As fireworks hail the new decade, lights that have traditionally illuminated warm evenings around the planet are dimming. Fireflies are disappearing at an alarming rate.
These winged beetles, sometimes called lightning bugs, comprise more than 2,000 species. Their luminescence seems linked to two evolutionary goals: (1) Warning predators to expect a bitter or sometimes toxic shock should the illuminated warning not be heeded. (2) A means of mating advertisement and communication with all the subtlety of strip-club neon.
Though consensus has not been reached, scientists suspect that pesticides, habitat loss and light pollution are possible causes of the dramatic dimming that is occurring. Development is increasingly encroaching upon areas critical to these fiery beetles. This disrupts the ecosystems the beetles depend upon for food and shelter. The brighter conditions brought by man also dims the wattage of the flies making it harder for mating pairs to find one another.
For more info on this dwindling glimmer you may visit the following sites that are actively engaged in keeping count of these sentries of night light:
Mother Jones Magazine is offering an on-line version of the March/April 2006 "Fate of the Oceans" issue. Topics include pollution, industrial fishing and the impact of global warming on marine life. Visit the link below to learn more: Mother Jones Magazine
As fireworks hail the new decade, lights that have traditionally illuminated warm evenings around the planet are dimming. Fireflies are disappearing at an alarming rate...
12/31/2009
Floridian coral reefs are feeling the benefits of federal economic stimulus money.
12/29/2008
Green Fact:
Hundreds of migrating sea turtles are threatened every year by commercial fishing boats dragging metal nets to dredge for scallops. All five species of turtles are threatened or endangered, but the U.S. government has yet to take action.