Global Warming Causes Changes in Swiss Insect Fauna

A common damselfly species on the Swiss Central Plateau, the Willow Emerald Damselfly (Chalcolestes viridis) has slightly extended its range in higher elevations. Photo: Felix Neff, Agroscope How has the distribution of insects in Switzerland changed over the past 40 years? The range of many species has expanded, while that of a similar number has contracted. In particular, cold-adapted species have lost ground. These are the findings published in the journal -Nature Communications-. Various studies conducted in Switzerland and elsewhere give cause for concern that climateand land-use change are causing significant adverse effects to insect fauna (-insect decline-). For this reason, the research institutes Agroscope, WSL, FiBL and the Swiss information centre for fauna, -info fauna-, have launched the project -INSECT-. The project analyses why and how the distribution of insects in Switzerland has changed over the past 40 years.