Reference:

Mike, W. (2010, Jan 12). Butterflies impacted by climate change, habitat destruction. University of Nevada, Reno. Retrieved Jan 25, 2010, from http://www.unr.edu/nevadanews/templates/details.aspx?articleid=5305&zoneid=8

Summary:

This article is about the climate changing effect butterflies are impacted and their habitats are breaking so that change a lot. So the butterflies move to high elevations because the loss habitats. This phenomenon is analyzed by biologist Matthew Forister, a University of Nevada, Reno assistant professor in the College of Science. As we known, butterflies are important sign of our ecosystem. They show if the environment worldwide is healthy. There is about 35 years data shows that climate has changed over the past three decades, with an increase daily temperatures, changing some low-elevation butterfly populations to higher elevations. These biologists found that climate change alone cannot account in full for the deteriorating low-altitude fauna. They used information on land use to prove that the declines also follow change of habitat from rural to urban and suburban types. Their most important findings: Butterfly diversity is falling fast at all the places near sea level. It is declining more slowly or holding roughly constant in the mountains, except at tree line. At tree line, butterfly diversity is actually going up, as lower-elevation species react to the warming climate by moving upslope to higher, cooler elevations. Diversity among the high-elevation-specialist butterflies is beginning to fall as temperatures become uncomfortably warm for them.

Reaction:

After I read this article, I concert about our environment. Because our serious problem-global warming, leads the butterflies move to high elevations, they are losing habitats. Eventhough I’m not very sure about why the butterflies are used as indicators of the health of the environment worldwide, I still believe our habitats become very weak, worse than before. Also I very appreciate the biologist Matthew Forister and his work group, they can spent so many years to do this study. That’s not original people can finish it. About this article, I learned much biology knowledge and becoming very interested in butterflies. I really want to know how they can be a important sign of our environment. Although the tempreture is higher than last year but we still should come up with some ways to solve this serious problem.