Vashington Shington – America’s butterflies are disappearing due to disinfectant, weather change and loss of residence, with a new study showing a new study, which has been 22% below 2000.
The first nationwide systematic analysis of the butterfly abundance found that the number of butterflies in the lower states of the century turned on average 1.3% after a year, with 114 species showing a significant decline and only nine are growing, according to Thursday’s Journal Science study.
“Butterflies have been falling in the last 20 years,” said Nick Haddad, co-author of Michigan State University’s Antomologist study. “And we don’t see any sign that it will end.”
The team of Vijay Scientists conducted 35 monitoring programs, 76,9577 and mixed them for apples-to-aparjan comparisons and counted 12.6 million butterflies in decades. Last month the annual survey that only looked at the king butterflies, which the federal officials were planning Put on a list of threatening speciesCounts Almost all the time low Less than 10,000 below 1.2 million in 1997.
Many species of reduction have been reduced by 40% or more.
David Wagner, the University of Connecticut Antomologist, who was not part of the study, appreciated his scope. And he said that when the annual reduction rate does not seem significant, it is “catastrophic and miserable” when it is combined over time.
“In just 30 or 40 years we are talking about losing half butterflies (and other insect life) in the room!” Vegner said in an email. “The tree of life is rejected at an unprecedented rate.”
There are 650 butterfly species in the United States, but 96 species of species were so scattered that they were not shown in the data and the other 212 species were not found enough to calculate the trends, said Colin Edwards, Ecologists and Washington of the Department of Washington.
“I am probably the most concerned about the species that can’t even be included in the analysis,” said Karen Oberhouser, a University of Wisconsin-Medison, a non-part of the research.
Haddad, an expert in rare butterflies, said that in recent years he has seen only two dangerous St. Francis Satir butterflies – Who only lives on a bomb range at Fort Brag in North Carolina – “So it can be extinct.”
Some of the most well -known species had big drops. The Red Admiral, which descends on those people, is below 44% and the American Lady Butterfly, reduced by 58% with two large ispots on the back wings, Edwards said.
Aggressive white cabbage butterfly, “a species that is well suited to invade the world,” according to Haddad, declined by 50%.
“How could it be?” Haddad was surprised.
Cornell University Butterfly expert Anurag Agarwal said he was most concerned about the future of a different species: humans.
“Loss of butterflies, parrots and porpoisis is a bad sign for us, the ecosystems we want and what we enjoy,” Agarwal, who was not part of the study, said in an email. “They are telling us that the health of our continent is not doing so good … butterflies are an ambassador to the mutual dependence of the beauty, fragility and species of nature. They have something to teach us. “
Oberhouser said that butterflies combine people with nature and “calm us, make us healthy and happy and promote education.”
What is happening to butterflies in the United States is probably happening with the continent and other, less studied insects in the world, Vagnar said. He said that not only this is the most comprehensive butterfly study, but the most data is rich for any insect.
Butterflies are also pollen, though not as prominent as bees, and they are the main source of pollen of Texas cotton crop, Haddad said.
The biggest decline in butterflies was in the southwest – Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and Oklahoma – where the number of butterflies in 20 years was reduced by more than half.
“It looks like butterflies that are in dry and warm areas especially poorly,” Edwards said. “And that type captures a lot in the southwest.”
Edwards said that when they looked at the butterfly species that both lived in the hot south and cold north, those who did better were in cold areas.
Weather -changeThe loss of accommodation and pesticides work together to weaken the butterfly population, Edwards and Haddad said. Out of the three, it seems that the U.S. The biggest reason for pesticides based on Midwest’s previous research is, Haddad said.
“It is meaningful because the pesticide use has changed dramatically since our study began,” Haddad said.
Residences can be re -restored and therefore butterflies can, so hope, Haddad said.
“You can make Change in your backyard And in your neighborhood and in your state, “said Haddad. “It can really improve the situation for many species.”
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