Biodiversity and Agriculture

Biodiversity and Agriculture

Introduction

Scientists and conservationists fear that it could take many years for these butterflies to mount a comeback, assuming they can do so at all; they will need near perfect conditions, meaning warm, dry weather for an extended part of the summer season.

Discussion

The characteristic cool, wet climate of the United Kingdom makes it somewhat fascinating that butterflies so sensitive to damp weather chose to settle down in the region in the first place (Campbell 2005 52-97). But butterflies have been steadily pushing their way into northern climates for decades, primarily because such northern regions are heating up and becoming amenable to butterfly habitation. Butterflies are also highly sensitive to changes in their environment. They are, in fact, so sensitive to climate change, pollution, and habitat degradation that they serve as valuable indicators of potentially harmful environmental shifts.

Biome is defined as large, distinct and recognizable associations of life. More precisely, a biome is a particular array of plants and animals within a geographic area brought about by distinctive climatic conditions. Their plant associations than those of animals, not only usually identify biomes more because the first is far more obvious, but also because it determines the second. Ecologists recognize about a dozen major biomes; each one forms under a certain prevailing climate and has a characteristic type of plant and animal life (Partch 2001 418-529). A biome, also known as life zones, consists of all plants, animals, and other organisms, as well the physical environment in a particular area.

In the United Kingdom, changes in climate and the effects of these changes on a wide range of animal species can be predicted from variations in the presence or absence of certain butterflies. Species such as the heath butterfly and the comma, which are typically found in warm areas and ...