In the Alps and Apennines of southern Europe, almost all the fangs are moving uphill, and on the peaks they are being pushed to extinction by the isolation of the brown butterfly with orange wings. This is a snapshot of a global trend. With rising temperatures and increasing pressure on biodiversity, insects vital to our ecosystems are not only moving north and south, but also upwards. Research shows that many animals make similar movements, but the insects’ high levels of mobility and short generation times allow them to respond quickly to changes, meaning the upward momentum can be rapid. Bumblebees in the Pyrenees are moving upwards by an average of more than a metre a year, with some species making significantly greater journeys. Moles on Borneo’s Mount Kinabalu have followed suit. All of this makes them a useful indicator of the speed of global warming and the ecological impacts at higher altitudes – they are often biodiversity hotspots and havens for endemic species. To try to understand the implications, scientists are packing their backpacks and lacing up their walking boots. “If you want to track climate change on a mountain, you’re going to walk a few metres. To do that at the same latitude but on the plains, you’re going to have to move many kilometres,” says Professor Jane Hill of the University of York, who has spent years studying insects at altitude in the UK and the tropics. (theguardian)

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