Subject: Impact of Collecting

From: "Rolf R. van de Pavert" <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 17 Feb 1995 11:22:17 MET

To      : LEPS-L
 From    : Rolf R. van de Pavert [email-masked]
 Subject : Impact of Collecting on Butterfly Populations

 Lectori salutem

 I use Christophers format so he can use this for his list of butterfly boox.

 In :

 The Ecology of Butterflies in Britain
 Dennis, Roger L.H. (ed.)
 1992
 Oxford University Press
 ISBN 0 19 854025 6
 354 pp. b&w illustrations
 Great Britain
 Very detailed account of butterfly ecology, including conservation and
 genetics.
 Oxford University Press, Walton Street, Oxford OX26DP, UK

 the impact of collectors is mentioned on p 250.
 It says:
 " Since the 19th century collecting has been frequently cited as a major
 cause of butterfly declines but in most cases there is little evidence to
 support this. Moreover, the vast majority of local extinctions have occurred
 on sites where there has been little or no collecting. ...............
 Conversely many populations of local species have survived lengthy periods of
 regular collecting. ........
 The only substantial claims that collectors may have led to extinction have
 concerned small isolated colonies of Lycaena dispar and Mellicta athalia
 (1,2) These colonies had already reached dangerously low levels through other
 causes and extinction was probably inevitable, but collectors apparently
 helped speed their final demise." The fact that collecting focuses on the
 freshest individuals imposes aditional stress because these, generally spoken
 are the individuals with the greatest reproductive potential.

 Literature referenced :

 1) Duffey, E., 1968. Ecological studies on the Large copper Lycaena dispar
    (Haw.) batavus (Obth.) at Woodwalton Fen National Reserve, Huntingdonshire.
    Journal of Applied Ecology, 5:69-96.
 2) Warren, M.S., C.D. Thomas and J.A. Thomas, 1984. The Status of the Heath
    Frittilary butterfly Mellicta athalia Rott. in Britain. Biological
    Conservation, 29: 287-305

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