Adopt-A-Species Assignment 4

TO: Save the Colorado Butterfly Plant Foundation

FROM: Rosa Lovely, Plant Researcher I Plantiful Beauty

SUBJECT: The Economic Service of the Colorado Butterfly Plant


To Whom It May Concern:

I was writing to propose that the research that I wish to do involving the Colorado Butterfly Plant is worthy of a grant from your great organization. I'm sure you know that economic services are basically "services" that a species provides for another species. I write to you concerning the economic service that the Colorado Butterfly Plant provides for moths. In fact, moths and the CO Butterfly Plant both do a service for each other. It is believed that the primary source of pollination for this lovely plant is the moth. They pollinate at and after dusk (2). The CO Butterfly Plant, in turn, is a primary source of nutrients for the moth; the moth comes to plant for nutrients and pollinates the flower as a byproduct (1). What I would like to research is the impact the loss of the CO Butterfly Plant is going to have on the moths in the immediate area.

To measure the impact that the loss of the CO Butterfly Plant on moths, I would first collect a large sample of natural plants and moths from the area that the CO Butterfly Plant is found in and transplant them into a large, controlled laboratory environment, trying to duplicate the natural habitat as closely as possible. For the experiment, there would be two groups; one with the CO Butterfly Plant, the control group, and one without the plant, the experimental group. I would release a large amount of moths into each environment, around 100 for each group. The number of moths in each environment would be assessed every 7 days. I would continue this process for two months to fully study the impact the loss of the Colorado Butterfly Plant would have on the moth population.

I hypothesize that in the absence of the Colorado Butterfly Plant, the moth population would quickly decline. This would be due to the lack of nutrients available to the moths in the environment without the Colorado Butterfly Plant. There are a few things that could contribute to the lack of concrete conclusions, however.

First of all, the Colorado Butterfly Plant is not the only flowering plant that the moths can harvest nutrients from in their natural habitat. Secondly, due to the characteristics of the moths' feeding style, most flowers adapt to an alternate way of pollinating (1). Although an alternate form of pollination has not been observed for the Colorado Butterfly Plant, it does not rule out the possibility (2).

However, I still believe that the measure of dependence of the moths on the Colorado Butterfly Plant is an important way to show the value of this beautiful plant. Showing that another species at least somewhat relies on the Colorado Butterfly Plant will boost the efforts for saving the plant. This, of course, would be valuable to everyone that is working toward the reestablishment of this beautiful plant.

Thank you for your consideration,
Rosa Lovely
Plant Researcher I

References:

Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. Copyright 2007. Accessed 7 May 2007.

Nature Serve Explorer. Gaura neomexicana ssp. coloradensis. Copyright 2006. Accessed 7 May 2007.