Researchers have determined that light colored species of dragonflies and butterflies are adapting themselves better to the warming climate than dark colored insects.
A study on the bugs was published this week in Nature Communication.
Researchers were able to confirm that light colored dragonflies and butterflies are out-competing the dark-colored insects as the climate undergoes drastic changes across Europe.
As climate warms across Europe, the darker colored species have been seen moving back northwards to cooler locations. In comparison, lighter colored species are shifting their geographical range north, according to the study.
The study was conducted by researchers at the Imperial College London, University of Copenhagen, and Philipps-University Marburg.
A number of butterfly species that prefer warmer climates, like the Southern Small White (Pieris Mannii), have been spotted in Germany the last decade or so.
The dragonfly species that have been seen immigrating to Germany includes: the Scarlet Darter (Crocothemis erythraea), the Southern Migrant Hawker (Aeshna affinis), and the Dainty Damselfy (Coenagrion Scitulum.
Back in 2010, the Dainty Damselfy was seen in England for the first time for the first time in 50 years.
The color of an insect's body determines the amount of energy they absorb from the sun, according to the study. This helps in fueling their flights, along with regulating body temperatures.
Dark colored insects absorb more light to elevate the body temperature and they are usually found in cooler climates. Insects that thrive in warmer climates have to shield themselves to avoid overheating however, according to the study.
Insects found in hotter climates are light colored because they are capable of reflecting the light to avoid overheating, thus they are able to stay active longer during the day.
"For two of the major groups of insects, we have now demonstrated a direct link between climate and insect color, which impact their geographical distribution," Professor Carsten Rahbek, at Imperial College London said, according to a press release issued by the university. "We now know that lighter-colored butterflies and dragonflies are doing better in a warmer world, and we have also demonstrated that the effects of climate change on where species live are not something of the future, but that nature and its ecosystems are changing as we speak."
Researchers studied 366 butterfly species and 107 dragonfly species across Europe.
In order to check if warming had triggered the shift, they studied the variations that took place in the distribution of species over an 18-year-period from 1988-2006.
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