Predicting extinction risk of butterflies and moths (Macrolepidoptera) from distribution patterns and species characteristics

An extensive follow-up study of day- and night-active Macrolepidoptera was performed during 2004 at the Kullaberg Nature Reserve located in the south-western part of Sweden. Butterflies were surveyed in an area of 100 km² and night-active moths were trapped in the core area of the reserve. Macrolepidopteran species resident in the area in the 1950s were compared with species resident in the area in 2004. As much as 159 of 597 species (27%) resident in the area in 1950s were not found at all in 2004 and 22 species (4%) had colonised the area. Butterflies exhibited a disastrous decline with a loss of 45% of the fauna, and day-active species had declined more than night-active species had. Species distribution pattern and species characteristics were used to predict the probability that a species had become extinct or colonised the area. Species limited to one or a few food plants, with a short flight-period or restricted to non-forest habitats were all associated with a high extinction risk. Species occurring in fewer European countries and recorded from few provinces in Sweden were all associated with a higher extinction risk compared with ubiquitous species. For expanding species (colonisers), the best predictor was their distribution area in Sweden and colonising species were more likely to be limited to a few provinces in the southernmost part of Sweden. Species extinct from Kullaberg also have decreased in Finland and species that had colonised Kullaberg also have increased in Finland, while the species with no change in Kullaberg are also relatively constant in Finland. Indeed, the macrolepidopteran fauna was severely reduced in the last 50 years and almost 70% of the habitat specialists were lost. For red-listed species the situation was found to be alarming. Almost 70% of red-listed species, resident in the area in the 1950s, was not found in 2004. This study highlights that species composition changes rapidly even in protected nature reserves and that similar changes in the macrolepidopteran fauna seem to occur over large areas.     

Monitoring of butterflies in semi-natural grasslands: diurnal variation and weather effects

The butterfly fauna was monitored in six semi-natural grasslands in southeastern Sweden. The aim was to evaluate monitoring criteria for wind, sunshine, temperature and time of day for butterfly species richness and abundances when using the line transect method. A total of 30,111 butterflies belonging to 46 species were recorded. Data from this study suggests somewhat stricter criteria for temperature and sunshine than stated in the widely used “Pollards walk”. A sharp decline in butterfly numbers were detected at temperatures below 19°C if the proportion of sunshine of the transect walk was below 80–85%. No effect of wind speed, up to five on the Beaufort scale, on observed numbers of species or individuals were found. Several butterfly species showed well-defined diurnal rythms of flight activity, and the results indicated that transect walks can be performed between −4.5 and +4 h from the time when the sun reached its highest point. The results of this study can be used to adjust general criteria in national monitoring and also for detailed regional and local monitoring where it may be important to adjust for diurnal rhythm and weather related bias.     

准噶尔盆地东南缘不同生境条件下梭梭群落结构特征研究

在新疆准噶尔盆地东南缘,以平缓低洼地、平缓沙地、半流动沙丘等3种不同生境类型上的天然梭梭群落为研究对象,从物种结构、物种多样性、生物量以及梭梭天然更新幼苗幼树种群分布格局等方面,研究不同生境条件下梭梭群落的结构特征.结果表明,以平缓低洼地上梭梭群落的植物种类最丰富,其次是平缓沙地,半流动沙丘上的植物种类最少.3种生境类型上群落中的植物种类分别为1种、15种和12种;梭梭天然更新幼苗幼树以半流动沙丘上的梭梭群落为最多,达 87株·hm^-2,但幼苗幼树在梭梭群落内分布不均匀,平缓低洼地上梭梭群落内的幼苗幼树比半流动沙丘上的略少,为5 799株·hm^-2,但幼苗幼树在梭梭群落内分布均匀,总体评价以平缓低洼地上梭梭群落的天然更新最好;平缓低洼地上梭梭群落的总生物量为19.39 t·hm^-2,平缓沙地上为9.32 t·hm^-2,半流动沙丘上为.9 t·hm^-2;不同生境类型上梭梭群落天然更新幼苗幼树的分布格局均为聚集分布.平缓低洼地地面固定,土壤水分和肥力较好,比较适宜梭梭林木生长和梭梭群落的发育,平缓沙地和半流动沙丘的地面容易产生风蚀,土壤水分和肥力较差,生境条件比较严酷.     

Size-related deterioration of semi-natural grassland fragments in Sweden

Abstract. One of the most dramatic landscape changes during the 20th century in Sweden, like in most of Europe, has been the reduction and fragmentation of semi-natural grasslands. Using a set of remnant semi-natural grasslands, chosen to be as similar as possible, but differing in size, we have examined whether size of remnant fragments of traditionally managed semi-natural grasslands in Sweden is related to patterns of species richness and composition. We focused on edge-to-interior relationships, since we expected that a possible impact from invasive habitat generalists would be manifested in a gradient from the edge of fragments to their interior. We found no relationship between size of grassland fragments and (a) overall species richness, (b) species richness at different spatial scales, and (c) abundance of some typical invader species or species characteristic of semi-natural grasslands. However, the results indicated that larger grasslands have a comparatively larger number of species in the edges, whereas the opposite pattern was found in smaller grasslands. The similarity in species composition between the edge and the interior of the pastures also increased with grassland size. Thus, even though the overall species richness is still unaffected by reduction in grassland fragment size, the edges of smaller grasslands show signs of degradation, i.e. reduction in species richness and a decreased similarity to the grassland interior. We suggest that these kinds of effects may be early signs of fragmentation effects that in the future will result in species loss even if the present distribution of semi-natural grasslands is maintained.     

Effects of site and species characteristics on nested patterns of species composition in sedge meadows

Biotas of both geographical islands and habitat islands are often nested subsets of the biotas of successively more species-rich islands within the same system. The life history characteristics of a species may determine how that species contributes to the general pattern of species nestedness. Here, I investigate the floras of 56 sedge meadow wetlands in northern Illinois (USA) in order to characterize the degree of nestedness in these communities, determine which individual plant species contribute to the nested pattern, and investigate species characteristics that might be related to nonrandom patterns of distribution in individual plant species. The entire assemblage of species at all sedge meadows was significantly nested. Species richness and area were significantly correlated, and the nested pattern was closely related to site area, suggesting that species drop out of the assemblage in a predictable order as site area decreases. Some individual species exhibited nonrandom distributions across the sites, occurring more often in large, species-rich sites. Large sites were more likely than smaller sites to contain conservative species, i.e., those typical of pristine natural habitat, whereas nonconservative species were distributed more randomly among sites. Nested patterns of distribution of conservative species with respect to site area may result from their high probability of extinction on small sites or from a tendency for required habitats to co-occur on the same large sites. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Spatial patterns in seed bank and vegetation of semi-natural mountain meadows

Soil seed bank composition and vegetative spatial patterns were studied in four mountain meadow communities in the Broto Valley (N. Spain), in order to analyse the differences that might exists between the two life forms. Soil and vegetation samples were taken at 1 m intervals from 10 m × 10 m quadrats in each meadow in one-year study. The spatial distribution of species was analysed along with the calculation of an autocorrelation coefficient which takes account of the relative position of samples: (Moran’s I). The results indicate that the abundance of the majority of the species in the seed bank and in the vegetation are randomly distributed, the percentage of species with a clumped distribution only exceeds 35% in the vegetation of one meadow and none of the taxa identified showed a uniform spatial organisation. The species that were distributed in the seed bank in a clumped pattern in more than one meadow were those of the pioneer species (Anagallis arvensis, Centaurium erythraea, Lamium purpureum and Stellaria media). All of these formed long-term persistent seed banks but were absent in the established vegetation in these meadows. According to the results, there exist not only differences between the spatial distribution of the species present in the same community, but also, that some species change their pattern of distribution according to the life form and to the grassland type in which they are found.     

Environmental influences on the structure of sedge meadows in the Canadian High Arctic

Wet sedge-dominated communities (sedge meadows) were sampled in five lowland oases in the Queen Elizabeth Islands of the Canadian High Arctic to assess species-environment relationships. The sites spanned 4° of latitude, and varied in lithology and intensity of grazing by muskoxen (Ovibos moschatus). A suite of 8 vascular species were common in all meadow stands, with an additional 4–6 species found in most stands. The position of these species in dominance-diversity curves was not significantly different between grazed and ungrazed meadows however, the grazed sites appeared to follow a log-normal distribution, while the ungrazed sites were more geometric. Redundancy analysis indicated that grazing intensity is important in determining structure in arctic sedge meadows, largely through increasing the cover of bryophytes and the availability of nitrogen. Greatest species richness was found in the more southerly sites which were moderately grazed and had diversity in microtopography. Abbreviations: AF – Alexandra Fiord, PBP – Polar Bear Pass, PMB – Princess Marie Bay, TL – Truelove Lowland, SP – Sverdrup Pass Nomenclature: Porsild, A.E. & Cody, W.J. 1980. Vascular plants of continental Northwest Territories. National Museums of Canada, Ottawa.     

Elevational patterns of functional diversity and trait of Delphinium (Ranunculaceae) in Hengduan Mountains,China

Elevational patterns of trait occurrence and functional diversity provide an important perspective for understanding biodiversity. However, previous studies have mostly examined functional diversity at the community scale. Here, we examined large-scale patterns of trait occurrence and functional diversity in Delphinium along an elevational gradient from 1000 to 5700 m in the Hengduan Mountains, SW China. Elevational distribution and trait data of 102 Delphinium species were compiled to evaluate the patterns of interspecific traits, species richness, and functional diversity. We found that the distribution of species richness showed a unimodal curve that peaked between 3500 and 4000 m; functional diversity and traits showed different patterns along an elevational gradient. The functional diversity increased at a lower rate along an elevation gradient, whereas species richness continued to increase. Species with large ranges and non-endemic species were most affected by geometric constraints. Richness of species endemic to the Hengduan Mountains peaked at higher elevations, likely due to increased speciation and restricted dispersion under alpine conditions. We conclude that the middle elevation region is not only the functionally richest but also the most functionally stable region for Delphinium, which could be insurance against environmental change. Extreme conditions and strong environmental filters in an alpine environment may cause the convergence of species traits, which could relate to reducing nutrient trait investment and increasing reproductive trait investment. We conclude that large-scale studies are consistent with previous studies at the community scale. This may indicate that the relationship between functional diversity and species richness across different scales is the same.     

Conservation potential of semi-natural habitats for birds in intensively-used agricultural landscapes

Agricultural intensification resulted in substantial loss of farmland biodiversity. Semi-natural habitats may be viewed as potential buffers of these adverse impacts, but a rigorous assessment of their capacity for supporting farmland biodiversity is lacking. In this study, we explored conservation potential of two different types of semi-natural habitats for birds in intensively-used agricultural landscapes – farmland hedges (i.e., linear strips of shrubby and tree vegetation) and open scrubland (i.e., scattered shrubs and abandoned orchards). Specifically, we tested whether the abundance and species richness of birds differ between these habitats considering various species traits, such as habitat affinity (i.e., forest, farmland and urban species), diet specialization (i.e., animal eaters, plant eaters, and omnivores) and conservation status (Species of European Conservation Concern). We found that open scrubland hosted on average 37.9 bird species and 122.6 individuals per 1 km² of the transect, whereas farmland hedges hosted only 19 species and 61.8 individuals per 1 km² of the transect. However, results have substantially changed if we considered the area of suitable habitat into account. More specifically, open scrubland hosted more bird species and individuals when we considered open habitat species and the area of open habitats, whereas farmland hedges had higher species diversity and individuals of woodland bird species when we considered the area of woodland habitats. Similarly, analyses of habitat affiliations of individual species corresponded to the whole-community patterns; and revealed that several woodland bird species were mainly associated with farmland hedges (e.g., Chaffinch Fringilla coelebs, Common Nightingale Luscinia megarhynchos and Blackcap Sylvia atricapilla), whereas the open scrubland was preferred by open habitat bird species (e.g., Corn Bunting Emberiza calandra, Quail Coturnix coturnix and Skylark Alauda arvensis). These results demonstrate that semi-natural habitats, both open scrubland and farmland hedges, have large potential for promotion and conservation of bird communities within intensively used agricultural landscapes, as both may have represented suitable habitats for species with different ecological requirements. Therefore, management measures focused on the enlargement of the area of these habitats, in combination with suitable management (e.g., regulating the progress of natural succession in open scrubland; increasing structural diversity of existing farmland hedges), may substantially contribute to bird conservation within agricultural landscapes.     

Spatial variation in insect community and species responses to habitat loss and plant community composition

Several experimental studies have examined species responses to manipulations of habitat area and spatial arrangement, but plant composition and spatial variation in species distributions also affect animal responses to habitat alteration. We used an experimental approach to study the combined effects of habitat area, edge, and plant community composition on the spatial structure of insect species richness and composition. The abundance of three guilds (herbivores, predators and parasitoids) and individual species were also analyzed. Habitat patches were created that differed in area and edge by selectively mowing portions of 15 m×15 m plots in a 1.7-ha old field. Spatial and environmental variables were used to predict insect responses in separate multiple regression and ordination models. The variation in species responses due to spatial and environmental variables was then partitioned by combining these variables into an overall regression or ordination. Spatial and environmental variables contributed similar percentages to the total variance in insect species richness, abundance or composition. No significant effects of habitat area were observed in any response variable. Herbivore abundance showed positive responses to legume or grass cover, as well as spatial variation that was unrelated to environmental variables. Predators and parasitoids had greater effects of plant species richness and habitat edge, and less unexplained spatial variation. Individual species differed in their responses to plant variables, depending on host specialization or intraspecific aggregation. Our study highlights the importance of plant community composition and spatial variation apart from environmental variables. Spatial variation stems both from species responses to environmental features as well as species differences in habitat specialization and intraspecific aggregation.     

中国跳鼠总科物种系统发育与分布格局

中国分布有跳鼠总科(Dipodoidea)动物3科12属22种,是世界上跳鼠总科物种丰富度最高的国家之一.近年来,随着新种的发现和分类地位的修正,我国跳鼠总科物种的系统发育关系和分布格局也亟待更新.本文通过GenBank下载12个特定基因,串联构建基因矩阵,以贝叶斯法和最大似然法重建22个物种的系统发育树,明确了我国跳...     

Geographic variation in patterns of nestedness among local stream fish assemblages in Virginia

Nestedness of faunal assemblages is a multi-scale phenomenon, potentially influenced by a variety of factors. Prior small-scale studies have found freshwater fish species assemblages to be nested along stream courses as a result of either selective colonization or extinction. However, within-stream gradients in temperature and other factors are correlated with the distributions of many fish species and may also contribute to nestedness. At a regional level, strongly nested patterns would require a consistent set of structuring mechanisms across streams, and correlation among species tolerances of the environmental factors that influence distribution. Thus, nestedness should be negatively associated with the spatial extent of the region analyzed and positively associated with elevational gradients (a correlate of temperature and other environmental factors). We examined these relationships for the freshwater fishes of Virginia. Regions were defined within a spatial hierarchy and included whole river drainages, portions of drainages within physiographic provinces, and smaller subdrainages. In most cases, nestedness was significantly stronger in regions of smaller spatial extent and in regions characterized by greater topographic relief. Analysis of hydrologic variability and patterns of faunal turnover provided no evidence that inter-annual colonization/extinction dynamics contributed to elevational differences in nestedness. These results suggest that, at regional scales, nestedness is influenced by interactions between biotic and abiotic factors, and that the strongest nestedness is likely to occur where a small number of organizational processes predominate, i.e., over small spatial extents and regions exhibiting strong environmental gradients.The Virginia Cooperate Fish and Wildlife Research Unit is jointly sponsored by United States Geological Survey, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, and Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.     

Edge and shape effects on ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) species richness and composition in forest fragments

In this paper, we tested four hypotheses relative to edge and shape effects on ant communities: (i) forest edges have lower species richness than the remnant core; (ii) species richness increases with distance from the edge; (iii) irregularly shaped remnants have lower species richness than more regular remnants; (iv) there is a higher similarity of species composition between edge and core in irregular than in regular remnants. We sampled litter ant communities on the edge and core of ten remnants, in Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Species richness was larger at the forest core than at the edges, although did not increase with distance from the edge. Species richness did not vary with shape complexity. The similarity of species composition between edge and core showed a decreasing trend with remnant area, and did not vary with shape complexity. The observed differences of species richness between forest core and edge may be due to higher harshness of edges, caused by environmental changes. The absence of relationship between species richness and distance from the edge might indicate the range of edge effects, which would be smaller than the smallest distance of core sampled. Therefore, edges would affect litter-dwelling ant species richness in a distance smaller than 50 m. The observation of species composition allowed us to notice an effect of fragmentation that would not be noticed if we were considering only species richness. Edge may serve as step to generalist species, which may use it to colonise forest remnants. Furthermore, small remnants are more colonisation-prone by such species, and have a more homogeneous species composition than large remnants.     

系统发育多样性与系统发育结构在岛屿植物群落保护中的意义——以蜈支洲岛为例

为探讨系统发育多样性和系统发育结构在岛屿植物群落保护决策制定中的作用,以海南三亚蜈支洲岛被子植物群系为例,分析物种丰富度和系统发育多样性的相关性。结果表明,蜈支洲岛植被可分为10种群系类型,22个样方的物种丰富度与系统发育多样性呈显著正相关,但系统发育多样性与物种丰富度对植物多样性保护优先顺序的指示有差异。森林群系的物种丰富度和系统发育多样性普遍高于灌木和草本群系,4个森林群系样方表现为系统发育结构发散,3个森林群系样方表现为系统发育结构聚集。灌木群系中露兜树(Pandanus tectorius)灌丛和草海桐(Scaevola sericea)灌丛系统发育多样性较高,草本群系中厚藤(Vitex trifolia)灌草丛系统发育多样性较高,灌木和草本群系大多倾向于系统发育结构聚集。距海或人类活动区较近的群系可能受环境过滤的作用,而远离海和人类活动区的群系主要受竞争排斥作用影响。因此,在岛屿植物多样性保护策略制定中应当综合考虑物种和系统发育维度,以及环境、演替阶段及用岛方式等因素的影响。     

Predicting diversity of juvenile neotropical fish communities: patch dynamics versus habitat state in floodplain creeks

The species richness of communities should largely depend on habitat variability and/or on habitat state. We evaluated the ability of habitat variability and habitat state to predict the diversity of juvenile neotropical fish communities in creeks of a river floodplain. The young-fish fauna consisted of 73 taxa, and samples were well distributed over a wide range of relevant temporal and spatial habitat variability. We were unable to demonstrate clear patterns of richness in relation to temporal and spatial habitat variability (if habitat state variables were not included), regardless of the temporal variability scale, the grouping of sites (up- and downstream sites differed in temporal variability patterns), taxonomic units or life stages considered. Using stepwise multiple regression, 36% of the variance in species richness was explained for all data, and at best 47% was explained for all taxonomic units at upstream sites using temporal and spatial habitat variability and habitat state (bank length, mean width, mean water level before fishing and/or water turbidity). Using Monte Carlo simulations, we blindly predicted 31% (all data) and at best 37% (all upstream taxa) of the observed variance in species richness from these model types. This limited precision is probably because rare species produced most of the richness patterns in our creeks. The prediction of these rare species is generally difficult for various reasons, and may be a problem in many ecosystem types. Received: 6 July 1998 / Accepted: 16 November 1998     

Contrasting trends of butterfly species preferring semi-natural grasslands,field margins and forest edges in northern Europe

Indicator classifications help us to focus on the most relevant groups of species in monitoring the effects of land use changes on biodiversity. We studied changes in distribution area of 74 butterfly species preferring one of the three common habitats of boreal agricultural landscapes: semi-natural grasslands (35 species), arable field margins (7) and forest edges (32). Using extensive atlas data from four time periods during the last 50 years in Finland, we quantified trends in the occupancy of the species in 10 km grid squares, and classified them into four classes: declining (23), stable (17), increasing (27) and fluctuating (7) species. Trends among the species favouring three habitats were different: 60% of the species of semi-natural grasslands had declined, whereas 86% of the species typical of open field margins had increased. An increase also predominated in species associated with forest edges. Declining and increasing species differed in three ecological characteristics: increasing species were more mobile, utilized a wider range of habitats and, based on their larval host plants, lived in more eutrophic habitats than declining species. Species overwintering as adults showed more positive trends in occupancy than species overwintering as eggs, larvae or pupae. Observed trends in occupancy are in good agreement with long-term changes in land use and habitat availability in Finland: a long-continued decrease in the area of semi-natural grasslands and an increased amount of open forest edges and clearings due to modern forestry during the past 50 years.