"dire straits faced by most of our butterfly fauna"

[patfoley]

Paul and all,

Sorry to back away from this fascinating topic, but my ophthalmologist 
wants me to give up reading for a week.

Carry on!

Patrick


Paul Cherubini wrote:
> patfoley wrote:
>
>   
>> Did you just shift your position from 1) There is no problem, so why are
>> these scientists getting hysterical? to 2) The problem is so bad that
>> these scientists can't do anything about it anyway, so why whine about it?
>>     
>
> Pat, I havn't been expressing positions. I have only been asking 
> questions - such as whether or not it is reasonable for Shapiro to
> assert that most of the 90 or so species of butterflies in the lower 
> Sacramento Valley are in "dire straights." So I will repeat and reword 
> my last question.
>
> If Art Shapiro and other investigators were awarded millions of dollars 
> of public grant money to determine why "even weedy butterfly species 
> are not looking good" in the Central Valley, of California, then what?
>
> Two practical hypothetical scenarios:
>
> 1). Shapiro determines increases in the range and abundance of several
> non-native parasites, parasitoids and predators are responsible for
> the declines in both the specialized and weedy butterfly species in the
> Central Valley.  Possible examples: Argentine ant, European 
> paper wasp, german yellow jacket, a new tachinid fly (Compsilura 
> concinnata), multicolored Asian lady bird beetle (Harmonia axyridis), 
> the seven-spotted lady beetle (Coccinella septempunctata).  Then is 
> it even remotely conceivable that Shapiro or anyone else could come 
> up with effective and affordable parasite / predator abundance
> mitigation measures?
>
> To appreciate the impact of non-native predators recall that in 2004 
> Colorado State Professor Whitney Cranshaw reported the European
> Paper Wasp: "has extirpated essentially every caterpillar in Ft. Collins,
> Colorado by mid-July in the past 2 years and I am sure is having a 
> major ecological impact."
>
> 2. Shapiro determines urbanization has been replacing farmland 
> on a large scale as shown in this photo taken just south of Shapiro's
> west Sacramento study site:
> http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k75/4af/sac.jpg  Then is it even 
> remotely conceivable that Shapiro or anyone else could come up 
> with effective and affordable urbanization mitigation measures?
>
> Paul Cherubini
> El Dorado, Calif.
>
>  
>  ------------------------------------------------------------ 
>
>    For subscription and related information about LEPS-L visit:
>
>    http://www.peabody.yale.edu/other/lepsl 
>  
>
>
>   


 
 ------------------------------------------------------------ 

   For subscription and related information about LEPS-L visit:

   http://www.peabody.yale.edu/other/lepsl