Global warming and pesticides pose serious threat to butterfly population

Ooty: There are chances that global warming, climate change and increasing pesticide culture may pose a serious threat to the butterfly population in the future, opined Dr. D. Jayabalan, an ace entomologist and Assistant Professor of Zoology and Wildlife Biology at the Government Arts College here.

Saying that global warming and climate change is the new millennium ecological threat to living organisms across the globe, Dr. Jayabalan said that as far as butterfly population is concerned, more warm weather in the plains may propel the surviving species there to ascend to the hills for survival, a change of habitat.
At the same time, increase in temperature and climate change in the hilly regions will disturb the thriving capability of the mountain butterfly species, he noted.

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“Since every butterfly species depends upon a host plant for its life and survival, even a slight modification in the micro-ecological zones that affects the host plant population will seriously affect the dependent butterfly population,” explained Dr. Jayabalan, and added that studies need to be done with a perspective of global warming and climate change to track the survivability of the butterfly population.

He added that use of pesticides in large quantities may affect the host plant species of butterflies in fields and render the butterflies to starvation and ultimate elimination. A detailed study on the impact of pesticides on local butterfly population is needed to assess the impact, Dr. Jayabalan noted.