Alumni Spotlight

Adam South '01

Firefly Guy

Adam South '01, at right, showing a firefly to a group of children.

Where did all the fireflies go?

Adam South '01, like many other firefly scientists, has been wondering the same thing. There is some anecdotal evidence that the populations of the winking, blinking insects have diminished, but there is no hard data yet to support that claim.

South, a doctoral candidate in biology at Tufts University and a researcher in the area of firefly sexual selection, has teamed with colleagues at Fitchburg State College and Boston's Museum of Science to create a Firefly Watch.

Individuals are encouraged to combine the summertime ritual of watching fireflies with a bit of scientific research. Participants record data on observation sheets and then upload the information to a Web site managed by the museum. While the project began with a focus on New England, it is the only endeavor of its kind in North America, and participants have provided data from as far away a Minnesota and Texas.

"The Web site was designed in a way that would allow data to be contributed from anywhere," notes South. "If this became an international project, which we are moving towards, that would be excellent."

To that end, South has attended a firefly conference in Portugal where he learned about a similar project that is gathering information about firefly populations in Europe. South also attended a conference in Thailand to give a presentation about the Boston project, and to urge firefly experts worldwide to gather and share information.

Much More to Learn

"Whenever people learn that I study fireflies, they tend to tell me that they love fireflies, but they have the sense that there are not as many as there used to be," South reports by phone from his office at Tufts. "We have only anecdotal evidence that light pollution may be driving fireflies away from areas where they used to thrive and that chemicals sprayed to control mosquitoes may harm fireflies as well, but we don't have enough data yet to say anything for sure. Therefore, the point of the project is to start the process and establish some sort of current population baseline."

South points out that there is a lot that is unknown about fireflies. First of all, despite their common names of fireflies or lightning bugs, they are neither bugs nor flies. In fact, they are beetles. Scientists know that there more that 2000 species of the critters worldwide, and varieties found in North America have fascinating life cycles during which they live as larvae for two years underground, feasting on such creatures as snails and worms. As adults, though, they live for a mere two weeks, often not eating at all and focusing entirely on mating. That's where the flashing light comes in.

Fireflies' signature lights are the means by which males (who fly around most of the time) and females (who generally perch on foliage) find one another. It's also the reason many humans are drawn to them. "The flashing that so is enjoyed by so many is an extremely well evolved and elaborate courtship ritual. Fireflies are able to communicate species and gender with their flashes, and my research is also investigating if these flashes are indicators of quality. We know that female fireflies prefer more conspicuous male flashes, but what does this indicate to the female?"

For his part, South loved to catch fireflies as a youngster, growing up on a farm in Indiana. He also notes that in Japan, for example, some people believe that fireflies represent human souls, and the insects are considered sacred. Fireflies are professionally bred and celebrated with festivals in the land of the rising sun. South says already strong feelings about fireflies among the Japanese people may have intensified as firefly habitats have been destroyed, making the glowing bugs relatively rare in Japan.

Three things you can do to welcome fireflies to your backyard:

Lay off the chemicals. Unfortunately, the sprays that control mosquitoes and weeds also kill fireflies.
Let it grow. Your neighbors may not agree, but fireflies prefer long grass, and mowing could disturb both male and females that are hiding in the grass during the day.
Just add water. Fireflies thrive in a wet environment. If you have a stream running near your home, the insects are happy.

Scientists are not sure why there are no fireflies west of the Rocky Mountains, but there are none. They also don't know why and how thousands of male fireflies in certain regions, including the Great Smoky Mountains of the United States, will synchronize their flashing. This flashing, an impressive sight, to be sure, doesn't yet have a clear purpose in terms of helping any one male find a mate.

This Little Light of Mine

For now, South and his colleagues are focused gathering more data about fireflies in the U.S., and perhaps igniting the curiosity of those who are not scientists.

South's own interest in scientific research was encouraged at Earlham, where he concentrated on ecological and evolutionary biology and worked closely with such faculty members as Bill Buskirk and Brent Smith, both professors of biology. After graduation, he taught science at private schools in Indiana and Delaware before beginning graduate studies at Tufts. His background at Earlham and his experience as a classroom teacher got him interested in making connections between scientific researchers and the general public.

"I think that this project could get families interested in science and thinking more about the natural world," he says. "If no other result emerges from this project besides getting members of the public more interested in science, I would still consider it a success. As scientists, we need to do a better job of communicating our research interests to the general public. I think that fireflies are a perfect vehicle to get people of all ages interested in science and learning about evolution." So far, the Museum of Science in Boston is reporting a strong response to the program and museums in Chicago and Washington D.C. have expressed interest in joining the project next year. The Museum of Science is planning an exhibit related to fireflies as an outgrowth of the project. South argues that studying fireflies can begin a conversation about the ecosystems in our own backyards.

"One thing we do know about fireflies is that they are very sensitive creatures. If changes in the environment are affecting them negatively, it could be a sign that these changes will, in the future, affect other living things."