Butterflies Seek New Habitats as Climate Changes
Researchers said 80% of butterfly range shifts tracked climate change and extreme weather, raising concerns that some species may contract as warming continues.
- A major study in Nature Ecology and Evolution reveals climate change is driving global shifts in butterfly distributions, with many species migrating to new areas while others retreat from traditional habitats.
- Researchers found that nearly 80 per cent of reported shifts in geographic ranges were associated with climate change and extreme weather, alongside human factors like intensive agriculture and urbanisation.
- Overall, 80 per cent of species expanded their range while 27 per cent experienced contractions, though just 22 per cent showed shifts in elevation, underscoring the complexity of these responses.
- Study co-author Jonathan Lenoir, an ecologist from France's national scientific research centre , said the ability to migrate is positive, but Lenoir cautioned that butterflies face adaptation limits.
- Species endemic to mountain regions could become "trapped" as habitats are reduced "to almost nothing," potentially causing "much more rapid upheavals" and "potential extinctions.
22 Articles
22 Articles
Butterflies are changing where they live across the planet, with climate and extreme weather driving most documented shifts
A global study of 1,758 butterfly species across 105 countries has found that butterflies are rapidly changing where they live as climate change reshapes habitats. While many species are expanding into new areas, others are losing parts of their traditional range. Researchers say these shifts are an early warning of wider ecosystem changes and stress the need for better global monitoring and conservation efforts.
Butterflies Around the World Are Moving to New Habitats, Largely Because of Climate Change, a Study Suggests
Researchers examined data on 1,758 butterfly species—about ten percent of all those known—from 105 countries and estimated that about one in ten global species has shifted its distribution range
Butterflies change their habitat because of climate change. Global thermal disturbances are forcing massive migration in lepidoptera populations around the planet. A publication by Nature Ecology & Evolution confirms that these insects rapidly colonize new latitudes looking for optimal living conditions. Extreme heat and prolonged droughts condition plant survival and biological cycles. In response, four out of five species have extended their t…
West Hawaii Today
The Seattle TimesButterflies take flight in face of climate change and extreme weather
More than 1,700 butterfly species across 105 countries are not living where they once did, according to a study published Wednesday in the journal Nature Ecology &Evolution. That translates to nearly 1 in 10 butterfly species with a new range. The post Butterflies take flight in face of climate change and extreme weather appeared first on West Hawaii Today.
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 53% of the sources are Center
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
