Peer-reviewedCC BY 4.0Nature Ecology & Evolution
Extensive climate-induced range shifts in butterflies across the globe
40 affiliations
- 1School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. [email protected]
- 2Centre for Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
- 3School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- 4Department of Biology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
- 5Department of Organismal and Evolutionary Biology, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- 6Center for Biodiversity and Global Change, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
- 7Conservation Ecology, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Marburg, Germany
- 8Ecology and Evolution, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
- 9Department of Zoology, Entomology and Fisheries Sciences, Makerere University Kampala, Kampala, Uganda
- 10Graduate Program in Neotropical Biodiversity, Institute of Biosciences, Federal University of the State of Rio de Janeiro, UNIRIO, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- 11Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- 12School of the Environment, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- 13Independent researcher, Kópháza, Hungary
- 14Institute of Biological Sciences, University of the Philippines Los Baños, Laguna, the Philippines
- 15Institute of Global Innovation Research, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Fuchu, Japan
- 16Daugavpils University, Institute of Life Sciences and Technology, Daugavpils, Latvia
- 17Department of Ecology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
- 18Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- 19Institute of Nature Conservation, Polish Academy of Sciences, Kraków, Poland
- 20School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
- 21Department of Life Science and Systems Biology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
- 22UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Wallingford, UK
- 23Australian National Insect Collection, National Research Collections Australia, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
- 24Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Acton, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
- 25Andorra Research and Innovation, Sant Julià de Lòria, Andorra
- 26Mokpo National University, Muan, South Korea
- 27Taiwan Biodiversity Research Institute, Ministry of Agriculture, Jiji Town, Taiwan
- 28Departamento de Ecología y Recursos Naturales, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
- 29African Butterfly Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya
- 30Department of Biology, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
- 31Department of Biodiversity Sciences, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
- 32Department of Zoology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Jos, Jos, Nigeria
- 33Turku Collegium for Science, Medicine and Technology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
- 34Büro Geyer und Dolek, Wörthsee, Germany
- 35Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
- 36School of Life Sciences and Technology, Institut Teknologi Bandung, Bandung, Indonesia
- 37IFM Biology, Conservation Ecology Group, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
- 38Laboratório de Ecologia e Sistemática de Borboletas, Departamento de Biologia Animal, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
- 39Museu de Diversidade Biológica, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
- 40International Max Planck Research School on Earth System Modelling, Hamburg, Germany
Abstract
Global changes are leading to widespread species redistribution. Comprehensive assessments of range shift dynamics and their drivers are difficult, partly due to the variation in range shift detection over space and taxa. Here we compile documented range shift records for 1,758 butterfly species from 105 countries and territories, representing ~10% of the known diversity of these insects. Most species (80%) experienced range expansions, and most range shifts (79%) were associated with climate change and extreme weather events. A substantial proportion of species in our dataset contracted their ranges (27%) or shifted along elevational gradients (22%). We report widespread horizontal range expansions and contractions across tropical countries, with less evidence for elevational range shifts. We show that a clearer picture of range shift dynamics emerged only through the combination of different types of data, with expert assessments and non-English studies alleviating potential biases. Our findings of climate-driven range shifts call for concerted efforts to improve inclusive data monitoring and conservation efforts, especially for tropical countries, where human-induced land-use changes exert additional critical pressure.
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BibTeX
@article{chowdhury2026extensive,
title = {{Extensive climate-induced range shifts in butterflies across the globe}},
author = {Shawan Chowdhury and Upama Aich and Laura H. Antão and Stefan Pinkert and Perpetra Akite and Gilberto Almeira and Tatsuya Amano and Andras Ambrus and Jade Aster T. Badon and Seung‐Yun Baek and Maksims Balalaikins and Michal Barták and Vijay Barve and Michał Bełcik and Timothy C. Bonebrake and Simona Bonelli and Diana E. Bowler and Michael F. Braby and Roger Caritg and Sei‐Woong Choi and Wen-Chen Chu and Eloisa Clain and Steve C. Collins and Johnattan Hernández‐Cumplido and Leonardo Dapporto and Gideon Gywa Deme and Matthias Dolek and Aleksandra J. Dolezal and Fahmi Idris Firdaus and Markus Franzén and André Victor Lucci Freitas and Richard A. Fuller and Luisa Gensch and Eliza Grames and Elia Guariento and Bryan T Haywood and Shiran Hershcovich and Kerstin Jantke and Eddie John and Henrik Kalivoda and Azadeh Karimi and Ryosuke Katayose and Akito Y. Kawahara and Sujan Khanal and Krushnamegh K. Kunte and Lionel L’Hoste and Magdalena Lidia Lenda and Jorge L. León‐Cortés and Da‐Li Lin and Yuet Fung Ling and Maria Lúcia Lorini and Dirk Maes and Dino J. Martins and Thomas Merckx and Xavier Mestdagh and Yeray Monasterio and Akihiro Nakamura and Rachel Rui Ying Oh and LARS B. PETTERSSON and Jeffrey S. Pippen},
journal = {Nature Ecology \& Evolution},
year = {2026},
month = aug,
doi = {10.1038/s41559-026-03117-y},
url = {https://u-picardie.hal.science/hal-05716990v1},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Extensive climate-induced range shifts in butterflies across the globe
AU - Shawan Chowdhury
AU - Upama Aich
AU - Laura H. Antão
AU - Stefan Pinkert
AU - Perpetra Akite
AU - Gilberto Almeira
AU - Tatsuya Amano
AU - Andras Ambrus
AU - Jade Aster T. Badon
AU - Seung‐Yun Baek
AU - Maksims Balalaikins
AU - Michal Barták
AU - Vijay Barve
AU - Michał Bełcik
AU - Timothy C. Bonebrake
AU - Simona Bonelli
AU - Diana E. Bowler
AU - Michael F. Braby
AU - Roger Caritg
AU - Sei‐Woong Choi
AU - Wen-Chen Chu
AU - Eloisa Clain
AU - Steve C. Collins
AU - Johnattan Hernández‐Cumplido
AU - Leonardo Dapporto
AU - Gideon Gywa Deme
AU - Matthias Dolek
AU - Aleksandra J. Dolezal
AU - Fahmi Idris Firdaus
AU - Markus Franzén
AU - André Victor Lucci Freitas
AU - Richard A. Fuller
AU - Luisa Gensch
AU - Eliza Grames
AU - Elia Guariento
AU - Bryan T Haywood
AU - Shiran Hershcovich
AU - Kerstin Jantke
AU - Eddie John
AU - Henrik Kalivoda
AU - Azadeh Karimi
AU - Ryosuke Katayose
AU - Akito Y. Kawahara
AU - Sujan Khanal
AU - Krushnamegh K. Kunte
AU - Lionel L’Hoste
AU - Magdalena Lidia Lenda
AU - Jorge L. León‐Cortés
AU - Da‐Li Lin
AU - Yuet Fung Ling
AU - Maria Lúcia Lorini
AU - Dirk Maes
AU - Dino J. Martins
AU - Thomas Merckx
AU - Xavier Mestdagh
AU - Yeray Monasterio
AU - Akihiro Nakamura
AU - Rachel Rui Ying Oh
AU - LARS B. PETTERSSON
AU - Jeffrey S. Pippen
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/08/05
JO - Nature Ecology & Evolution
DO - 10.1038/s41559-026-03117-y
UR - https://u-picardie.hal.science/hal-05716990v1
AB - Global changes are leading to widespread species redistribution. Comprehensive assessments of range shift dynamics and their drivers are difficult, partly due to the variation in range shift detection over space and taxa. Here we compile documented range shift records for 1,758 butterfly species from 105 countries and territories, representing ~10% of the known diversity of these insects. Most species (80%) experienced range expansions, and most range shifts (79%) were associated with climate change and extreme weather events. A substantial proportion of species in our dataset contracted their ranges (27%) or shifted along elevational gradients (22%). We report widespread horizontal range expansions and contractions across tropical countries, with less evidence for elevational range shifts. We show that a clearer picture of range shift dynamics emerged only through the combination of different types of data, with expert assessments and non-English studies alleviating potential biases. Our findings of climate-driven range shifts call for concerted efforts to improve inclusive data monitoring and conservation efforts, especially for tropical countries, where human-induced land-use changes exert additional critical pressure.
SN - 2397-334X
ER -