Why did Barro Colorado Island (formed from a large hill during the flooding of the Panama Canal in 1914) have dozens of species
of butterflies go locally extinct on the island since its formation? a. Per Island Biogeography predictions, small land area can support fewer butterfly species
b. Pesticide use on nearby banana plantations has had strong non-target impacts on numerous butterflies besides the pest moth that destroys banana crops
c. Habitat destruction on Barro Colorado Island has caused butterfly food plants to go extinct
d. Introduced parasitoid wasp species have caused native butterfly populations to go locally extinct
In the Barro Colorado Island, the mentioned local population of the butterfly species went on to become extinct mainly due to the fragmentation of habitats and the loss of habitats. The host plant on which the butterflies fed could not grow and they started to decline in number and slowly became extinct. Due to this the species of the butterfly also would have got extinct because of the lack of food.
