While a growing body of research shows decreases in many insect populations, it has been hard for scientists to disentangle the possible causes. Are insects suffering from habitat loss as natural areas are plowed and paved? The latest insight comes from a study on butterflies in the Midwest, published on Thursday in the journal PLOS ONE. Especially detrimental, the researchers found, was a class of widely used insecticides called neonicotinoids that are absorbed into the tissues of plants. “It’s a story about unintended consequences,” said Scott Swinton, a professor of agricultural economics at Michigan State University and one of the study’s authors.

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Persons: ”, Scott Swinton Organizations: Michigan State University