New Warnings of a ‘Butterfly Effect’ — in Reverse

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Mountaintops contain many of the world’s most diverse clusters of butterfly species, according to a new study. 

Mountaintops contain many of the world’s most diverse clusters of butterfly species, according to a new study. But climate change may turn those habitats into traps.

A Yale-led study warns that global climate change may have a devastating effect on butterflies, turning their species-rich, mountain habitats from refuges into traps.

Think of it as the “butterfly effect” — the idea that something as small as the flapping of a butterfly’s wings can eventually lead to a major event such as a hurricane — in reverse.

The new study, published in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution, also suggests that a lack of comprehensive global data about insects may leave conservationists and policymakers ill-prepared to mitigate biodiversity loss from climate change for a wide range of insect species.

Read more at Yale University

Photo Credit: lgmedia04v via Pixabay