Species diversity in vertical, horizontal, and temporal dimensions of a fruit-feeding butterfly community in an Ecuadorian rainforest

To test the hypotheses that fruit-feeding nymphalid butterflies are randomly distributed in space and time, a community of fruit-feeding nymphalid butterflies was sampled at monthly intervals for one year by trapping 6690 individuals of 130 species in the canopy and understory of four forest habitats: primary, higraded, secondary, and edge. The overall species abundance distribution was well described by a lognormal distribution. Total species diversity (γ-diversity) was partitioned into additive components within and among community subdivisions (α-diversity and β-diversity) in vertical, horizontal and temporal dimensions. Although community subdivisions showed high similarity (1 —β-diversity/γ-diversity), significant β-diversity existed in each dimension. Individual abundance and observed species richness was lower in the canopy than in the understory. However, rarefaction analysis and species accumulation curves revealed that canopy had higher species richness than understory. Observed species richness was roughly equal in all habitats, but individual abundance was much greater in edge, largely due to a single, specialist species. Rarefaction analysis and species accumulation curves showed that edge had significantly lower species richness than all other habitats. Samples from a single habitat, height and time contained only a small fraction of the total community species richness. This study demonstrates the feasibility, and necessity, of large-scale, long-term sampling in multiple dimensions for accurately measuring species richness and diversity in tropical forest communities. We discuss the importance of such studies in conservation biology.     

Associations of co-mimetic ithomiine butterflies on small spatial and temporal scales in a neotropical rainforest

To test whether ithomiine butterfly species within Miillerian mimetic classes are associated in space and time, we sampled a community of ithomiine butterflies at monthly intervals with traps in the canopy and the understory of four forest habitats: primary, higrade, secondary and edge. A species accumulation curve reached an asymptote at 22 species, suggesting that these species have a greater preference for feeding on fruit juices than other ithomiines known to occur at the study site. Species richness and individual abundance showed marked temporal variation, and there were slight differences in the distribution of species richness and individual abundance among the four habitats. The 22 species sampled in this study were not stratified vertically. The five mimetic colour classes of these butterflies were unequally distributed among the four habitats and over the course of the twelve months. There is suggestive evidence that co-mimic species occurred in the same habitats, and strong evidence that they occurred at the same times. Habitat and temporal effects each contributed approximately 10% to the total mimetic class diversity, with the temporal effect being slightly larger than that of habitat. This study demonstrates that Müllerian co-mimic associations can be measured on a much smaller scale than has been done previously.     

琅琊山国家森林公园蝶类多样性

报道了安徽滁州市琅琊山国家森林公园蝶类多样性的研究结果,共采集了蝴蝶4454只,隶属8科、40属、57种。应用Margalef物种丰富度模型及Shannon-Wiener生物多样性指数分析了该地蝶类物种的丰富度及多样性。蝴蝶物种丰富度由大到小为森林林地(7.2747)>山缘农田(5.3499)>裸岩(3.3008),物种多样性指数由大到小为森林林地(3.3081)>裸岩(2.4628)>山缘农田(2.0009);结果表明琅琊山蝶类物种较为丰富,多样性指数说明琅琊山的生态环境良好。     

Species richness, composition and abundance of fruit-feeding butterflies in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest: comparison between a fragmented and a continuous landscape

Aim  To evaluate frugivorous butterflies as indicators of forest disturbance in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest.
Location  The study area is located in the municipality of Cotia, São Paulo State, south-eastern Brazil (23°35'−23°50' S, 46°45'−47°15' W).
Methods  Sampling was done at four sites inside a large forest block, the Morro Grande State Reserve, and in five forest fragments in an adjacent fragmented landscape. Butterflies were sampled with portable traps, baited with a fermented mixture of banana and sugar cane juice. Sampling was carried out during the period most favourable for the capture of frugivorous butterflies in south-eastern Brazil.
Results  All richness-related results indicated no effect of forest fragmentation on the frugivorous butterfly guild, concurring with the suggestion of appreciable resistance of Atlantic Forest butterflies to habitat modification. However, species composition discriminated between the two landscapes, indicating that fragmentation may have effects beyond simple species richness. When species were analysed individually, clear patterns of distribution emerged, with some species that were very abundant in the fragmented landscape being practically absent in the continuous landscape, and vice versa. This pattern seems consistent even for some subfamilies.
Main conclusion  Our findings support the usefulness of the frugivorous butterfly guild as a biological indicator of forest disturbance effects in one of the world's most threatened ecosystems.     

石门台自然保护区蝴蝶特种多样性研究

1999年6月～2003年4月间,对广东石门台自然保护区的蝴蝶进行了调查,共记录到蝴蝶361种,分隶于11科190属。其中中国特有种51 种,占总数的14.1%;国家保护种10种,占我国两次颁布（1989和2000年）的保护物种名录中蝴蝶总数量（83种）的12.0%。通过以人工林生境为主的试验区、次生林生境为主的缓冲区和原生林生境为主的核心区等3个功能区中选择样点进行的蝴蝶多样性分析表明,缓冲区的物种多样性及科、属多样性均较高,且有众多的珍稀物种,是一个重要的蝴蝶生息地,应加强管制。进一步说明了保护蝶类的根本在于护林,进而为保护好广东省目前面积最大的自然保护区——石门台自然保护区的生物多样性及不可多得的自然遗产——热带亚热带低地森林提供依据。此外,本文将科、属多样性与物种多样性综合起来考虑,同时使用Shannon-Wiener指数与G-F指数,较为全面地评价了该保护区蝴蝶的群落多样性。     

Forest use and vertical stratification in fruit-feeding butterflies of Sulawesi,Indonesia: impacts for conservation

Protected forest areas of Sulawesi are gradually being replaced by intensively used agroforestry systems and farmland, especially in lowland and sub-montane regions. Studies on the impact of these man-induced changes on biodiversity are of urgent conservation concern. We compared the fruit-feeding butterfly assemblage of a natural hill forest to that of a disturbed hill forest, representing a mosaic of old secondary forest and recently abandoned or active subsistence farms. Overall, species richness seemed highest in the disturbed site, but both abundance and diversity of endemic butterflies were significantly higher in the natural forest. Although the butterfly assemblage showed a clear vertical structure in the natural forest, vertical stratification was no longer pronounced at the disturbed site. Comparative studies based on diversity estimates from ground samples should consider not only the scale at which sampling is carried out and influences from nearby habitat patches in the surrounding landscape mosaic, but also possible behavioural changes in stratified species after forest modification. This study shows that higher overall species richness does not imply higher species distinctiveness, and indicates that the contribution of land-use systems to global biodiversity should be evaluated with caution, even when relatively high species richness estimates are found.     

Seasonal flooding decreases fruit-feeding butterfly species dominance and increases spatial turnover in floodplain forests of central Amazonia

The seasonal flood pulse in Amazonia can be considered a primary driver of community structure in floodplain environments. Although this natural periodic disturbance is part of the landscape dynamics, the seasonal inundation presents a considerable challenge to organisms that inhabit floodplain forests. The present study investigated the effect of seasonal flooding on fruit-feeding butterfly assemblages in different forest types and strata in central Amazonia. We sampled fruit-feeding butterflies in the canopy and the understory using baited traps in adjacent upland (unflooded forests—terra firme), white and blackwater floodplain forests (várzea and igapó, respectively) during the low- and high-water seasons. Butterfly abundance decreased in the high-water season, especially of dominant species in várzea, but the number of species was similar between seasons in the three forest types. Species composition differed between strata in all forest types. However, the flood pulse only affected butterfly assemblages in várzea forest. The β-diversity components also differed only in várzea. Species replacement (turnover) dominated the spatial β-diversity in igapó and terra firme in both seasons and várzea in the high-water season. Nonetheless, nestedness was relatively higher in várzea forests during the low-water season, mainly due to the effect of dominant species. These results emphasize the importance of seasonal flooding to structure butterfly assemblages in floodplain forests and reveal the idiosyncrasy of butterfly community responses to flooding in different forest types. Our results also suggest that any major and rapid changes to the hydrological regime could severely affect floodplain communities adapted to this natural seasonal hydrological cycle, threatening the existence of these unique environments.     

Sampling effort and common species: Optimizing surveys of understorey fruit-feeding butterflies in the Central Amazon

Surveys on tropical invertebrates must gather as much information as possible over the shortest period, mainly because of financial limitations and hyperdiversity. Fruit-feeding butterflies in the subfamilies Biblidinae, Charaxinae, Nymphalinae and Satyrinae (Nymphalidae) are attracted to decaying material and can be sampled with standardized methodologies, but (1) some groups can be difficult to collect, despite being quite common in Amazonian forest understorey; moreover, (2) the duration of the sampling period is not consistent among studies and (3) the sufficient effort for financially limited projects remains unknown. With this study, we aimed to fulfill points 1–3 in order to recommend a less costly protocol for monitoring purposes in the Amazon. In 25 km² of rainforest in the state of Amazonas, Brazil, we evaluated the performance of sampling schemes for these butterflies (four, three, two and one visit in 250 m-long plots), using both nets and bait traps, while considering reductions in sampling effort and the removal of rare and infrequent taxa to optimize field and laboratory work. Reduced-effort schemes are only validated if they reflect both taxonomic and ecological information provided by the maximum effort. Procrustes superimposition was used to estimate the dissimilarity in the spatial distribution of species between schemes. Spatial turnover in herb, liana, palm tree and diameter-at-breast-height > 10 cm tree species composition was used as predictor for the butterfly community through linear regressions. The three-visit scheme was sufficient to retrieve high species similarity and the ecological patterns observed with maximum effort. The two-visit scheme lost a significant amount of information on species composition similarity, but recovered stronger environmental relationships than those observed with the four-visit scheme. The removal of uncommon species did not affect the ecological response of the community, thereby suggesting that common species are driving the spatial patterns of the studied butterflies. Thus, large reductions in costs by reducing sampling effort could be achieved with relatively little loss of information on the species turnover of butterflies and their relationships with the environment. The proposed sampling protocols with reduced effort will allow projects to use their time and financial supply more effectively, showing that cost-effective shortcuts for biodiversity assessments can be useful for conservation, biomonitoring and land use management.     

东小磨虾池及其沿岸浮游植物群落物种多样性

１９９１年６～９月东小磨虾池及其沿岸浮游植物群落中出现过的浮游植物门类有硅藻、甲藻、蓝藻、绿藻、金藻和裸藻等,种类在９４种以上,以硅藻为主,达５９种。其中国内以前未记录过的海洋种类４种。虾池与沿岸的浮游植物群落物种多样性之间存在着一些差异。ＳｈａｎｎｏｎＷｅａｎｅｒ多样性指数的范围在０．１２～３．１７     

重庆市大巴山自然保护区蝶类垂直分布及多样性的初步研究

在 1 999年 7月和 2 0 0 0年 5月 ,对重庆市大巴山自然保护区蝶类的垂直分布进行了调查 ,研究结果表明 ,该保护区蝶类有 1 0科 80属 1 38种。在 4个垂直带中 ,常绿阔叶林带的蝶类物种数和个体数量、物种多样性指数和物种均匀度等指标均高于其他垂直带。垂直带之间蝶类相似性差异显著。     

Ecological drivers of avian diversity in a subtropical landscape: Effects of habitat diversity,primary productivity and anthropogenic disturbance

Understanding the roles of ecological drivers in shaping biodiversity is fundamental for conservation practice. In this study, we explored the effects of elevation, conservation status, primary productivity, habitat diversity and anthropogenic disturbance (represented by human population density and birding history) on taxonomic, phylogenetic and functional avian diversity in a subtropical landscape in southeastern China. We conducted bird surveys using 1‐km transects across a total of 30 sites, of which 10 sites were located within a natural reserve. Metrics of functional diversity were calculated based on six functional traits (body mass, clutch size, dispersal ratio, sociality, diet and foraging stratum). We built simultaneous autoregression models to assess the association between the ecological factors and diversity of the local avian communities. Local avian diversity generally increased with increasing habitat diversity, human population density and primary productivity. We also detected phylogenetic and functional clustering in these communities, suggesting that the avian assemblages were structured mainly by environmental filtering, rather than interspecific competition. Compared with sites outside the natural reserve, sites within the natural reserve had relatively lower avian diversity but a higher level of phylogenetic heterogeneity.     

Bat species diversity and distribution in a disturbed regime at the Lake Bogoria National Reserve,Kenya

Human population growth drives intrusion and progressive conversion of natural habitats for agriculture. We evaluated human impacts on bat species diversity and distribution among four vegetation types in and around Lake Bogoria National Reserve between November 2012 and July 2013. Plants were surveyed using the Braun–Blanquet cover/abundance method, whereas bats were sampled using standard mist nets erected on poles at ground level. Floristic similarity analysis revealed three broad vegetation assemblages, namely riverine vegetation, farmland and Acacia woodland/Acacia–Commiphora woodland. Two hundred and 33 bats representing eleven species in eleven genera and seven families were recorded. These were Epomophorus minimus, Rhinolophus landeri, Hipposideros caffer, Cardioderma cor, Lavia frons, Nycteris hispida, Chaerephon pumilus, Mops condylurus, Neoromicia capensis, Scotoecus hirundo and Scotophilus dinganii. Species richness estimators indicated that sampling for bats at ground level was exhaustive. Bat species richness and diversity were highest in the more structurally complex Acacia woodland compared to more homogenous farmlands where we recorded only common and generalist species that often occur in open habitats. The higher bat species richness and diversity in the Acacia woodland as compared to farmland underscore the importance of remnant natural savannah woodlands in the conservation of bats and other elements of biodiversity .     

Species diversity and abundance of small mammals in Nechisar National Park,Ethiopia

Species diversity and abundance of small mammals were studied in Nechisar National Park, Ethiopia, during August 2008 – March 2009. Twenty species of rodents and four species of insectivores were recorded from the study area. Mastomys natalensis (17.37%), Arvicanthis dembeensis (17.09%), Mastomys erythroleucus (8.90%), Stenocephalemys albipes (8.76%), Arvicanthis niloticus (8.19%), Acomys cahirinus (7.34%), Lemniscomys striatus (6.92%), Gerbilliscus nigricauda (6.21%), Grammomys dolichurus (3.67%), Gerbilliscus robusta (2.12%), Mus proconodon (1.98%), Mus mahomet (1.41), Dendromus melanotis (1.27%), Arvicanthis abyssinicus (1.13%), Mus musculus (0.99%), Praomys fumatus (0.85%), Xerus erythropus (0.85%), Lemniscomys barbarus (0.71%), Mus tenellus (0.71%) and Otomys typus (0.28%) were the rodents and their respective relative abundance in the study area. Crocidura olivieri (1.55%), Crocidura fumosa (0.85%), Crocidura bicolor (0.57%) and Elephantulus rufescens (0.28%) were the insectivores recorded with their respective relative abundance. Mastomys natalensis was the most abundant and O. typus and E. rufescens were the least (two each). Diversity of small mammals ranged from 2.299 to 2.625 with an average of 2.412. The highest small mammal diversity was in grasslands and the lowest was in Lake Chamo shore. Small mammal density varied from 5 to 43 ha^?1 and biomass varied from 244 to 2559 g ha^?1 with significant changes in relation to seasons and habitats.     

不同生境下莼菜群落的物种多样性

采用Braun Blanquet多盖度等级法研究了苏州东山镇和杭州转塘镇莼菜群落的物种多样性.结果表明：两地半自然莼菜群落的种类组成均较为简单,其物种多样性指数均较低;随着从池塘中央向岸边生境过渡,莼菜群落的Shannon-Wiener多样性指数、Simpson优势度指数和群落均匀度指数均有显著提高;经聚类分析,同一生境类型中的样地较为相似,且池塘中央的样地比岸边的样地更为相似;线性回归和聚类分析发现,与转塘镇相比,东山镇两类生境莼菜群落间的差异性更大.     

安徽鹞落坪国家级自然保护区蝶类的垂直分布及其群落多样性

采用定点法、样线法和随机调查法,2005-2008年间对安徽鹞落坪国家级自然保护区蝶类垂直分布及群落多样性进行调查.本次调查共捕获蝶类3681只,隶属于10科69属111种,其中蛱蝶科的物种数、个体数和多样性指数均高于其他各科;该地区蝶类呈现由东洋界向古北界过渡的特征,且随着海拔的升高东洋界种类逐渐递减,古北界种类逐渐增多.在3个垂直带中（海拔低于800 m、800～1200 m、高于1200 m）,海拔800～1200 m垂直带的蝶类种类最丰富.研究区6种主要生境类型（落叶阔叶林、常绿针叶林、针阔混交林、灌木和次生林、农田、居民点）中,灌木和次生林中蝶类的物种数和个体数量、物种多样性指数均高于其他各生境类型,农田生境中蝶类多样性指数最低;生境之间蝶类物种的相似性系数主要与生境构成要素中的植被类型有关,植被类型相差越大,蝶类物种的相似性系数就越小,研究区针阔混交林与灌木和次生林之间的蝶类物种相似性系数最高（0.61）,而常绿针叶林与灌木和次生林之间的相似性系数最低（0.20）.     

长白山暗针叶林群落物种多样性维持机制

植物群落物种多样性维持机制一直是生态学研究的热点话题,其中生态位理论和中性理论是被普遍接受的两种理论观点,但是目前关于生态位理论和中性理论在群落物种多样性维持中的相对重要性还没有统一定论。基于长白山暗针叶林群落数据,采用单物种-面积关系模型探究特定树种对邻域物种丰富度的影响,并借助同质性和异质性泊松零模型检验其显著性。(1)群落水平上,在3—15 m空间尺度上,促进种占据优势地位,在>15 m空间尺度上,中性种逐渐取代促进种起主导作用,抑制种比例较低,并且随着空间尺度变化幅度不大。(2)物种水平上,采用同质性泊松零模型检验树种对邻域物种丰富度的影响,臭冷杉、花楷槭、青楷槭在0—20 m空间尺度上对邻域物种丰富度增加起促进作用,黄花落叶松、鱼鳞云杉在0—20 m空间尺度上抑制了邻域物种丰富度增加。花楸树、黑桦和硕桦在全部研究尺度上表现为中性种,髭脉槭、大青杨、红松等在不同研究尺度上表现为不同的作用效果。剔除了生境过滤作用的异质性泊松零模型检验结果与同质性泊松零模型结果差异不显著,表明研究样地内生境过滤作用对多样性格局形成影响不大,各树种间的相互作用对群落物种组成影响较大,进一步证明...     

中国红树林湿地物种多样性及其形成

目前中国红树林湿地共记录了2854种生物,包括真菌136种、放线菌13种、细菌7种、小型藻类441种、大型藻类55种、维管束植物37种、浮游动物109种、底栖动物873种、游泳动物258种、昆虫434种、蜘蛛31种、两栖类13种、爬行类39种、鸟类421种和兽类28种。这些动物中有8种国家一级保护动物,75种二级保护动物。中国红树林湿地是中国濒危生物保存和发展的重要基地,并在跨国鸟类保护中起着重要作用。中国红树林湿地单位面积的物种丰度是海洋平均水平的1766倍。从初级生产物质基础、食物关系多样性、宏观尺度和微观尺度的空间异质性、生境利用的时序性等方面分析了中国红树林湿地物种多样性极其丰富的原因。     

The past and current status of endangered butterflies in Korea

Here we review the current situation of endangered butterflies in Korea and describe the causes of their decline. Because no details regarding the changes in butterfly populations across the country were available, we selected candidate butterfly species based on a score sheet sent to six specialists in Korea. Twenty species were finally selected and assessed. As a result, 3 critically endangered, 14 endangered and 3 vulnerable species were identified. We attempted to identify the possible causes of decline by addressing habitat loss (grassland or riparian grassland), forest succession, warmer temperature, over‐collecting and loss of symbiont ants. We discuss the causal factors with the current situation of butterfly populations in Korea.     

罗霄山脉翼手目物种多样性及适生区预测

罗霄山脉位于中国大陆东南部, 是一条南北走向的大型山脉, 面积约6.76万km²。该山脉位于欧亚大陆东部季风区, 生物多样性丰富, 是亚洲东部第三纪冰期动物重要的避难所。为了解罗霄山脉翼手目物种多样性状况, 本研究组于2013-2018年, 使用雾网、手网和竖琴网等工具开展了针对性调查与标本采集, 同时运用形态分类学和分子系统发生学方法鉴定物种。根据调查结果并结合文献记载: 罗霄山脉地区现有翼手目物种4科14属40种, 其中罗霄山脉翼手目新记录种25种, 省级翼手目分布新记录种9种。同时, 本研究基于5年的调查采集位点, 使用生物多样 性与气候变化虚拟实验室(the Biodiversity & Climate Change Virtual Laboratory)在线生境预测平台, 对罗霄山脉翼手目物种当前的适生区, 以及3种不同量温室气体排放情景下(representative concentration pathway, RCP 2.6 / 6.0 / 8.5) 2050年的适生区进行预测, 其中随机森林算法(random forest)的模型解释力较优, 其预测结果显示: 影响该区域翼手目分布的主要环境因子为降水季节性和年平均温度; 山脉中部及南部为翼手目的高适生区, 面积约为罗霄山脉的30%; 与当前适生区相比, RCP 2.6情景下2050年该类群适生区有所扩增, RCP 6.0和RCP 8.5情景下均会导致翼手目适生区急剧缩减, 且分布区将迁移至高海拔区域以响应气候变化。而本项目的开展不仅初步掌握了罗霄山脉翼手目物种多样性本底状况, 也为开展后续的翼手目研究和保护管理提供了参考。     

澳门蝶类物种多样性及其区系研究

2013年6月至2014年5月对澳门的蝶类群落进行了系统研究,共获得蝶类标本876号,隶属于9科50属65种。灰蝶科的种类数(16种)和个体数(234头)均为最多,为优势类群,酢浆灰蝶为优势种。蛱蝶科的种级多样性指数最高,凤蝶科次之。分析了澳门各个区域蝶类的多样性指数、物种丰富度、均匀度指数、优势度指数和优势集中性指数,结果表明生境条件的变化对蝶类多样性产生了明显的影响,人类活动对环境和森林植被的干扰越大,蝶类多样性指数就越低。路环岛的城市化发展程度最低,植被覆盖率最高,最适合蝶类生存和繁衍,因此具有最高的多样性指数、物种丰富度、均匀度指数、物种数和个体数以及最低的优势度指数和优势集中性指数;澳门半岛和氹仔岛的城市化发展程度较高,生境质量相对较差,蝶类的多样性指数、物种丰富度和均匀度指数较低,而优势度指数和优势集中性指数较高。蝶类的多样性特征可以作为城市生境质量和环境变化的指示物。澳门的蝶类区系只有东洋种(50种)和广布种(15种),所占的比例分别为76.92%和23.08%,可见澳门蝶类东洋种占有绝对的优势。