Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Speciation Rates01:07

Speciation Rates

21.4K
Overview
21.4K
Global Climate Change01:50

Global Climate Change

24.8K
Throughout its ~4.5 billion year history, the Earth has experienced periods of warming and cooling. However, the current drastic increase in global temperatures is well outside of the Earth’s cyclic norms, and evidence for human-caused global climate change is compelling. Paleoclimatology, the study of ancient climate conditions, provides ample evidence for human-caused global climate change by comparing recent conditions with those in the past.
24.8K
Threats to Biodiversity01:50

Threats to Biodiversity

22.9K
There have been five major extinction events throughout geological history, resulting in the elimination of biodiversity, followed by a rebound of species that adapted to the new conditions. In the current geological epoch, the Holocene, there is a sixth extinction event in progress. This mass extinction has been attributed to human activities and is thus provisionally called the Anthropocene. In 2019 the human population reached 7.7 billion people and is projected to comprise 10 billion by...
22.9K
Frequency-dependent Selection01:21

Frequency-dependent Selection

22.2K
When the fitness of a trait is influenced by how common it is (i.e., its frequency) relative to different traits within a population, this is referred to as frequency-dependent selection. Frequency-dependent selection may occur between species or within a single species. This type of selection can either be positive—with more common phenotypes having higher fitness—or negative, with rarer phenotypes conferring increased fitness.
22.2K
Conservation of Declining Populations02:07

Conservation of Declining Populations

9.7K
Conservation of declining population focuses on ways of detecting, diagnosing, and halting a population decline. The approach uses methods to prevent populations from going extinct.
9.7K
Conservation of Small Populations02:04

Conservation of Small Populations

13.6K
Small population sizes put a species at extreme risk of extinction due to a lack of variation, and a consequent decrease in adaptability. This weakens the chances of survival under pressures such as climate change, competition from other species, or new diseases. Large populations are more likely to survive pressures such as these, as such populations are more likely to harbor individuals that have genetic variants that are adaptive under new stresses. Small populations are much less...
13.6K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Satellite observations reveal widespread alteration of river thermal regimes by US dams.

Science advances·2026
Same author

<b>Two new species of the genus <i>Prusiana</i> Evans from south and southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia (Lepidoptera, Hesperiidae, Hesperiinae, Baorini)</b>.

Zootaxa·2026
Same author

<b>Revision of the genus <i>Acampylotes</i> Yang, 1987 (Lepidoptera, Zygaenidae, Chalcosiinae) with descriptions of seven new species</b>.

Zootaxa·2026
Same author

<b>On the taxonomic status of the endangered Benguet Swallowtail <i>Papilio benguetana</i> Joicey & Talbot, 1923 (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae)</b>.

Zootaxa·2026
Same author

<b>A new subspecies of <i>Mydosama georgi</i> Aoki & Uémura, 1982 (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae: Satyrinae) from Mt. Tapulao, Luzon, Philippines</b>.

Zootaxa·2026
Same author

<b>Revision of the subfamily Callizygaeninae (Lepidoptera, Zygaenoidea, Zygaenidae)</b>.

Zootaxa·2026

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Sep 13, 2025

Field-Based Thermal Physiology Assay: Cold Shock Recovery under Ambient Conditions
07:54

Field-Based Thermal Physiology Assay: Cold Shock Recovery under Ambient Conditions

Published on: March 9, 2021

3.1K

Global climate cooling spurred skipper butterfly diversification.

Emmanuel F A Toussaint1, Fabien L Condamine2, Ana Paula Dos Santos De Carvalho3

  • 1Natural History Museum of Geneva, 1208 Geneva, Switzerland.

Systematic Biology
|July 28, 2025
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Skipper butterflies diversified due to climate cooling and shifts to grasslands. An early diet shift to monocots, or grass feeding, significantly boosted skipper speciation and reduced extinction rates.

Keywords:
BiogeographyButterfly evolutionHesperiidaeHostplant coevolutionInsect macroevolutionLepidoptera phylogenomics

More Related Videos

Using Generative Art to Convey Past and Future Climate Transitions
06:10

Using Generative Art to Convey Past and Future Climate Transitions

Published on: March 31, 2023

1.1K
Impedance Pneumography for Minimally Invasive Measurement of Heart Rate in Late Stage Invertebrates
08:25

Impedance Pneumography for Minimally Invasive Measurement of Heart Rate in Late Stage Invertebrates

Published on: April 4, 2020

6.1K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Sep 13, 2025

Field-Based Thermal Physiology Assay: Cold Shock Recovery under Ambient Conditions
07:54

Field-Based Thermal Physiology Assay: Cold Shock Recovery under Ambient Conditions

Published on: March 9, 2021

3.1K
Using Generative Art to Convey Past and Future Climate Transitions
06:10

Using Generative Art to Convey Past and Future Climate Transitions

Published on: March 31, 2023

1.1K
Impedance Pneumography for Minimally Invasive Measurement of Heart Rate in Late Stage Invertebrates
08:25

Impedance Pneumography for Minimally Invasive Measurement of Heart Rate in Late Stage Invertebrates

Published on: April 4, 2020

6.1K

Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Ecology
  • Entomology

Background:

  • Butterflies (order Lepidoptera, family Hesperiidae) are a species-rich insect group, yet their diversification dynamics remain understudied.
  • Understanding the factors driving diversification in species-rich lineages is crucial for evolutionary biology.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To reconstruct a phylogenomic tree for approximately 1,500 skipper species.
  • To investigate the roles of global climate change, geographical range evolution, and host-plant association in skipper diversification.

Main Methods:

  • Phylogenomic tree reconstruction for ~1,500 Hesperiidae species.
  • Analysis of historical climate data and geographical range shifts.
  • Assessment of host-plant associations, particularly the shift to monocots.

Main Results:

  • Skippers originated in Laurasia before the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction, later colonizing southern regions during global climate cooling.
  • Climate cooling in the Cenozoic promoted skipper diversification, potentially through biome transitions to open ecosystems like grasslands.
  • An early host-plant shift from dicots to monocots (grasses) reduced extinction and increased speciation rates, explaining the diversity of grass-feeding skippers.

Conclusions:

  • Long-term climate change, dynamic geographical range evolution, and host-plant shifts are key drivers of skipper butterfly diversification.
  • The adaptation to monocot-feeding played a significant role in the evolutionary success of Hesperiidae.
  • This study provides a comprehensive framework for understanding diversification in a species-rich insect family.