ArticleNature ecology & evolution2025
Global hotspots of butterfly diversity are threatened in a warming world.
Article in Nature ecology & evolution, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers.
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15 citing papers in PubMed.
- Predicting the habitat suitability and hotspot regions of the near threatened Socotra bluet on the Socotra Archipelago using an integrated modelling approach.BMC ecology and evolution · 2026Article
- Extensive climate-induced range shifts in butterflies across the globe.Nature ecology & evolution · 2026Article
- Vertical Distribution of Butterfly Community (Lepidoptera) and Its Drivers on Mount Gongga, Western China.Insects · 2026Article
- New Species Discoveries Refine Global Biodiversity Patterns.Ecology letters · 2026Article
- Seasonal Variation of Butterfly Diversity in Subtropical Urban Forests of Nepal.Ecology and evolution · 2026Article
- Climate Change May Expand Geographic Distribution of Asian Butterflies Despite Climatic Niche Contraction.Insects · 2026Article
- Elevational constraints and climatic buffering: comparison of Pierinae and Coliadinae across Taiwan Island and mainland China.Frontiers in zoology · 2026Article
- Mountain Riparian Zones as Refugia for Rare and Endangered Plants Under Climate Change.Ecology and evolution · 2026Article
- Impacts of Anthropogenic Activities and Climate Change on the Distribution Ranges of FiveBiology · 2026Article
- OzButterflies - a high quality open database of multispectral images and spectra of tropical to temperate Australian butterflies.Database : the journal of biological databases and curation · 2026Article
- Modeling vehicle collision risk for the jungle cat in the Hyrcanian forests of Iran: A guide for vehicle collision prevention.PloS one · 2026Article
- Article
- Temperature outweighs diet in shaping developmental performance in two cricket species via growth delays and physiological limits.The Journal of experimental biology · 2025Article
- Some birds are left behind in a race to beat the heat.Nature ecology & evolution · 2025Article
- Global hotspots of butterfly diversity are threatened in a warming world.Nature ecology & evolution · 2025Article
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
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Abstract
Insects are in decline and threatened by climate change, yet lack of globally comprehensive information limits the understanding and management of this crisis. Here we uncover a strong concentration of butterfly diversity in rare and rapidly shrinking high-elevation climates. Integrating comprehensive phylogenetic and geographic range data for 12,119 species, we find that global centres of butterfly richness, range rarity and phylogenetic diversity are unusually concentrated in tropical and subtropical mountain systems. Two-thirds of the assessed species are primarily mountain dwelling and mountains hold 3.5 times more butterfly hotspots (top 5%) than lowlands. These hotspots only partially overlap with those of ants, terrestrial vertebrates and vascular plants (14-36%), while butterfly diversity is uniquely concentrated above 2,000 m elevation. We project that up to 64% of the temperature niche space of butterflies in tropical realms will erode by 2070, with the geographically restricted temperature conditions of mountains potentially turning these from refugia to traps for butterfly diversity. Our study identifies critical conservation priorities for butterflies and underscores the need for quantitative global assessments of at least select insect groups to help mitigate biodiversity loss in a rapidly warming world.
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