Multi-scale analysis of butterfly diversity in a Mediterranean mountain landscape: mapping and evaluation of community vulnerability |
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Authors: | Stefano Scalercio Roberto Pizzolotto Pietro Brandmayr |
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Institution: | (1) Department of Ecology, University of Calabria, Arcavacata di Rende, I-87036 Cosenza, Italy |
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Abstract: | This paper is an attempt to outline a protocol for animal diversity census and evaluation aimed for areas in view of landscape
planning of territories of hundred square kilometres and more, that may work utilising different faunal groups and be anyway
useful at various scales. Many papers are addressed to elaborate tools for landscape planning starting from biodiversity evaluation
and butterflies are often utilised because of their sensitivity to landscape modifications. In this work, the biodiversity
evaluation has been performed using three hierarchically linked landscape units at micro-, meso- and macroscale. Being species
diversity values often inadequate to define the conservation interest of a landscape portion, more importance has been given
to which species compose the species assemblages. A community vulnerability Index was coded and used for evaluating potential
consequences of human disturbance on butterfly assemblages. Forty-four year samples were gained by visual census in the Sila
Greca, Southern Italy, on an area of approximately 520 square kilometres. During 5 years work, 2,535 specimens and 94 species
were recorded, equal to 75.8% of the whole Calabrian fauna. Four vulnerability levels have been established and used for mapping
butterfly assemblage vulnerability in the area, starting from a vegetation map. Species richness was found somewhat contradictory
at micro-scale, where the community vulnerability Index gives a sounder approach. S diversity gives a more reliable picture of naturalness at meso-scale, a level we identified with the “ecotope”. At this more
“geomorphic” scale level, biological functions reflected by butterfly assemblages revealed to be clearly linked to seral processes.
Similarity analysis results show that the ecotope species richness, here called “eta-diversity”, could be an useful measure
of zoological landscape (faunation) potentialities. |
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Keywords: | Butterflies Diversity Species assemblages Vulnerability Landscape scale Ecotope Eta-diversity Landscape planning |
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