Alpine butterflies are keeping pace with climate warming, but habitat loss poses the deeper threat

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Euphydryas aurinia

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Credit: Korbinian Schrauth

A new study published in the open-access journal Alpine Entomology has found that alpine butterflies in the Swiss National Park are closely matching the pace of local warming in their range shift to higher elevations.

But the research, conducted by scientists from the University of Würzburg, the University of Lausanne, Hintermann and Weber AG, and the Bavarian Forest National Park, reveals a more nuanced picture: habitat availability was found to be the key driver of butterfly community composition in the Alps.

Analysing a recent butterfly survey, the research team found that the proportions of available habitat types explained close to half of all variation in butterfly communities, while elevation on its own accounted for only a small fraction of the difference. The finding challenges the widely held assumption that temperature niche is the primary force shaping the elevational distribution of mountain butterflies.

Lead researcher Korbinian Schrauth, of the Chair of Conservation Biology and Forest Ecology at the University of Würzburg, explained what first prompted the team's hypothesis: “The common assumption is that temperature adaptation is the main driving force behind the elevational distribution of butterflies in the Alps,” he said. “But there are a few cases that appear to be contradictory to this assumption.”

He cited the Peak White, a high-alpine butterfly, which has established colonies on lowland gravel banks, after its high-alpine host plants arrived there via alluvial deposits carried down from higher elevations. “This and similar examples led us to suspect that the elevational distribution of alpine butterflies might be rather driven by available habitats than by temperatures,” Schrauth added.

When the results came in, even the researchers were taken aback by how decisively habitats outweighed elevation as an independent explanatory factor. “At first we were surprised that the amount of variance explained by elevation on its own was that small,” said Schrauth, “but in the end, it fits quite well with our initial considerations and makes perfect sense given the knowledge of the complex ecology of butterflies.”

The study also found that butterfly communities have become measurably more warm-adapted over the past two decades. This shift was least pronounced at high elevations, which still appear to be dominated by cold-adapted alpine species.

At the same time, the average upslope displacement since 2004 corresponded closely to what would be expected from the local warming recorded in the region, suggesting that butterflies overall are keeping pace with the warming climate.

Not all species are faring equally well, however. Those restricted to a narrow range of habitat types showed markedly stronger upward shifts than generalist species, pointing to a particular vulnerability among alpine specialists. As vegetation struggles to keep pace with rising temperatures, specialist butterflies face the added risk of elevational butterfly-hostplant mismatches.

The conservation implications are significant. “One of the implications of our study is that, besides reducing carbon emissions, the protection of alpine habitats is the most important measure for preserving the diversity of alpine butterflies,” said Schrauth.

To keep track of future changes, the authors recommend repeating the surveys in the Swiss National Park at roughly ten-year intervals, though Schrauth acknowledged that more frequent monitoring would be preferable.

Original source:

Schrauth K, Plattner M, Müller J, Pellet J (2026) Habitat availability shapes composition and climate change response of alpine butterfly communities. Alpine Entomology 10: 121-135. https://doi.org/10.3897/alpento.10.186978

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Journal

Alpine Entomology

DOI

10.3897/alpento.10.186978 

Article Title

Habitat availability shapes composition and climate change response of alpine butterfly communities

Erebia euryale

Butterflies gathering at damp areas of the ground to take up nutrients; such gatherings can give a quick insight into the composition and diversity of alpine butterfly communities.

Credit

Korbinian Schrauth

 

New beetle genus named after One Piece's Monkey D. Luffy, encompassing two new species

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Luffy D. Monkey with Gear 5 transformation, next to the newly described beetle - Luffy nika. 

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Credit: Illustration: ONE PIECE (TV series) Toei Animation. Beetle photograph: Hu & Solodovnikov, 2026

Why Name a Beetle Genus "Luffy"?

The research team noted that naming the new genus Luffy was not merely for fun, but rather a direct reflection of the beetles' highly recognizable morphological characteristics. The species within this genus possess mandibles, antennae, and maxillary palps that are significantly longer and more slender than those of closely related groups. This uniquely elongated overall proportion immediately reminded researchers of Luffy's rubber body abilities in One Piece, which allow him to freely stretch and expand. The full taxonomic descriptions have been published in the open-access, peer-reviewed journal ZooKeys.

Two New Beetles in the New Genus

Currently, two distinct species have been discovered and classified under this new genus: Luffy schillhammeri and Luffy nika.

The species Luffy schillhammeri was found in the broadleaf forests of Yunnan Province, China. The specific epithet of Luffy schillhammeri honors Dr. Harald Schillhammer of the Natural History Museum Vienna, recognizing his long-term and outstanding contributions to the research of rove beetles.

Luffy nika was discovered in Louang Namtha, northern Laos. The specific epithet "nika" originates from Luffy's legendary Devil Fruit awakening, "Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika" (also known as Gear 5). This new species features striking white band-like hairs on its elytra and across much of its body, closely resembling Luffy's classic, all-white, smoke-shrouded appearance during his Nika transformation.

Major Scientific Breakthrough: Filling a Key Evolutionary Gap in the Eucibdelus Lineage

Beyond its eye-catching name, this study holds high scientific value. The research team, consisting of PhD student Fang-Shuo Hu and Alexey Solodovnikov from the Natural History Museum of Denmark, systematically reviewed all known genera of the Ocypus-group. They also included several groups whose taxonomic positions had long been questionable and controversial (such as Acupronotes, Apostenolinus, and Staphylinus). Through the examination of a large number of specimens and rigorous comparisons of subtle morphological features, the team successfully re-evaluated the phylogenetic relationships among these groups and put forward key findings.

The research team clearly identified the synapomorphies of the "Eucibdelus lineage" (such as the left mandible possessing dorsal ridge teeth and a completely sclerotized labrum). Interestingly, while the genus Luffy possesses these dorsal ridge teeth, its labrum is not completely sclerotized, and it carries several distinct traits of its own. Based on this morphological evidence, the research team infers that the genus Luffy is highly likely to be the sister group to the entire Eucibdelus lineage.

"This genus exhibits a unique combination of characters intermediate between the Eucibdelus lineage and other members of the Ocypus-group," the researchers note in their study, highlighting that our understanding of this insect lineage is continuously evolving with new discoveries. This discovery successfully fills an important gap in the existing taxonomic framework, providing a new perspective on the evolutionary history of the subtribe Staphylinina.

Inspiring the Next Generation of Scientists

From manga inspiration to publication in a rigorous international scientific journal, the birth of the genus Luffy proves that scientific research can be both serious and highly engaging. The research team looks forward to closing the distance between science and the general public through such an accessible story, raising awareness about the importance of biological taxonomy, and attracting more of the younger generation to dive into biodiversity and taxonomic research with an adventurous spirit just like Luffy's.

Original source:

Hu F-S, Solodovnikov A (2026) Luffy gen. nov., a new genus of Staphylinina (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Staphylininae), remarkable for understanding the Eucibdelus lineage. ZooKeys 1281: 247-264. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1281.198593

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Journal

ZooKeys

DOI

10.3897/zookeys.1281.198593 

 

Luffy schillhammeri., habitus and aedeagus. A. Habitus, dorsal view; B. Habitus, ventral view; C, F. Aedeagus, lateral view; D. Aedeagus, parameral view; E. Paramere, underside. The arrow indicates the articulation on paramere. The black dots on the paramere strengthen the position of the peg setae. Scale bars: 3 mm (A, B); 1 mm (C–F).

 

Luffy nika, habitus and aedeagus. A. Habitus, dorsal view; B. Habitus, ventral view; C, F. Aedeagus, lateral view; D. Aedeagus, parameral view; E. Paramere, underside. The arrow indicates the articulation on paramere. The black dots on the paramere strengthen the position of the peg setae. Scale bars: 3 mm (A, B); 1 mm (C–F).

Credit

Hu & Solodovnikov, 2026

 

Landfill foraging may have long-term health consequences for white storks

Society for Experimental Biology

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White storks foraging on a landfill.

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Credit: Anustup Bandyopadhyay

Ongoing research into the impact of landfill foraging on white stork populations has revealed interesting preliminary results that suggest a trade-off between year-round reliable food availability and increased risks from stress and DNA damage. These results provide insights into how human urbanisation is rapidly altering the feeding behaviours of wildlife with possible long-term consequences for their health and fitness.

“The globally increasing trend of waste production is creating new foraging opportunities for wildlife,” says Mr Anustup Bandyopadhyay, a PhD student at the University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna, Austria. “However, the effects of feeding on this waste are still debated and remain somewhat equivocal.”

This project is an international collaboration involving researchers from Austria, Germany, and Poland that focuses on a population of White storks (Ciconia ciconia) that migrate from Poland to Africa each summer and return each spring to breed.

White storks have been observed foraging on landfills in Western Europe since the 1980s, but it is still a relatively new phenomenon in Eastern Europe. “In Poland, this behaviour has become more common over the past decade, with some individuals relying on landfills while the majority still rely on natural prey,” says Mr Bandyopadhyay. “This provides a good system to examine how different foraging strategies translate into differences in growth, energy balance, and physiological condition.”

When white storks feed from landfill, they ingest a mix of human food waste that includes meat, small insects, rodents and earthworms. However, they may also ingest solid waste materials such as plastics, wires, glass and harmful heavy metals.

Landfills are attractive to storks because they provide a reliable food source that is energetically cheap to forage and available all year. “They can spend less time foraging and potentially channel that time and energy into other activities such as breeding,” says Mr Bandyopadhyay. “Our partners from Poland have also found that white storks use landfills mostly in the middle of the breeding season, when the food demands of nestlings are at its peak.”

Although landfills provide this readily available source of food, this project, presented at the Society for Experimental Biology conference in Florence, Italy, highlights how the low nutritional quality and potential increased exposure to contaminants from landfill foraging may be affecting their physiology and behaviour.

To measure the effect of landfill foraging on the storks’ physiology, Mr Bandyopadhyay uses a variety of techniques including enzyme immunoassays for hormones, colorimetric assays for oxidative stress and high-resolution respirometry to study mitochondrial metabolism. Together, these help the researchers to track the development and fitness of young storks growing up on contrasting nutritional conditions.

With his collaborators in Poland and Germany, Mr Bandyopadhyay uses body measurements and high-resolution tracking to better understand the impact of landfill foraging on life-history traits, migratory behaviour, and the energetic costs of foraging in different habitats.

Preliminary results from Mr Bandyopadhyay’s Polish collaborators reveal that landfill-foragers tend to have a greater body mass and higher energy stores than those that feed on natural prey. However, they have also found evidence of DNA damage associated with landfill diets appearing much sooner than expected.

“We expected to see DNA damage linked to diet at the end of their nestling stage, but instead we observe that these differences appear at a very early age, when the birds are only about a week old,” says Mr Bandyopadhyay.

As well as affecting stork physiology, the reliability of food offered by landfills may now start influencing their migratory behaviours, as seen in other populations. “The Iberian Peninsula white storks have shifted from being wholly migratory to partially migratory, or even sedentary, largely due to favorable weather conditions and, importantly, the availability of landfill food subsidies,” says Mr Bandyopadhyay.

This project is funded by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF) and more details about the project’s funding can be found here.

Contributing authors: Anustup Bandyopadhyay¹, Nitya Triveillot², Atharva Andhare³, Joanna T. Białas², Marcin Tobółka², Andrea Flack³, Valeria Marasco¹.

Institutions: ¹ University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria. ² Poznań University of Life Sciences, Poznań, Poland. ³ Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Konstanz, Germany.

Pair of white storks.

Credit

Anustup Bandyopadhyay

 

How we can coexist with coyotes, and other lessons from Stanley Park

University of British Columbia

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A coyote at Lost Lagoon in Stanley Park, Vancouver

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Credit: Nathan Lewis

Researchers are sharing lessons from the unprecedented Stanley Park coyote attacks from 2020 to 2021 to help people better coexist with urban wildlife. 

Coyotes are here to stay, say authors of a new study which examined contributing factors to nine months of aggressive coyote encounters that resulted in a cull of 11 coyotes in Vancouver’s largest urban park. 

We spoke with Nathan Lewis, a zoology doctoral candidate, and Dr. Sarah Benson-Amram, an associate professor in the departments of zoology and forest and conservation sciences, about how people across North America can live in harmony with their four-legged neighbours. 

What did your study find? 

NL: The influx of park visitors during the pandemic lockdowns saw an increase in encounters with coyotes: From December 2020 to August 2021, there were 45 coyote attacks on humans involving bites or scratches, with another 63 encounters where coyotes lunged or threatened people. Before this period, only one aggressive encounter had been reported in almost 10 years. 

More people in the park meant more encounters, and evidence suggests this increased the rate at which the coyotes habituated to human presence. That loss of fear emboldened them to interact more frequently and sometimes aggressively with people, but there were also other factors at play. 

We found anecdotal evidence that people were feeding coyotes. Prior studies have shown habituation paired with food conditioning often results in animals acting boldly and aggressively to get food. 

Why do we need this research? 

SBA: Coyote attacks are very rare. A previous study documented an average of three coyote attacks on people per year across both the U.S. and Canada between 1960 to 2006. This makes them hard to study. In Stanley Park, we had a very unusual situation which presented a unique opportunity to examine the contributing factors and what people can do to help protect themselves in the future. 

Research has found that culls do not permanently stop human-coyote conflict. Coyotes are here to stay. They are very adaptable and reproduce quickly to maintain stable populations. Relocating them is illegal in many places and often ends poorly for both the coyotes and humans in the relocation area. 

Coyotes also provide important ecosystem balance. If you’re not a fan of rats, you should be a fan of coyotes. And balanced urban ecosystems are important for human health. 

So the best approach is to learn how to coexist. 

What tips did you find for coexisting with coyotes? 

NL: The vast majority of encounters with coyotes are not aggressive, but nobody saw the Stanley Park attacks coming so we shouldn't wait to start seeing early signs of conflicts. We need to help prevent habituation and food conditioning by not feeding coyotes and not leaving garbage they can eat lying around. 

Similarly, don’t approach coyotes. If they approach you, make yourself seem big and threatening by waving your arms, shouting, furling and unfurling an umbrella, etc. 

Our university had a famous campus coyote, Kip, who walked around UBC in the middle of the day. He was sadly hit by a car in 2024. Kip was very clearly habituated to, and had been fed by, people. As far as I know, there were never any reported incidents of Kip being aggressive to people, but there were incidents when he was aggressive to dogs in the presence of people, and that’s not normal behaviour. 

When coyotes are comfortable with people, it can lead to conflicts and ultimately it’s not in their, or our, best interests. 

Our study also found that running or jogging, being alone, being out at times of low human activity such as early morning or late night, and being near den sites seemed to make attacks slightly more likely in areas with coyotes. 

Interestingly, age and having a dog present did not relate to the likelihood of attacks. 

With this information, people can make informed decisions about when, where and how they spend time outdoors to better coexist with our urban wildlife neighbours. 

This research was funded by Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, the Ministry of Water Land and Resource Stewardship, and the Habitat Trust and Conservation Foundation. 

A coyote at Jericho Beach Park, Vancouver, Canada

A coyote by the Hollow Tree in Stanley Park, Vancouver, Canada

Credit

Nathan Lewis

A coyote on Langara Trail by the Langara golf course, Vancouver, Canada. Note: this photo has been brightened with contrast adjusted in Photoshop.

Credit

Animal Behaviour & Cognition Lab

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Journal

Animal Behaviour

DOI

10.1016/j.anbehav.2026.123617 

 

Rising human-elephant conflict in Southern Africa

PNAS Nexus

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A study predicts increasing human-elephant conflict in Southern Africa. A growing number of farmers and 290,000 African savanna elephants (Loxodonta africana) share space in Southern Africa, with conflicts arising from elephants raiding cropland. Crop raids by elephants can be financially devastating for farmers. 

Evan Patrick and colleagues used both causal inference statistical methods and machine learning models to analyze a dataset of crop raiding events across Namibia’s communal conservancies from 2004 to 2020 to determine the predictors of human-elephant conflict. The authors used these event data to identify trends across a wider area, including northern Botswana and portions of Angola and Zambia in addition to Namibia, to evaluate the drivers of conflict. 

The analysis identifies human population growth, cropland expansion, and climate-driven aridity as major drivers of increasing rates of crop raiding. The authors also mapped the probability of conflict throughout the study area. Key variables for these maps include tree cover, distance to roads, distance to fences, distance to rivers, human population density, and productivity of vegetation. The models predict a general increase in the probability of crop raiding toward the end of the century under all climate change scenarios in both wet and dry seasons, with the area at risk of crop raiding doubling under the change climate scenarios. Increasing human land use will continue to place pressure on elephants even as climate change reduces their wild food supply. According to the authors, the model’s predictions can inform the proactive land use planning and mitigation measures that will be essential for long-term coexistence between humans and elephants.

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Journal

PNAS Nexus

Article Title

An expanding human footprint drives escalating human–elephant conflict across a transboundary African landscape through 2085

Article Publication Date

7-Jul-2026

COI Statement

E.P. has a consulting relationship with Carbon Direct Inc., a company combining science, technology, and capital to deliver quality carbon dioxide management at scale. The other authors declare no competing interests.