From Global Patterns to Regional Processes: Bioregional Diversity and Climatic Responses of Brush‐Footed Butterflies (Nymphalidae: Melitaea )

ABSTRACT Aim In this study, we investigate how historical and contemporary climate influence global and bioregional patterns of taxonomic diversity in the butterfly genus Melitaea (Nymphalidae). Location Global (entire geographic range). Methods We compiled the first comprehensive global occurrence database for Melitaea, covering its entire geographic range, and used both clustering‐based and network‐based biogeographic delineation methods to identify bioregions from species distribution patterns. Results Both approaches revealed similar large‐scale bioregional configurations, but network‐based analyses showed finer bioregional structures, corresponding more closely with Köppen–Geiger climate classes, indicating stronger ecoclimatic coherence. Species richness was highest in Central Asia, particularly in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, with additional diversity hotspots in the Caucasus, Anatolia and the Iranian Plateau. Across spatial scales, patterns of diversity responded differently to three major climatic contrasts: past versus present climate, climatic extremes versus seasonality and temperature versus precipitation. At the global scale, present‐day climate was the strongest driver of species diversity. In contrast, within individual bioregions, both historical and contemporary climate contributed substantially to present‐day diversity patterns. The relative importance of temperature, precipitation, seasonality and extremes varied among bioregions, revealing scale‐dependent climatic controls. These regional patterns are often masked when analyses are conducted only at the global level. Main Conclusion Biodiversity patterns in Melitaea butterflies reflect the combined effects of climatic history and current environmental conditions. Recognizing and accounting for bioregional structure improves our understanding of how biodiversity responds to climate and provides a stronger foundation for predicting biological responses to ongoing global change.