According to experts, fireflies are threatened with extinction due to human activities. Aaron Fairweather of the University of Guelph in Ontario says these insects are particularly at risk from climate change and light pollution.
“It’s really sad that we are losing these wonders of our childhood, these insects that made us say that the world is incredible. They can produce their own light and see how beautiful nature is. »
According to Aaron Fairweather, the firefly population has dropped by about 35% over the past 50 years.
There are 173 species of fireflies in North America, including 29 in Canada, says Candace Fallon, a biologist with an American conservation group, the Xerces Society, who is calling on the United States government to have the firefly considered a threatened species.
Mme Fallon is the lead author of a 2021 article in PLOS One, which suggested that one to three species of fireflies were at risk of extinction. Some other yet unknown species could even disappear.
Among these 173 species are the black ghosts that live in British Columbia. Except for its size, which fluctuates from five to seven millimeters, not much is known about this creature, notes Mme fallon.
“These are more enigmatic animals, because we lack data. Its exact habitat is not known. All that is known is that this insect lives in a forest near a river. »
Aaron Fairweather says insect populations are declining all over the world. The fate of fireflies is no different. What people don’t realize, says the non-binary researcher, are the benefits this insect brings to gardens and ponds.
The fireflies seen in summer gardens are adults with a life expectancy of only a few weeks. They spend two years underground in the larval stage. “Firefly larvae are pretty fierce predators,” says Aaron Fairweather. In some ecosystems, they feed on worms, snails, slugs and mosquito larvae. »
Larvae are the unknown heroes of gardens and ponds because they clean up ecosystems, says Aaron Fairweather. Scientists fear that global warming will destroy the habitat of these insects.
Mme Fallon argues that the most serious threat to fireflies is light pollution. Three quarters of these insects are active at dusk and in the dark. She says that fireflies use their light to find a mate for mating. However, artificial lights, such as neon lights or automobile headlights, interfere with this courtship display by attenuating the signals sent by these insects to find a mate. Light pollution can therefore affect reproduction.
The biologist deplores the lack of data on fireflies.
“When people think of them, they see magical creatures that light up the night. They do not make the link with their belonging to our biodiversity. »
Aaron Fairweather fears their disappearance. ” Who knows ? In 20 or 50 years, we won’t be able to see any more. We will have stories, but where will these organisms be? Will they be considered a myth. »