欧美视频

By Alex Greenwood, March 19, 2025

A groundbreaking study , co-authored by 欧美视频's Dr. Daniel Marschalek and more than 30 other researchers, reveals a troubling 22% decline in butterfly populations across the United States since 2000. This extensive study, one of the largest ever conducted on butterfly communities, raises serious concerns about ecosystems, food security and broader environmental health.

鈥淏utterflies are an indicator of habitat health, and they're declining, and it should really be a wake-up call,鈥� explained Dr. Marschalek, an associate professor in entomology and ecology at UCM. "When we think about butterflies or insects in general, they play essential roles as pollinators and as crucial food sources. 欧美视频 80% of our plants require insect pollination, including butterflies. Without these insects, we'd lose many of the plants that animals depend on for food鈥攍eaves, berries, fruits鈥攁nd butterfly caterpillars are particularly important as food sources for birds.鈥�

 

He added, 鈥淭hat includes small sparrows, which most people might not notice, but also larger birds like turkey or Bobwhite. If you're a hunter, ensuring that young birds have a protein-rich meal from caterpillars helps sustain healthy populations. It's hard to overlook the immense importance insects have within our ecosystems."

鈥�Since arriving on campus Dr. Marschalek has been a strong supporter of both undergraduate and graduate research by involving students in all aspects of his research,鈥� said Scott Lankford, Ph.D., Chair, Department of Biological and Clinical Sciences at UCM. 鈥淲e are thrilled that his hard work and dedication to pollinator conservation has received the recognition of being published in Science. This is a career defining publication that places Dan on a short list of experts in his field.鈥�

 

The Science article analyzes data from 35 research and community science programs across the continental U.S. One of these programs has been run by Marschalek with contributions from UCM undergraduate and graduate students who helped collect portions of the data. Based on more than 76,000 surveys spanning two decades, the research found widespread butterfly declines in nearly every region. Two-thirds of the studied species showed population decreases of more than 10%, with the steepest declines recorded in the Southwest, where over 74 species have lost more than half their populations.

鈥淭here are preserves already designed to conserve wildlife, but they're still declining in those areas,鈥� Marschalek noted. 鈥淪o you can imagine what's happening outside of those preserves in other areas.鈥�

Butterflies also appear to be shifting habitats northward, likely driven by climatic shifts. This movement may be challenging due to human-altered landscapes, limiting available habitats crucial for survival.

鈥淢aybe we're getting towards the tail end where we're certainly going to start losing some species, but certainly it's not too late to help save many of them,鈥� Marschalek said.

To address these declines, the research recommends habitat restoration, species-specific interventions, and reducing pesticide use as crucial strategies. Residents can actively contribute to butterfly conservation through simple yet impactful actions, such as planting native vegetation in their yards.

鈥淲e have black-eyed Susans, several milkweed species, wild bergamot, also called bee balm. Those are easy plants to grow,鈥� Marschalek said 鈥淭hey typically require no watering, so if it's really dry and you go on vacation, you don't have to worry about them.鈥�

Note to editors, producers and reporters: For editable video interview clips featuring Dr. Daniel Marschalek discussing this research, please

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