New warnings of a ‘Butterfly Effect’ — in reverse
March 31, 2025
By: Jim Shelton
Yale News
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.
Vanessa cardui, also known as a cosmopolitan | Photo by Stefan Pinkert
A Yale-led study warns that global climate change may have a devastating effect on many butterfly populations worldwide, 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.
