Climate change may wipe out a quarter of NZ’s mountain grasshoppers within 50 years

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2022-03-02 11:01

New Zealand

Scientists see mountains as sensitive barometers of climate change since creatures and plants on steep slopes will be more rapidly affected. NZ researchers have modelled the ecological niches of 12 species of flightless grasshopper that are endemic to Aotearoa’s mountains - to estimate the impact of human-fuelled climate change. The authors say all these species are predicted to suffer dramatic reductions in range, with a quarter likely to become extinct due to a near-total decline and fragmenting of their habitat by 2070.

Media release

From: The Royal Society

Climate change and alpine-adapted insects: modelling environmental envelopes of a grasshopper radiation

Mountains are sensitive barometers of climate change. We developed statistical models of ecological niche models for twelve species of flightless grasshopper that live on mountains in Aotearoa New Zealand, using their current distributions and environmental data and projected future conditions to investigate the impact of anthropogenic climate change on biodiversity. All twelve species studied are predicted to suffer extreme reductions in range, with a quarter likely to go extinct due to a 96–100% reduction and fragmentation of habitat in the next 50 years. Fragmented habitat supports smaller populations of grasshoppers and other biota which are more vulnerable.

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Journal/
conference: Royal Society Open Science

Research:Paper

Organisation/s: Massey University

Funder: This research was supported by a doctoral scholarship from Massey University and a grant from the Miss E. L. Hellaby Indigenous Grasslands Research Trust.

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