The Large Blue, whose scientific name is Maculinea arion, was successfully reintroduced 25 years ago after becoming extinct in 1979, scientists at the Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research said in a release Friday.
Large Blues imported from Sweden were aided by the creation of small heat-shielded habitats, which could give today's threatened species more time to adapt or migrate to regions better suited to them, Jeremy A.
Thomas, a researcher from Oxford University, wrote in the current issue of Science magazine.
Heat-shielded habitats should mitigate the effects of global warming, but are not a long-term solution, Thomas said. Such habitat management could, however, counteract moderate fluctuations in temperature and prevent species from disappearing entirely, he said.
Copyright 2009 by United Press International.
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