Butterfly populations threatened by extreme drought and landscape fragmentation

Friday, November 2, 2012

A new study has found that the sensitivity and recovery of UK butterfly populations to extreme drought is affected by the overall area and degree of fragmentation of key habitat types in the landscape.

The analysis, published this week in the scientific journal Ecography, used data on the Ringlet butterfly collected from 79 UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme sites between 1990 and 1999, a period which spanned a severe drought event in 1995.

The study was led by Dr Tom Oliver from the NERC Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (CEH) in collaboration with colleagues from CEH and the charity Butterfly Conservation.

Lead author Dr Tom Oliver from the NERC Centre for Ecology & Hydrology said, "Most ecological climate change studies focus on species' responses to gradual temperature rise, but it may be that extreme weather will actually have the greatest impact on our wildlife. We have provided the first evidence that species responses to extreme events may be affected by the habitat structure in the wider countryside; for example in the total area and fragmentation (i.e. isolation) of woodland patches."

The UK has suffered from a number of severe droughts over the last few decades (e.g. 1976, 1995). Under global warming, the frequency of such summer droughts is expected to increase. The intense summer drought in 1995 led to marked declines in insect species associated with cooler and wetter microclimates and scientists are interested in how to make species populations more resilient, i.e. more resistant to and more able to recover from these extreme climate events.

The Ringlet Aphantopus hyperantus is a grass-feeding butterfly commonly found close to woodland edges and known to be susceptible to drought effects. The researchers found that, following the 1995 drought, Ringlet populations not only crashed most severely in drier regions but, additionally, the habitat structure in the wider countryside around sites influenced population responses. Larger and more connected patches of woodland habitat reduced population sensitivity to the drought event and also facilitated faster recovery.

Co-author Dr Tom Brereton from Butterfly Conservation said, "Our results suggest that landscape-scale conservation projects are vital in helping species to recover from extreme events expected under climate change. However, conversely, if we do nothing, the high levels of habitat fragmentation will mean species are more susceptible."

Although many Ringlet populations did show some recovery following 1995-1996 population crashes, the long-term situation of the species in some parts of the UK is worrying. The researchers found that 18% of Ringlet butterfly populations continued to decline in the subsequent three years. The majority of populations showed positive recovery, although only 33% of populations showed complete recovery to pre-drought population levels within three years.

Co-author Dr David Roy from the NERC Centre for Ecology & Hydrology added, "The delayed recovery of butterfly populations is worrying given that severe summer droughts are expected to become common in some areas of the UK, for example, South East England. If populations don't recover by the time the next drought hits, they may face gradual erosion until local extinction."

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Centre for Ecology & Hydrology: http://www.ceh.ac.uk

Thanks to Centre for Ecology & Hydrology for this article.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/124991/Butterfly_populations_threatened_by_extreme_drought_and_landscape_fragmentation

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Frugal Family Tree: Welcome Home Brands Review

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~ By Patricia ~

I just love baking, especially as the weather turns cold and I start to crave those warm baked goods. It is also fun to share your tasty treats with friends and family. Showing up to a friends house with a nice warm treat or having someone bring you something is always welcoming. I am always looking for a great baking dish or cupcake liners to take them in. But ever want to take them fresh out of the oven and not have to worry about getting your dish back? Seriously how many bakeware dishes have you left behind at a party?? There is a great and convenient way to bake and take your goodies with you and they even come in so many shapes, designs and colors and patterns! Welcome Home Brands carries Oven-Safe Paper Bakeware. I thought it sounded too good to be true, I had to try it to believe it.

Welcome Home Brands Paper Bakeware replaces metal bakeware with style, offering a whole new way to bake, serve, store, and give in one unit. It?s oven safe to 400?F and freezer safe, so consumers can bake and freeze in the same paper pan. Because it cuts down on cleanup, it streamlines the baking process and makes home baking easier and more fun. Manufactured in partnership with Temma Shiki of Japan, a global leader in paper bakeware, the Welcome Home Brands collection includes a variety of shapes, styles, designs, including everyday and seasonal collections.


I made brownies for a shower I was going to attend with the Festive bakewear pattern. It was so great and so easy. I made my brownie mix, poured it right into the paper bakeware, cooked them (just be sure to watch them because the cooking time varies) and served them nice and hot to my friends. The pattern is fun and festive, they were a big hit and everyone loved how convenient they were. I had no idea these even existed, and now that I do I will be using them again!

Source: http://www.frugalfamilytree.com/2012/11/welcome-home-brands-review.html

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Alleged member of Nigeria sect offers peace talks

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (AP) ? An alleged member of the radical Islamist sect Boko Haram set conditions Thursday for peace talks with Nigeria's government, asking that negotiations to end its bloody guerrilla fight be held outside of the nation and that a former military ruler be involved.

The demands came during a telephone conference call with local journalists in Maiduguri, the city in northeast Nigeria that once held the sect's main mosque and has suffered the brunt of its violence over several years of shootings and bombings. However, whether the offer represents a clear call for peace from the group remains unclear, as its command and control structure remains a mystery and the call for talks came from a member unknown by the media until Thursday.

The man, who identified himself as Abu Mohammed Ibn Abdulaziz, said the peace talks must be held in Saudi Arabia and involve former military ruler Muhammadu Buhari. The man said those were conditions set by Abubakar Shekau, Boko Haram's leader.

"We are not actually challenging the state, as people are saying, but the security (forces) who are killing our members, children and wives," the man said in the call. "We are highly offended but if this government is sincere, everything (the attacks) will come to an end. We want to dialogue but government must show sincerity in its handling of the situation."

The man also said that authorities also must arrest former Borno state Gov. Ali Modu Sheriff as a precondition for talks, as well as compensate sect members whose family members have been killed. Imprisoned sect members also must be immediately released, the man said.

The call came through the channels that Boko Haram usually communicates with journalists, who gathered at the local office of the Nigeria Union of Journalists to listen. However, Abdulaziz spoke entirely in English, which is unusual for the sect. Also, journalists ordinarily hear from a spokesman who uses the nom de guerre Abul Qaqa in such calls. The man also did not call for the implementation of Shariah law across Nigeria, a multiethnic nation of more than 160 million people. That long has been a demand of the sect.

It is also unexpected for the sect to ask specifically for Buhari as a negotiator. Buhari, who came to power in January 1984 and was deposed in August 1985, ruled Nigeria country with an iron fist. However, he is popularly viewed across Nigeria's north as an honest man and has been a perennial presidential candidate since the country became a democracy. Yinka Odumakin, a spokesman for Buhari, could not be immediately reached for comment Thursday.

Rumors about indirect peace talks between Nigeria's government and the sect have floated around for some time. In March, the government thought a possible mediator could be Datti Ahmed, a Kano physician who heads a prominent Muslim group, the Supreme Council for Shariah in Nigeria. However, Ahmed publicly backed away from the suggestion that he be a mediator out of security concerns.

Officials representing Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan have claimed several times in recent weeks that the government is in indirect talks with Boko Haram. However, a Sept. 30 Internet video featuring Shekau shows him repeatedly denying that the group is in peace talks with Nigeria's weak central government and promising more attacks.

Boko Haram, whose name means "Western education is sacrilege" in the Hausa language of Nigeria's Muslim north, has been attacking government buildings and security forces heavily over the last year and a half. This year alone, the sect is blamed for killing more than 720 people, according to an Associated Press count.

The violence caused by Boko Haram, and the heavy handed response by Nigerian security forces, has drawn increasing international scrutiny. A Human Rights Watch report in October accused Nigerian security forces and Boko Haram of likely committing crimes against humanity in their fighting. An Amnesty International report released Thursday made a similar claim and alleged that the Nigerian government is illegally holding hundreds of people suspected of participation in Boko Haram violence in inhumane conditions and without access to lawyers.

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Associated Press writer Jon Gambrell in Lagos, Nigeria, contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/alleged-member-nigeria-sect-offers-peace-talks-163056230.html

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