https://archive.md/qCEae
"Butterflies are rapidly fluttering out of existence from coast to coast,
according to a new assessment published Thursday, at a rate that scientists
worry could upend ecosystems and undercut pollination that sustains America’s
crops.
The total number of butterflies in the contiguous United States has declined 22
percent over a 20-year period, according to a study in the journal Science, as
shrinking habitat, rising temperatures and a toxic array of pesticides kill off
the delicate insects.
The study, published Thursday in the journal
Science, is the most
comprehensive tally of U.S. butterfly populations to date.
Nick Haddad, a Michigan State University ecologist who co-wrote the study, said
he once had a hard time believing his neighbors when they told him they see
fewer butterflies than in the past.
“In my mind, I was nodding, thinking, ‘Oh, they just went out on a bad day,’”
he said. But now, the data has him convinced.
“Butterflies are vanishing from the face of the earth,” he added.
The crisis for butterflies is part of a troubling downturn in the number of
bumblebees, fireflies and other insects that has been observed in Europe, the
Caribbean and other places worldwide. It could signal a potential
“bugpocalypse” that scientists are fiercely debating — a shift that may spell
trouble for both nature and society.
The loss of insects — “the little things that run the world,” as naturalist
E.O. Wilson once put it — has dire implications for ecosystems in which birds
and mammals rely on them for food and plants depend on them for pollination.
Farmers and gardeners, meanwhile, may be losing allies that act as pollinators
and natural pest control."
Via Susan ****
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
