On warm summer evenings across the U.S., you can glimpse the twinkling lights of fireflies.
These magical insects are threatened by light pollution and habitat loss. But a new study adds another risk to that list: climate change.
McNeil: “Those factors … coupled with the effects of climate change are probably going to be the one-two punch for many firefly populations.”
D.J. McNeil is an ecologist at the University of Kentucky.
He and his colleagues studied the relationship between environmental conditions and firefly numbers, using population data collected by volunteers.
They found that climate change poses a big risk to many firefly populations.
Firefly larvae typically rely on long, cold winters to hibernate. But winters are getting shorter and warmer.
And in the spring and summer, the larvae like to scurry around in wet soil, hunting for soft prey like snails. But increasingly frequent droughts could kill both the larvae and their prey.
McNeil says the many threats can build on each other.
McNeil: “We’re seeing so many species experiencing the kind of death by a thousand cuts. And that seems to be true with fireflies as well.”
So in some places, summer nights may lose their sparkle.
Reporting credit: Ethan Freedman / ChavoBart Digital Media
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