松嫩平原不同生境蝴蝶群落多样性及其保护建议

随着气候变化加剧和人类活动影响，生物多样性变化及其保护逐渐受到广泛关注。蝴蝶作为开花植物的传粉媒介和生态环境监测及评价的关键指示者，其多样性变化能够在一定程度上反映生境状况，因此，有必要清晰认识不同生境中的蝴蝶多样性变化。为明确松嫩平原蝴蝶资源和不同生境的群落多样性差异，采用样线法于2016年5月-2018年8月对松嫩平原的割草草地、湿地、农田、放牧利用草地及恢复草地共五种生境类型进行调查研究。结果发现，调查共记录蝴蝶5108头，隶属于6科21属26种，其中牧女珍眼蝶（Coenonympha amaryllis）和红珠灰蝶（Plebejus argyrognomon）为优势种类，分别占蝴蝶个体总数的25.61%和31.66%，且在五种生境类型中均有分布。不同生境类型中，蝴蝶群落的物种丰富度指数和均匀度指数无明显差异，而恢复草地生境的蝴蝶群落Shannon-Wiener多样性指数较高，优势度指数较低。农田生境中的蝴蝶个体数量较少，且群落组成与其他四种生境之间均具有显著差异。五种生境类型中的蝴蝶数量和多样性均呈现一定的月动态和年动态变化趋势。除湿地和农田外，其余三种生境中蝴蝶物种和个体数量从5月到8月均持续升高。四种生境的蝴蝶物种数量、个体数量（除农田外）在2018年均出现明显下降趋势。物种丰富度指数等指标的月动态和年动态在不同生境类型间存在较大差异。这些结果表明，生境类型和人类活动与蝴蝶多样性变化关系密切，表现为单一生境中蝴蝶多样性较低，复杂生境有利于保护蝴蝶多样性。本研究有助于厘清松嫩平原蝴蝶资源的基础数据，并为该地区蝴蝶多样性保护和利用及评估该区域生态环境提供一定理论支撑。     

区域变动尺度上不同生境类型及环境因子对西双版纳蝴蝶多样性的影响

【目的】生境类型和环境因子对物种分布和维持具有重要的影响。本研究通过分析不同生境类型对蝴蝶群落多样性及其群落结构影响的差异,以及环境因子对蝴蝶物种丰富度和多度的影响,为区域变动尺度蝴蝶多样性维持机制的研究奠定基础。【方法】于2019年8月和10月,在西双版纳地区采用样线法,调查了天然林、次生林、复合生境、人工林和农田5种生境中蝴蝶的物种,分析了蝴蝶群落多样性、群落结构相似性及物种丰富度和多度与环境因子的关系。【结果】2019年从西双版纳共采集蝴蝶2 226头,隶属于11科98属175种,在西双版纳州级尺度上蝴蝶物种丰富度高于县域尺度。在西双版纳州级尺度上,蝴蝶的物种丰富度和多度在5种生境间存在显著差异,而在县域尺度上,物种丰富度、多度和Chao 1物种丰富度估计值没有一致性规律。群落结构相似性结果显示,在西双版纳州级尺度上,蝴蝶群落结构在不同生境类型间存在极显著差异,在县域尺度上,仅勐腊区域蝴蝶群落结构在不同生境类型间存在显著差异。蝴蝶物种丰富度和多度不仅受到生境类型的影响,还受到温度、年均降水和海拔的影响。【结论】本研究结果表明,在区域变动尺度上,生境类型对西双版纳蝴蝶的多样性的影响较大,而温度、年均降水和海拔是维持蝴蝶物种多样性的重要因素。这些发现对当前人类导致的生境丧失和气候变化时代生物多样性的保护具有重要意义。     

Diversity and similarity of butterfly communities in five different habitat types at Tam Dao National Park, Vietnam

Diversity and similarity of butterfly communities were assessed in five different habitat types (from natural closed forest to agricultural lands) in the mountains of Tam Dao National Park, Vietnam for 3 years from 2002 to 2004. The line transect count was used to record species richness and abundance of butterfly communities in the different habitat types. For each habitat, the number of species and individuals, and indices of species richness, evenness and diversity of butterfly communities were calculated. The results indicated that species richness and abundance of butterfly communities were low in the natural closed forest, higher in the disturbed forest, highest in the forest edge, lower in the shrub habitat and lowest in the agricultural lands. The indices of species richness, evenness and diversity of butterfly communities were low in agricultural lands and natural closed forest but highest in the forest edge and shrub habitats. The families Satyridae and Amathusiidae have the greatest species richness and abundance in the natural closed forest, with a reduction in their species richness and abundance from the natural closed forest to the agricultural lands. Species composition of butterfly communities was different among five different habitat types (40%), was similar in habitats outside the forest (68%) and was similar in habitats inside the forest (63%). Diversity and abundance of butterfly communities are not different between the natural closed forest and the agriculture lands, but species composition changed greatly between these habitat types. A positive correlation between the size of species geographical distribution range and increasing habitat disturbance was found. The most characteristic natural closed forest species have the smallest geographical distribution range.     

Assessing butterfly diversity and their response to habitat condition in pristine peat bogs in Belarus

Peat bogs are valuable ecosystems because they support regional and local hydrological conditions, and store carbon and other greenhouse gases. Nevertheless, their area in Europe is extremely reduced due to human activities. As a result, the number of studies on biodiversity and the environmental factors affecting the distribution of insects, including butterflies, in large intact peatlands is limited. Such studies provide an important baseline for the subsequent analysis of changes during climate warming and for the assessment of succession in degraded peatlands. The results of such research have shown how butterfly assemblages react to local peat bog habitat conditions and contribute new information on the relations of consumers and the very specific environment of peat bogs. The presented research targets the relationship between characteristics of butterfly assemblages and key environmental variables in intact peat bog habitats. A total of 1427 individuals belonging to 23 butterfly species were recorded. In this study, I found that butterfly abundance, diversity and species composition varied significantly among three main habitat types, namely lagg zones, pine bogs and open bogs, although these habitats did not differ in species richness. The highest abundance was in the pine bogs which are characterized by higher plant community structural complexity and, as a result, higher butterfly food resources. The results confirmed positive responses of species richness and abundance of butterflies to nectariferous flower cover. On the other hand, open, sunny, but windy sites on the peat bogs contribute to a decrease of abundance.     

Forces driving the composition of butterfly assemblages in Andorra

Despite the impact that human presence has on the area, Andorra in the eastern Pyrenees still harbours a rich butterfly fauna and is a potentially excellent area for studying the effects of global change on biodiversity. The aim of this study was to identify and understand the factors that are inducing observed patterns of butterfly richness in Andorra. We used data collected between 2006 and 2010 from six transects of the Andorran Butterfly Monitoring Scheme that lie at heights from 1,000 to 2,400 m a.s.l. These transects are divided into 44 discrete sections and during the study period 18,603 individuals belonging to 126 butterfly species were recorded. The effects of elevation and habitat composition on species richness and abundance were analyzed, as was the presence of spatial structure in the butterfly assemblages. We found a clear tendency for species richness to decrease as elevation increased and also identified a major faunal turnover. Habitat composition seems to have little effect on species richness and butterfly abundance. A spatial structure was observed in the dataset, with a positive spatial autocorrelation at section scale that reflects a clear effect of altitudinal gradient on species assemblages. Finally, a cluster analysis enabled us to define two main faunistic groups, corresponding to lower (generally in closed habitats) and higher sites (generally in subalpine meadows and grasslands). We thus conclude that the elevation gradient is the principal factor driving butterfly distribution and abundance in Andorra.     

The differences of butterfly (Lepidoptera, Papilionoidea) communities in habitats with various degrees of disturbance and altitudes in tropical forests of Vietnam

A survey was conducted on the species composition, richness and abundance of Papilionoidea (excluding Lycaenidae) butterfly fauna in habitats with various degrees of disturbance and altitudes in tropical forests at Tam Dao National Park, northern Vietnam in 2001. The transect method was used to collect data in the survey. Six transects representing different habitat types at two sites, one site located at a low elevation of 200–250 m a.s.l., and the other located at a high elevation of 950–1000 m a.s.l., were chosen: three transects for each site, with a length of 500 m for each transect. A total of 3594 individuals of 127 species in 240 sets of data were recorded from various habitats. The differences in butterfly composition, species richness, abundance and diversity in different habitat types and altitudes were analyzed. The results showed significant differences of butterfly diversity among the different habitat types and between the low and high altitude sites. The butterfly diversity, species richness and species abundance in the low elevation habitats were higher than in the high elevation habitats. The highest diversity of butterflies occurred in the mixed habitats of agriculture, scrub and clearing lands of high disturbance. However, butterflies most important for conservation are associated with undisturbed or moderately disturbed forests only.     

Tracking the effects of one century of habitat loss and fragmentation on calcareous grassland butterfly communities

Habitat loss and fragmentation are known to reduce patch sizes and increase their isolation, consequently leading to modifications in species richness and community structure. Calcareous grasslands are among the richest ecosystems in Europe for insect species. About 10% (1,150 ha) of the total area of a calcareous ridge region (Calestienne, Belgium) and its butterfly community was analysed over a timeframe of about 100 years. Since 1905 to present day (2005), the Calestienne region has undergone both calcareous grassland loss and fragmentation: not only did calcareous grassland size decrease and isolation increase, but also, the number of calcareous grassland patches within the landscape increased until 1965, and subsequently decreased, clearly reflecting the effects of fragmentation. These processes have had a profound effect on the butterfly community: extinction and rarefaction affected significantly more often specialist species, which means that generalist species are more and more overrepresented. This ecological drift, i.e. the replacement of specialists by generalists in species assemblages is likely to be a general effect of habitat loss and fragmentation on natural communities.     

Determinants of species richness in generalist and specialist Mediterranean butterflies: the negative synergistic forces of climate and habitat change

Although it is well established that butterfly richness is affected by climate and human factors (e.g. habitat disturbance and degradation) at different spatial scales, the drivers behind these changes vary greatly according to the geographical region and the ecology of the species concerned. It is essential that this variation be understood if trends in diversity are to be predicted with any degree of confidence under a scenario of global change. Here we examine patterns of butterfly species richness among groups differing in degree of habitat specialization, diet breadth and mobility in the north‐west Mediterranean Basin, a European hotspot for this taxon. We analyze a large number of butterfly communities and take into consideration the main potential drivers, that include climatic, geographic and resource variables, landscape structure and human environmental impact at different spatial scales. Our study shows that both climatic and anthropogenic factors play an important role in determining butterfly species richness in the north‐west Mediterranean Basin, but that their relative impact differs between specialist and generalist groups. At lower altitudes, water availability, a product of the interplay between temperature and rainfall, and negative effects of temperature appear as the most determinant factors. Maximum diversity was observed at mid‐altitudes, which reveals the importance from a conservation point of view of Mediterranean mountain ranges. The results suggest serious population declines in specialist species restricted to mountain areas as a result of climate warming in combination with habitat loss caused by the abandonment of grazing and mowing. They also suggest negative trends for generalist species due to an increase in aridity in combination with an increase in intensification of human land use in lowland areas. Such synergies are expected to lead to rapid declines in Mediterranean butterfly populations in the coming years, thereby posing a severe threat for the conservation of European biodiversity.     

Assessing a farmland set-aside conservation program for an endangered butterfly: USDA State Acres for Wildlife Enhancement (SAFE) for the Karner blue butterfly

Private lands provide critical habitat for threatened and endangered species, but only recently have farm-based conservation programs focused on at-risk, invertebrate species. The USDA Conservation Reserve Program State Acres for Wildlife Enhancement (CRP-SAFE) is one of the first federal programs to do so with a Wisconsin-based initiative for the US federally endangered Karner blue butterfly (KBB). This study is the first to evaluate how well the KBB-SAFE provides suitable habitat for the Karner and other butterflies. It also provides a critical foundation for better understanding the potential of new USDA programs that create pollinator habitat including for declining species such as the Monarch butterfly. Here we compare data (2009–2014) on assemblages of grassland communities, blooming floral resource availability, and abundance and richness of butterflies, between KBB-SAFE and native prairie sites. We found that KBB-SAFE and native sites had distinctly different forb species assemblages, with SAFE sites having fewer native blooming species available during the first flight of the KBB yet similar availability during second flight. Butterfly abundance was ultimately greater on native sites compared to SAFE sites, but richness was comparable between sites. We conclude that KBB-SAFE can provide habitat for many grassland species, and serve as surrogate KBB habitat. We provide straightforward management recommendations designed to better meet the needs of the Karner blue and other sensitive butterfly species and we provide further evidence that increased abundance and richness of native forbs and grasses on land formerly used for agriculture can provide habitat for butterflies adapted to early successional habitats.     

Butterfly community structure in fragmented habitats

We analysed effects of habitat fragmentation on the diversity, abundance, and life history traits of butterflies on 33 calcareous grasslands. Diversity of butterflies was positively correlated with habitat area (as was plant diversity), but not with habitat isolation. In contrast to expectations, butterfly densities of polyphagous and oligophagous species declined with habitat area whereas densities of monophagous species increased. The z -values, i.e. the slope of species–area relationships, increased with food plant specialization, from 0.07 in polyphagous, 0.11 in oligophagous, 0.16 in strongly oligophagous to 0.22 in monophagous species, and were 0.14 in plant species. Significant z -values were not only found for total species richness, based on a sample size adjusted to fragment area ( z  = 0.12), but also for the local density of butterfly species richness, based on equal sample size across all habitat fragments ( z  = 0.06). To our knowledge, this is the first study to show differential responses of monophagous, oligophagous and polyphagous species to area with respect to species richness and population density.