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VOL. 9, ISSUE 1 (2024)
Threats to butterfly fauna (order: lepidoptera) amidst rural and urban landscapes of Mysore district, Karnataka, India
Authors
Bhagya U, S Basavarajappa
Abstract
Butterflies are indicators of quality of different types of
agro-climatic landscapes and show altered dispersal ability and more
sensitivity to changing environmental conditions as well. Under human modified
habitats, butterfly species are facing various threats and necessitated their
conservation to safeguard the local biodiversity. Published reports on threats
and problems to butterfly fauna amidst modified and managed rural and urban
landscapes are diffuse. In this regard, systematic field investigations were
made using visual count, point count and photographic documentation methods by
earmarking variable width line transects along with all out search methods at
rural and urban human modified landscapes during 2022-23 at Mysore district.
Results indicated interesting facts. In general, different species of
butterflies are facing severe threat due to changing weather conditions,
non-availability of suitable host plant species, inadequate foraging plants during
larval stage, unwanted disturbances during breeding period and other man-made
activities both at rural and urban human modified landscapes. However,
agricultural intensification, livestock grazing, habitat destruction, habitat
fragmentation, pesticide application, frequent weeding and disturbance during
breeding period have impacted the butterfly population midst human managed and
modified habitats at urban landscapes. Hence, it is high time to protect
locally available butterfly fauna to restore local biodiversity, appropriate
mitigation measures are necessitated. Since, butterflies help reveal the status
of an ecosystem, act as useful links with various food chains, food web and
many species act as important pollinators at different tropic levels of every
ecosystem. Hence, their presence reveals the local diversity of plants and
vegetation types. Therefore, care should be taken while doing habitat
modification, alteration, host plant and food plants uprooting. All these
practices are necessary both at rural and urban landscapes, suitable
eco-friendly measures with minimum interference on local vegetation could be
made at different agro-climatic landscapes both at rural and urban areas.
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Pages:46-50
How to cite this article:
Bhagya U, S Basavarajappa "Threats to butterfly fauna (order: lepidoptera) amidst rural and urban landscapes of Mysore district, Karnataka, India". International Journal of Entomology Research, Vol 9, Issue 1, 2024, Pages 46-50
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