[Pollinator] Fwd: [vanativeplantsociety] Study: Southern butterfly species growing in Mass.

[Mary Ann Lawler]

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From: wildraisin2000 <rccsca at comcast.net>
Date: Fri, Mar 29, 2013 at 8:58 AM
Subject: [vanativeplantsociety] Study: Southern butterfly species growing
in Mass.
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By Shannon Young
Associated Press / August 20, 2012

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2012/08/20/study_southern_butterfly_species_growing_in_mass/

BOSTON—Historic butterfly communities in Massachusetts are dwindling and
being rapidly replaced by their southern relatives, according to a Harvard
study released Sunday.

The study outlines the growth and decline of butterfly species in
Massachusetts during the past two decades. During this time, the study
found that warm-climate-adapted butterfly species have grown by an
estimated 1,000 percent, while cold-climate-adapted species, which have
long been native to the Bay State, have declined -- some by up to 90
percent.

The study was conducted by Harvard Forest, an environmental research
department of Harvard University, to examine the effect of climate change
on butterfly communities in the state. It relies on data collected during
the past two decades by the Massachusetts Butterfly Club, an amateur
naturalist group that tracks butterfly populations.

Seventeen of the 21 northern butterfly species in Massachusetts, including
the Atlantis Fritillary and the Acadian Hairstreak, were found to be in
population decline, according to the study. These cold-climate species also
were more prevalent in high-altitude regions of the state, like the
Berkshire mountains and the Worcester Plateau, where scientists believe
cooler microclimates exist.

Meanwhile, the study found that 12 southern butterfly species, which were
rare or unseen in the state during the 1980s and 1990s, have increased
tremendously, specifically in the warmest areas of the state: the Pioneer
Valley and southeastern Massachusetts. The species include the Zaboulan
Skipper and Giant Swallowtail.

The study does not track butterfly populations outside the state, so it
does not account for whether cold-climate species have moved north.

Researchers say the butterflies most impacted by the decline are those that
wait out the winter as eggs or small larvae and are more sensitive to a
lack of snow cover or drought. Another reason for the growth and decline of
these populations, they say, can be attributed to the fact that some of the
southern species are protected by Massachusetts -- because of their rare,
threatened or endangered status in the state -- while northern species do
not.

But, Greg Breed, the study's lead author, said that the habitat protection
may not be enough to combat the perceived impact climate change is having
on the species.

"For most butterfly species, climate change seems to be a stronger
change-agent than habitat loss," he said in a statement.

Elizabeth Crone, a Harvard Forest senior ecologist who worked on the
report, said while she was not surprised by the results of the study, she
didn't expect data collected by a group of citizen scientists to have such
clear-cut results.

Crone said she decided to lead the study based both on professional and
personal curiosity. The ecologist, who moved to Massachusetts in December
2010, said she ran across the Massachusetts Butterfly Club's data while
trying to learn more about the state's butterfly community.

She said long-term monitoring data, like that the club kept on butterfly
populations in the state, is not common in the scientific community because
of budget and time constraints.

"There's been a lot of awareness about climate change effects
qualitatively, but not quantitatively," Crone said. "It's amazing what this
group of citizen scientists had done."

© Copyright 2012 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may
not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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