutionary adaptation will determine which species profit or suffer from these changes. Here we discuss current knowledge on the potential and evidence for evolution in winter-relevant traits among insect species and populations. We conclude that the best evidence for evolutionary shifts in response to changing winters remain those related to changes in phenology, but all evidence points to cold hardiness as also having the potential to evolve in response to climate change. Predicting future population sizes and ranges relies on understanding to what extent evolution in winter-related traits is possible, and remains a serious challenge.

越冬是昆虫的严峻挑战，随着气候的变化，冬天正在迅速变化。表型可塑性和进化适应能力将决定哪些物种受益或遭受这些变化。在这里，我们讨论了有关昆虫物种和种群冬季相关性状进化的潜力和证据的最新知识。我们得出结论，应对冬季变化的进化变化的最佳证据仍然是与物候变化有关的证据，但是所有证据都表明，抗寒性也具有应对气候变化的潜力。预测未来的人口规模和范围取决于了解冬季相关性状在多大程度上可能进化，并且仍然是一个严峻的挑战。