Butterfly Communities Research Articles

Intra‐ and inter‐specific variability in the temporal trends of butterfly phenology in the Northern Alps

Abstract Large‐scale declines in insect abundances and richness due to climate and land‐use change have been well documented during the past years. These changes are accompanied by shifts in insect phenology towards earlier appearance in spring and prolonged activity periods in late summer and autumn. The magnitude of these responses to climate change might be masked by intra‐ and inter‐specific variability in phenology and trait expression. Here, we used a large data set of museum records of butterflies from the northern Austrian Alps (380 m to >3000 m asl) and ask to which degree does intra‐ and inter‐specific variability in spring and autumn activity and in the numbers of generations affect the temporal trends in phenology during the last 30 years? For the 17 most abundant species, we found phenological variability to strongly differ among species, local habitats and study years. Ubiquitous mobile species were significantly more variable than habitat specialist and sedentary species. Intra‐specific variability was highest in ubiquitous habitat generalist species and increased during the study period. As consequence, seasonal appearance and composition of local butterfly communities are now less predictable than decades ago. It remains unclear whether this trend causes a rewiring of pollinator food webs.

Impact of urban landscape patterns on butterfly diversity in Fuzhou City parks

Butterflies are crucial bioindicators of urban environmental changes. Utilizing urban green spaces to create ecological corridors and habitats is essential for maintaining biodiversity. Therefore, understanding the factors that influence landscape patterns in urban green spaces and their impact on butterfly diversity is crucial. This study investigated how landscape patterns in urban green spaces affect butterfly diversity through a year-long survey across 24 urban parks in Fuzhou. The main findings were as follows: (1) A total of 7786 butterflies from 59 species were recorded, with the highest species diversity and richness observed in Fushan Country Park. Seasonal abundance peaked in summer, while richness was highest in autumn. Species composition varied significantly across park types. (2) Monophagous butterfly diversity was positively correlated with woodland proportion and negatively to waterbody proportion. Polyphagous and oligophagous butterfly diversity showed positive correlations with woodland aggregation index and grassland proportion, but negative with construction land proportion. Factors such as the woodland proportion and grassland proportion influenced butterfly diversity in different activity spaces. (3) Butterfly communities with different feeding types and vertical activity space ranges responded differently to landscape pattern indices. Seasonal variations indicated that polyphagous butterflies and those occupying the middle activity space exhibited similar responses to environmental factors.

A Butterfly Algorithm That Combines Chaos Mapping and Fused Particle Swarm Optimization for UAV Path Planning

Effective path planning is essential for autonomous drone flight to enhance task efficiency. Many researchers have applied swarm intelligence algorithms to drone path planning. For instance, the traditional Butterfly Optimization Algorithm (BOA) has been used for this purpose. However, traditional BOA faces challenges such as slow convergence and susceptibility to being trapped in local optima. An Improved Butterfly Optimization Algorithm (IBOA) has been developed to identify optimal routes to address these limitations. Initially, ICMIC mapping is utilized to establish the butterfly community, enhancing the initial population’s diversity and preventing premature algorithm convergence. Following this, a population reset strategy is introduced, replacing weaker individuals over a specified number of iterations while maintaining a constant population size. This strategy enhances the algorithm’s ability to avoid local optima and increases its robustness. Additionally, characteristics of the Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm are integrated to enhance the butterfly’s location update mechanism, accelerating the algorithm’s convergence rate. To evaluate the performance of the IBOA algorithm, this study designed a CEC2020 function test experiment and compared it with several swarm intelligence algorithms. The results showed that IBOA achieved the best performance in 70% of the function tests, outperforming 75% of the other algorithms. In the path planning experiments within a simulated environment, IBOA quickly converged to the optimal path, and the paths it planned were the shortest and safest compared to those generated by other algorithms.

Vegetation productivity determines the response of butterflies along elevation gradients in the trans‐Himalayas, Nepal

AbstractEnvironmental parameters along elevational gradients affect the number of butterflies and the variety of species. However, which variables play significant roles and how they operate can be difficult to untangle. Here, we examine the relationships between observed butterfly richness (overall and subgroups) at different elevation gradients and remotely sensed environmental variables (vegetation productivity, surface temperature, landscape heterogeneity, and moisture stress) using generalized linear models. We surveyed butterflies with a fixed‐point count method in 19 elevation bands within 1600–5200 m above sea level in Manang district, trans‐Himalayan region, north‐central Nepal. The number of butterflies in each elevation band was studied and estimated, then interpolated across the lowest and highest elevation to estimate butterfly species richness. Then, the selection of models was performed on butterfly richness and elevations to test the best model support based on the lowest value of the Akaike information criterion and a multimodel averaging for other environmental variables. Altogether, 94 butterfly species, representing 20 subfamilies and six families, were recorded throughout the study periods. We obtained cubic model support for overall species richness, Papilionidae, and Hesperiidae, quadratic to Nymphalidae and Pieridae, and the linear model to Lycaenidae. In our study, vegetation productivity was found to have a significant positive impact on butterfly communities. Our study further suggests species richness of Papilionidae and Hesperiidae has a strong positive correlation with surface temperature and landscape heterogeneity and negative associations with moisture stress but other subgroups of butterfly communities including overall species richness showed insignificant relationships with these variables. This study provides significant information related to the responses of montane butterflies to environmental variables along elevational gradients from the Himalayas Nepal. However, further detailed studies on the functional behaviors of butterflies potentially offer more insights into their distribution patterns and ecological relationship in the montane environment.

Temporal Shifts in Flower-Visiting Butterfly Communities and Their Floral Resources along a Vegetation Type Altered by Anthropogenic Factors

Habitat disturbance driven by human activities poses a major threat to biodiversity and can disrupt ecological interactions. Butterfly–plant mutualisms represent an ideal model system to study such anthropogenic impacts, as butterflies exhibit intimate dependencies on larval host plants and adult nectar sources, rendering them highly sensitive to habitat changes affecting the availability of these floral resources. This study examined flower-visiting butterfly communities and their associations with flowering plants in a landscape altered by anthropogenic factors in central Mexico. The study area encompassed a mosaic of vegetation types, including native juniper forests, agricultural lands, and introduced eucalyptus plantations, representing different degrees of human-induced habitat modification. Monthly surveys were conducted over a single year, covering both rainy and dry seasons, to analyze butterfly and plant diversity, community composition, and interactions. Results showed the highest diversity in juniper forests, followed by eucalyptus and agricultural sites. Seasonal turnover was the primary driver of community changes, with habitat-based segregation persisting within seasons. Butterfly diversity strongly correlated with flower abundance, while plant richness played a secondary role. SIMPER and indicator species analyses identified key taxa contributing to compositional dissimilarities among habitats and associated with specific vegetation types and seasons. Our research provides insights into temporal dynamics structuring butterfly–plant interactions across this forest disturbance spectrum, highlighting how habitat changes and seasonality shape these mutualistic communities in changing landscapes.

Alteration in butterfly community structure along urban–rural gradient: with insights to conservation management

BackgroundEcosystem services rendered by the butterflies are important for the sustenance of community interaction. Butterfly species have also coevolved with the host and nectaring plants. In the adult condition, they mostly rely on nectar, while in the larval condition, they feed on the leaves of their host plants. Butterfly species are sensitive to changes in environmental parameters and are considered excellent indicators of ecosystem health. The study of species diversity and richness indices aids in better ecosystem management. The present study's goal was to determine butterfly diversity in the urban–rural gradient of Purulia district, West Bengal, India, a part of the Chota Nagpur Plateau. We aim to complement crucial information on butterfly conservation management in Purulia, West Bengal, India, and other similar geographical areas with the findings of this study.ResultsIt was found that out of 3809 sampled butterflies, the individual contribution of the family Nymphalidae was the highest (51.24%), followed by Lycaenidae (18.40%), Pieridae (17.32%), Papilionidae (9.74%), and Hesperiidae (3.12%). A total of 54 butterfly species were observed in the urban–rural gradient, out of which the urban region contained 49 species, the suburban region had 32 species, and the rural region had 30 species. Significant differences were observed in butterfly abundance for the sites, seasons, and families during the study period. PERMANOVA and ANOSIM for species abundance and species presence-absence data show that all three sites are significantly different. Results Both PCoA and NMDS revealed clear differences among sites (groups) in terms of species abundance and presence-absence data. According to the findings of this study, the urban region has the highest species richness, followed by the suburban and rural regions. We discovered that urban areas have the highest butterfly abundance, followed by suburban and rural areas. Numerous butterfly species prefer the bushes dominated by Lantanacamara in the urban region with the highest species richness. Aside from this invasive weed, the site also contains Tridaxprocumbens, Catharanthusroseus, Synedrellanodiflora, and Ocimumamericanum, which are well known for being butterfly nectaring plants. In the case of the suburban region, members of the Lycaenidae family contributed the highest percentage after Nymphalidae, which was dominated by Tridaxprocumbens and Sphagneticolatrilobata, which was preferred by the members of the Lycaenidae family observed during the survey, this site also contained Ixoracoccinea, Catharanthusroseus, and Lantanacamara. This site, in terms of nectaring plants, remains homogeneous in a rural region.ConclusionsOut of 3809 butterfly individuals, the family Nymphalidae contributed the most, followed by Lycaenidae, Pieridae, Papilionidae, and Hesperiidae. Both species richness and butterfly abundance were highest in urban regions, followed by sub-urban and rural regions. The current study has shown that this particular geographic location can sustain a variety of butterfly species. However, it is important to note that conservation planning is necessary not only for the butterfly species but also for the nectaring plant species that contribute to the diversity of these insects. The conservation of butterfly species can also lead to the achievement of ecosystem services they provide.

Cross-taxon analysis in the highly threatened Mediterranean dunes reveals consistent diversity patterns in butterfly and plant communities

AbstractButterflies and plant species are widely used as model systems in biodiversity and conservation research. However, little is known about spatial patterns of butterfly diversity linked to plant communities across coastal dune ecotones. We explored the relation between butterfly and vegetation diversity in a Mediterranean protected dune system in Central Italy. We sampled butterfly and plant communities on shifting and fixed dunes and investigated their distribution patterns by diversity indexes and Species Abundance Diversity models (SADs). We also computed species beta-diversity and analyzed the relation between butterfly communities and vegetation by correlation analyses. Cross-taxon congruence in species richness, composition and abundance was assessed using Mantel correlation tests. Both butterfly and plant diversity were higher on the fixed dunes than on the shifting dunes. In both communities, SADs were adequately described by the geometric series model, which is typical of harsh environments with simple communities dominated by few species. Among both butterflies and plants, we identified species found only on either the shifting or the fixed dunes. Correlation between plant and butterfly diversity was higher for entomophilous plant species than for the more abundant anemophilous ones. Our results indicate that both plant and butterfly communities respond to the sea-inland environmental gradient, forming distinct communities with specialized taxa. Our findings also provide evidence of the importance of butterfly-plant relations for preserving biological diversity and ecosystem functioning in Mediterranean coastal areas.

Increased habitat availability as revealed by LiDAR contributes to the tropicalization of a subtropical butterfly community

AbstractSpecies redistribution through climate change remains a global problem. However, factors such as habitat availability can complicate the attribution of species distribution shifts. We used habitat metrics derived from repeated airborne LiDAR surveys in 2010 to 2020 to examine the underlying causes for the establishment of new butterfly species in Hong Kong. For six species newly arrived since 2000, we built species distribution models using the Random Forest algorithm based on LiDAR data from 2020 to characterize species' preferred habitats across the region. Through hindcasting, we applied the model to LiDAR data from 2010 to observe any changes in the availability of preferred habitat. We found widespread vertical forest growth across Hong Kong and increased probability of occurrence based on increased habitat availability for all six species. The underlying habitat drivers, however, varied significantly across species; two species (Lethe chandica, Notocrypta paralysos) were associated with closed forest while two other species (Prosotas dubiosa, Prosotas nora) were associated with urbanicity. Our results highlight how changes in habitat can occur concurrently with climatic change and together drive the redistribution of biodiversity. Particularly for vertically complex tropical forests, airborne LiDAR data can be leveraged to observe changes in habitat complexity and how these relate to shifts in species distributions.

Comparison of butterfly communities among land-use types and topographic conditions in the agricultural landscape of Hokkaido, northern Japan

Comparison of butterfly communities among land-use types and topographic conditions in the agricultural landscape of Hokkaido, northern Japan

Determinants of Butterfly Community Structure and Composition at the Local Habitat Level: Importance of Neighboring Vegetation and Management Status: A Case Study

Exploring the determinants of biological community structure is important not only for understanding the formation of the community, but also for promoting its biodiversity conservation. We monitored butterfly communities in a grassland and woodland area of Mount Fuji, Japan, and explored the environmental factors that influenced them. Multivariate regression tree (MRT) analysis generated a 3-leaved MRT (G1, G2, and G3) and showed the total explained variation of 64.4% in the species composition. The explanatory variables discriminating between the two branches in the first node and in the second node of the MRT were neighboring plant community and management status, respectively. The neighboring plant community was related to the distribution of butterfly dietary resources and contributed a lot in determining the species composition of the community while the management status was largely related to the amount of their dietary resources, affecting the species richness and diversity. The PCA results revealed that the three key groups (G1, G2, and G3) were formed along the gradients of these two factors. Consequently, maintaining mowing management and the diversity of neighboring vegetation is very important for the continuance of butterfly community diversity and composition and the conservation of Red Listed species in the area.

Influence of canopy structural complexity on urban woodland butterfly species richness

AbstractAs urban land use expands, understanding the conservation of biodiversity in urban settings becomes increasingly important. Urban areas contain a wide range of remnant natural, semi-natural and anthropogenic woodlands but the biodiversity of these woodlands is not well studied. Urban woodlands are usually constrained in size and subject to management which may not be focused on promoting biodiversity. As a habitat of critical importance, the characteristics of urban woodlands need to be better understood to maximise their biodiversity within a limited footprint in the urban landscape. We used repeat line-transect surveys and rapid woodland structure habitat assessments to investigate the habitat associations of butterflies in ten woodland patches representing a range of sizes (between 1 and 40 ha), ages and woodland characteristics in the urban habitat matrix of Milton Keynes, UK. We found that ancient woodland sites supported every species detected, but the butterfly communities of amenity and roadside woodlands had similar species richness, diversity and abundance, regardless of size. Butterfly species richness was strongly associated with both woodland area and structural complexity at a site-scale, but only with structural complexity on a transect scale. Simpson diversity showed no correlation with any variable at the site scale, but strong correlation with structural complexity on transects. Abundance only correlated with area at the site scale. Our results suggest that management techniques that introduce structural complexity within urban woodlands may be an effective way to support butterfly richness and diversity in contexts where woodland areas cannot be increased.

Communities of butterflies on ten spoil heaps in Ostrava Basin

Communities of butterflies on ten spoil heaps in Ostrava Basin

Diversity of bumble bees and butterflies in Minnesota roadsides depends on floral diversity and abundance but not floral native status

Abstract Habitat loss is an important driver in the rapid decline of many insects. The restoration of roadside habitat has been touted as an opportunity to support communities of bumble bees and butterflies, two insect groups of conservation concern. However, it is unclear how current roadside restoration methods translate to pollinator abundance and diversity. Here, we ask how the plant communities of roadsides seeded with native and non‐native seed mixes affect bumble bee and butterfly communities 2–20 years after planting. We found that bumble bee and butterfly abundance and diversity were positively correlated with floral abundance and diversity. However, the pollinator community in plots planted with diverse native seed mixes did not differ from that found in plots seeded with species‐poor non‐native mixes, likely because many forbs in the native seed mixes had poor establishment, and all plots were readily colonised by species that were never planted. While plots with more native flowers did not necessarily support higher pollinator diversity, we did find several native plants that established well in roadsides and supported pollinators, including goldenrods (Solidago spp.), milkweeds (Asclepias spp.) and wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa). Our data suggest that managing a more diverse and abundant floral community will benefit bumble bees and butterflies. Refining the composition of native seed mixes, adding more floral abundance to non‐native mixes and investing in management for native plant communities may increase the habitat value of roadsides for pollinator communities.

Stability and Assembly Mechanisms of Butterfly Communities across Environmental Gradients of a Subtropical Mountain.

Mountain ecosystems harbor evolutionarily unique and exceptionally rich biodiversity, particularly in insects. In this study, we characterized the diversity, community stability, and assembly mechanisms of butterflies on a subtropical mountain in the Chebaling National Nature Reserve, Guangdong Province, China, using grid-based monitoring across the entire region for two years. The results showed that species richness, abundance, and Faith's phylogenetic diversity decreased with increasing elevation; taxonomic diversity played a considerable role in mediating the effects of environmental changes on stability. Moreover, our results showed that stochastic processes are dominant in governing the assembly of butterfly communities across all elevational gradients, with habitats at an elevation of 416-580 m subjected to the strongest stochastic processes, whereas heterogeneous selection processes displayed stronger effects on the assembly of butterfly communities at 744-908 m, 580-744 m, and 908-1072 m, with abiotic factors inferred as the main driving forces. In addition, significant differences were detected between the barcode tree and the placement tree for the calculated β-NTI values at 416-580 m. Overall, this study provides new insights into the effects of environmental change on the stability and assembly of butterflies in Chebaling, which will be beneficial for biodiversity conservation and policy development.

Rapoport's rule explains the range size distribution of butterflies along the Eastern Himalayan elevation gradient

AbstractUnderstanding elevational range size distribution of organisms can provide valuable insights on biogeographic pattern of species and their conservation. Rapoport's rule posits that the elevational range size of species increases with increasing elevation. However, the validity of this rule is often questioned due to variations in methodologies across studies and inconsistencies among different groups of organisms. In this study, we examined the elevational range size distribution of butterflies in the Eastern Himalaya, and assessed the applicability of Rapoport's rule using different approaches, which perhaps is the first of its kind in the Himalaya. We sampled butterflies along the elevational gradient of 16 elevational bands (300–3300 m) using point count method along the transect. The sampled butterflies were grouped into various sub‐groups based on family, biogeographic affinity, and larval feeding pattern. We found that the majority of the butterfly species (total as well as sub‐groups) had small range sizes, and their elevational range distribution showed support for the Rapoport's rule. Increase in variation in temperature as measured by temperature seasonality and mean annual temperature range were the most important predictors of range size distribution pattern of the overall butterfly community. However, the relationship between range size and climatic variability differed among various sub‐groups implying that the perceived pattern may vary even within the species of the same taxon.Abstract in Nepali is available with online material.

Taxonomic and functional homogenization of butterfly communities along an urban gradient

Abstract Urbanization is a major cause of global insect declines, yet some species can persist, and even thrive, in cities. Research on butterflies frequently report reduced diversity in urban habitats compared to rural ones, but less is known about whether urbanization favours butterflies with specific functional traits. Further, few studies have evaluated whether urbanization leads to the biotic homogenization of butterfly communities, despite being frequently reported for other taxa. Here, we investigate how butterfly community composition changes along an urban gradient by surveying 44 sites around Montréal, Quebec, Canada. We test the hypothesis that urban butterfly communities are homogenized at the taxonomic and functional levels. We found clear differences in the structure of urban versus rural butterfly communities with urban areas favouring a few, highly abundant, non‐native species. These shifts were defined by losses of native species richness and abundance combined with increases in non‐native species abundance. For most of the butterfly community, species with longer flight periods were more common in urban areas. Finally, urban communities were homogenized at the taxonomic and functional levels as demonstrated by reductions in beta diversity and variation in several key functional traits (wingspan, larval diet breadth, oviposition style) in urban habitats compared to rural ones. Overall, urban habitats in this region support less diverse butterfly communities that are homogenized. Since urban areas are growing worldwide, a better understanding of how biotic homogenization arises and what its consequences are will be key to guiding future conservation efforts.

A comparison of butterfly communities in irrigated and non-irrigated Mediterranean farmlands

Irrigation is considered a form of agricultural intensification and is of significant importance in arid and semi-arid regions, such as those in the Mediterranean basin. This region differs substantially from temperate ones, in terms of climate, land-use policies and types of agricultural systems. Therefore, how biodiversity is affected by agricultural intensification may also differ substantially from countries in north-western Europe. We investigated the effect of irrigation on butterfly diversity and abundance at two different spatial scales in an agricultural region in northern Cyprus, an area representative of typical lowland agricultural practices of the Eastern Mediterranean. We investigated how local field-scale management (irrigated vs rain-fed) and the proportion of irrigated land at a larger scale of 0.25 km2 affected the abundance and diversity of butterflies and herbaceous plant species. Butterflies and herbaceous plants were surveyed in field boundaries adjacent to agricultural fields located in paired plots that had contrasting levels of irrigation. Butterflies in the field boundaries along agricultural fields were strongly positively affected by irrigation in the adjacent fields both in terms of abundance and species diversity, whereas the effect of irrigation at the larger scale of the 0.25-km2 plot was less prominent. Species composition of butterflies and plants did not correlate. However, plant abundance and alpha diversity of the vegetation in the field boundaries correlated with both abundance and alpha diversity of the butterflies when the abundance of plants was relatively low, in particular, when grasses were omitted from the data set. Crop species associated with irrigated fields contributed to the observed patterns. Comparing the results of this study with those reported for temperate regions in northwestern Europe reveals that the effectiveness of management schemes on biodiversity depend on biogeographical region, highlighting the risk of making broad assumption on the effectiveness of management strategies on biodiversity.

Progress and evolution of hotspots in butterfly diversity research in green spaces.

Ecosystems depend on biodiversity; therefore, protecting biodiversity is beneficial for the development of ecosystems. Butterflies are indicator species that respond quickly to environmental changes and reflect environmental conditions. Butterfly diversity is a crucial evaluation indicator of habitat quality in green spaces. We used CiteSpace and Bibliometrix to conduct a bibliometric analysis of research relating to butterfly diversity in green spaces. Based on 538 papers published from 2002-2022, we systematically reviewed the status, frontiers, and hotspots for research on butterfly diversity in green spaces. Our results showed that: (1) Research on butterfly diversity in green spaces has consistently demonstrated an upward trend between 2002-2022. Studies on this subject have garnered attention from researchers worldwide, with notable interest and contributions from scholars in the United States. (2) Early studies focused on butterfly habitat preferences and extinction concerns, and later articles appeared on the influence of external environmental factors (land use, climate change, plants, etc.). (3) Three main research topics received much attention between 2002 and 2022: biodiversity conservation, butterfly habitats, and the relationship between butterfly diversity and its influencing factors. (4) The relationship between green spaces and butterfly diversity (landscape features, vegetation features, and human activities) was discussed; these factors on butterfly communities should be considered in the planning and constructing of future green spaces. (5) Two significant future directions have been identified: more research on the impact of external factors and a need for more technical integration with the big data field. Future research on butterfly diversity in green spaces should adopt a more multi-scale, multi-disciplinary approach and aim to enhance the practicality and guidance of research findings.

Anthropogenic climate and land-use change drive short- and long-term biodiversity shifts across taxa

Climate change and habitat loss present serious threats to nature. Yet, due to a lack of historical land-use data, the potential for land-use change and baseline land-use conditions to interact with a changing climate to affect biodiversity remains largely unknown. Here, we use historical land use, climate data and species observation data to investigate the patterns and causes of biodiversity change in Great Britain. We show that anthropogenic climate change and land conversion have broadly led to increased richness, biotic homogenization and warmer-adapted communities of British birds, butterflies and plants over the long term (50+ years) and short term (20 years). Biodiversity change was found to be largely determined by baseline environmental conditions of land use and climate, especially over shorter timescales, suggesting that biodiversity change in recent periods could reflect an inertia derived from past environmental changes. Climate–land-use interactions were mostly related to long-term change in species richness and beta diversity across taxa. Semi-natural grasslands (in a broad sense, including meadows, pastures, lowland and upland heathlands and open wetlands) were associated with lower rates of biodiversity change, while their contribution to national-level biodiversity doubled over the long term. Our findings highlight the need to protect and restore natural and semi-natural habitats, alongside a fuller consideration of individual species’ requirements beyond simple measures of species richness in biodiversity management and policy.

Heatwave predicts a shady future for insects: impacts of an extreme weather event on a chalk grassland in Bedfordshire, UK

Climate change is set to become one of the leading causes of biodiversity loss worldwide, with extreme weather events projected to increase in frequency. Ectothermic animals such as insects are at particular risk, especially when they are isolated and unable to move through the landscape to track suitable climate. To protect such taxa, it is important to understand how they are impacted by extreme weather events and whether management could provide effective microclimate refuges. However, potential management interventions remain untested for many species. Here, we show that the extreme high temperatures experienced in the UK on 19th July 2022 resulted in a community of butterflies becoming inactive, but that shaded areas, including artificial slopes created as part of conservation management for climate change, provided a refuge during this period. Our results indicate that future high temperatures could force butterflies to shelter in the shade, potentially being unable to fly, feed or mate during these periods, with possible long-term impacts, particularly if multiple consecutive high temperature days are experienced.