Transcript PowerPoint-Präsentation

Climate change and
butterflies
Georg-Cantor-Gymnasium (Halle, Germany)
Theresa Petokeleit und Matthias Tannert
Team ButterflyMonitoring
Introduction
According to a new study about the climate change of the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the rising
temperatures result in heavy, radical and irreparable impacts on
economy, sociology and ecology of the world. The IPCC includes 200
member countries with more than 500 experts and scientists worldwide.
They confirm serious consequences for all continents:
•
Many animal and plant species living in the sea, in the
fresh water and in terrestrial areas have shifted their habitats.
•
Many plants have changed their vegetation period.
•
The interest in species survival seems to diminish in many societies.
The habitat shift of butterflies is an indicator for climate change. The
species with preferences for lower temperatures are threatened, and the
species that love warm weather would move to the north.
Does climate change
have an influence on
the population of the
butterflies in our
region?
Methods
We analyzed data of the project „Butterfly Monitoring Germany“
(www.tagfalter-monitoring.de). In this project, hundreds of volunteers
monitor butterflies allover Germany. They apply a common scheme and
go out to count butterflies on their transects every week. This project
has existed in Germany since 2005. Our data come from a transect in
Halle/Saale.
Moreover, we obtained knowledge from technical literature. For example
we have used a butterfly guide and the "Climatic Risk Atlas of European
Butterflies“ (see Sources). Conversations with experts of the UFZ belong
also to our methods.
1
We selected 5 butterflies which we want to consider more detailed:
1.
Coenonympha pamphilus
2.
Maniola jurtina
3.
Pieris napi
4.
Pieris rapae
5.
Polyommatus icarus
3
We selected these species, because (1) they are common in
Germany and (2) differ in their demands to the environment.
5
2
4
Results
We analyzed the data of 5 selected butterfly species for more than
seven years. The results are shown on the diagram.
The numbers of the species
refer to a transect in Halle,
Saxony-Anhalt. With this
diagram we want to show that
there are significant
fluctuations in population
dynamics among all 5 species.
Discussion
However, we cannot give general statements,
because 7 years are not enough. Nevertheless
there are some trends. The strongest trend can
be found in the data of Polymmatus icarus, see
the light blue line in the diagram. It is shown
that the quantity has decreased from 2006 to
2011. After that the population seems to grow
again. This picture could already be a
consequence of climate change. The
Polymmatus icarus is concerned in the
strongest way compared to the other species,
because the butterfly and the plants it needs to
survive, react very sensitively to temperature
changes and drought periods. This confirms the
results given in the “Climatic Risk atlas of
European butterflies”.
Sources
•
Settele, J., Steiner, R., Reinhardt, R., Feldmann, R.
Schmetterlinge „Die Tagfalter Deutschlands“. Ulmer Verlag
2009.
•
Settele, J. et al. Climatic Risk Atlas of European
Butterflies. PENSOFT Verlag 2010.
•
ALARM Project (www.alarmproject.net)
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PRONAS Educational software (www.ufz.de/
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pronas-lernsoftware )
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www.science4you.org
•
www.weheartit.com
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www.tagesschau.de