Destruction of the natural landscape caused by land clearing and urban development poses a serious risk to the conservation of butterfly species according to a recent study.

The study, co-authored by Research Fellow, Dr Neil Collier and Senior Research Fellow, Dr Clive McMahon from the School for Environmental Research at Charles Darwin University, examined the genetic make-up of populations of butterflies in a range of coastal landscapes in South Australia.

Dr Collier said the results would have important implications for threatened species conservation.

“Maintaining genetic diversity of populations is important because it allows species to adapt to changing environments,” Dr Collier said.

The study revealed that man-made changes to the natural environment were making some populations of butterflies more vulnerable to extinction when compared to others in untouched areas.

“We found clear reductions in the genetic diversity of butterflies living in the more broken, fragmented habitats,” he said.

“They weren’t as genetically diverse as those from more natural, untouched habitats, so they may be more vulnerable to extinction.”

In the case of these butterflies, these genetic changes are happening fast.

“Historical evidence indicates that this has happened relatively recently - over a few decades - which is quick in ecological terms.

“While it’s important to curb outright habitat destruction, this research shows we also need to be careful not to break habitats into small patches if we are to maintain biodiversity in future,” Dr Collier said.

The full details of the study can be viewed in the The Journal of Biogeography.

Bitterbush Blue Butterfly (Theclinesthes albocincta) Photo courtesy Museum Victoria