Katy Thompson (PhD, 2013)Katy finished her PhD with us in 2013, and set off to pursue a career in conservation. This is how she described her project...
Research Interests
My PhD is on the Sinai Baton
Blue butterfly
(Pseudophilotes sinaicus)
and its exclusive larval host plant, the Sinai Thyme
(Thymus decussatus).
This Critically Endangered insect is probably the World’s
smallest butterfly, and has a narrowly endemic distribution in the St
Katherine
Protectorate, South Sinai, its entire world distribution occupying a
mere 7
kmē. The butterfly is considered as a flagship species for the park,
and is a
symbolic species in conservation in not just Sinai but also throughout
Egypt.
The aim of my work is to understand more about the threats to enable
more
accurate conservation measures to be designed and implemented for these
species. The current threat to the
species is predominately due to
anthropogenic climate change and with the butterfly already at the
limit of its
range it is unable to respond to rising temperatures by migration.
There is the
increasing occurence of drought in this already arid environment which
will
reduce the available resources for the butterfly and larvae. I am
monitoring
the levels of synchrony between the butterfly and the thyme as rising
temperatures may cause asynchrony between the flowering of the host
plant and
the timings of the main flight season. Grazing has previously been
thought of as the main threat
to the thyme and as a consequence local Bedouin have been banned from
grazing
their stock near thyme patches. The prevention of grazing could have a
negative
impact on the condition of the thyme as grazing may be required to
prevent
senescence and could be needed to maintain plant vigour. I am investigating this
via clipping and
fertiliser experiments to simulate the effect of grazing and dung on
the
plants. |