what to blame

Ron Gatrelle gatrelle at tils-ttr.org
Mon Jul 2 15:56:48 EDT 2001


Michael Gochfeld wrote:

I agreed entirely with the first part of Ron's message on Butterflies
and Weather.  He also wrote:

"So if there is a big drop next year don't blame it on spraying, over
collecting, etc. "blame" (attribute) it to an unhealthy out of balance
population explosion the season before - and see it as nature simply
bringing populations back to normal levels."
****
Actually spraying produces a big drop this year (particularly in
univoltines). Whether it is apparent next year depends on phenology and
whether there are early life stages hidden away.
Mike Gochfeld


New post from Ron:
I agree.  I was only referring to the knee-jerk that the fringe element
always throws up no matter what other "evidence" (factors) may be involved.

Here is a new thread and tragic element of modern population explosions.
When habitat is as it should be (as God intended it) - available-,
population explosion is a mechanism to facilitate species dispersal into
new unoccupied but suitable niches. For example, a fire would burn 2,000
acres and open up the forest floor and make clearing where things like
Elfin and skipper species could now move into and sustain there existence
as organisms. At the same time the original area from which this explosion
and dispersal originated might well become naturally extinct by 1) that
habitat area's continued evolution to climax forest or 2)
parasite/predation pressure.

The tragic element is that the "new" (old fire recycled areas) are now
parking lots or corn fields due to man's destruction of habitat. Yes, we
can artificially manage habitat for these now trapped local populations.
But we can not "protect" them from the natural cycles of parasites and
disease which are the natural controls.
Ron



 
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