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photo: Alice Notten |
Butterflies
Q: What role do butterflies play in the ecosystem?
"Butterflies are important because they play important roles in the ecosystem, mainly for pollination (e.g. one species of orchid here in the Cape, the Red Disa, can only be pollinated by the 'Table Mountain Beauty' (Aeropetes tulbaghia).
If this butterfly were to go exctinct then so would the orchid.
Many of the smaller Lycaenid butterflies have special relationships with particular ant species and without these ants their life cycles cannot be completed. Butterfly larvae also help control vegetation growth. And larvae, pupae and adults serve as food for a variety of other creatures such as birds, reptiles, and other insects. They are good indicators of ecosystem health. The main threat to our butterflies is habitat destruction in the form of urban development, agriculture and invasion of alien vegetation.
It's important to maintain our butterfly biodiversity as many species play special roles in the ecosystem."
Dr Silvia Mecenero