A comparison of the diversity and structure of butterfly communities in semi-natural and human-modified grassland habitats at the foot of Mt. Fuji, central Japan

Butterflies are important components of biodiversity in grassland ecosystems and provide ecosystem services such as pollination. Although agricultural intensification has led to a scarcity of native grassland habitats within most agricultural landscapes of North America, fragmented remnants and semi-natural habitats may support diverse communities, including butterflies, as long as vital resources such as host plants are available. The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Conservation Reserve Program practice CP33 Habitat Buffers for Upland Birds (USDA 2004) provides semi-natural grassland habitat in agricultural landscapes, but a knowledge gap exists about impacts of prescribed disturbance (e.g. burning or disking) on butterflies. We monitored butterfly habitat and butterfly communities on experimentally manipulated CP33 grassland buffers in Clay County, Mississippi from 2007 to 2009. Disturbance guild butterfly species richness did not differ among treatments. However, disturbance guild abundance was positively affected by disking in both the first and second growing seasons following disking, and the magnitude of this response varied between years. Effects of burning on disturbance guild abundance did not differ from the control treatment. There were no treatment differences for grassland guild butterfly abundance and species richness suggesting that periodic disturbance does not unduly impact grassland-associated butterflies in the southeastern US. Our results support current USDA practice standards that require periodic disturbance during the 10-year contract, but restrict the disturbance to 1/3 or 1/4 of grassland buffer area in a given year.

Forage nutritive value shows synergies with plant diversity in a wide range of semi-natural grassland habitats

BackgroundMany species inhabiting Kihansi gorge ecosystem in Southern Udzungwa Mountains, Tanzania are threatened with extinction due to habitat loss caused by constructed hydropower plant that diverted over 90% the water off the Kihansi River. Understanding ecological correlates and structure of an animal community in perturbed ecosystems is an important way to enhancing species conservation particularly in this system, where several species are already threatened with extinction. This study assessed influences of local habitat characteristics on the butterfly abundance, species richness and diversity and examined how the butterfly community structures across three structurally heterogeneous habitats in the Kihansi gorge forest. Butterfly abundance data were collected using baited traps and measured environmental variables in the field, where trapping occurred. To understand the diversity and butterfly richness, these parameters were computed under Primer software. Non-metric multidimensional scaling and analysis of community similarity were used to analyse the butterfly community structure. Furthermore, the generalized linear models (GLM) were used to assess how the measured variables explained observed species diversity, abundance, and richness.ResultsIn total, 72 species of butterfly in five families were recorded. Butterfly species diversity and richness did not vary across the habitat types or elevation gradient but showed strong correlation with some habitat characteristics. In addition, there was evidence of butterfly communities structuring into distinct groups that showed greater separation associated with the habitat characteristics they utilise. Furthermore, across the study area, butterfly species diversity increased significantly in high canopy and in trees with smaller DBH and at lower ground cover. Similarly, abundance significantly increased in the woodland and wooded grassland habitats, where there was high canopy and where tree density was high. Furthermore, butterfly species richness was strongly positively associated with high canopy cover and mostly increased in sites closer to water source.ConclusionFirst, this study shows strong positive correlation between the habitat characteristics and butterfly species and community structure, suggesting strongly that maintaining habitat quality should be a priority in conserving the butterfly communities in Kihansi. Second, conservation of environmental disturbance indicator butterfly taxa which are also endemic and rare is worthy of concern under the ongoing human-induced threats in the area. It is appropriate time that the Tanzania government should declare the Kihansi gorge forest among existing protected areas to secure effective conservation of biological diversity in this threatened ecosystem. Third, the ants–butterfly symbionts and their links to the potential lichen depletion are still unclear, and thus future research should explore the trophic cascades of depleting habitat quality on the endemic and rare butterfly species in the Kihansi gorge.

Aim Understanding the response of species to ecotones and habitat edges is essential to designing conservation management, especially in mosaic agricultural landscapes. This study examines how species diversity and composition change with distance from semi-natural habitats, over ecotones into agricultural fields, and how within-site patterns of community transition change across a climatic gradient and differ between crop types. Location A total of 19 sites in Israel where semi-natural habitats border agricultural fields (wheat fields or olive groves) distributed along a sharp climatic gradient ranging between 100 and 800 mm mean annual rainfall. Methods We performed butterfly surveys in 2006. We analysed species richness (α-diversity), diversity, community nestedness and species turnover (β-diversity) within sites and between sites (γ-diversity). We also assessed where species of conservation concern occurred. Results In wheat sites, richness and diversity declined abruptly from ecotones to fields and remained homogenously poor throughout the fields, regardless of climate. In olive sites, despite the sharp structural boundary, richness and diversity remained high from the semi-natural habitat to the grove margins and then declined gradually into groves. Species of conservation concern occurred across all habitats at olive sites, but none were found inside wheat fields or at their ecotones. The contrast in community structure between semi-natural habitats and fields was affected by both climate and field type. Irrigation in arid regions did not augment species diversity. Main conclusions Our results indicate that consideration of crop type, within a climatic context, should receive high priority in biodiversity conservation in agricultural areas. In ‘hostile’ crops, such as wheat, we suggest favouring a combination of high-intensity management and wide margins over less intensive management without margins, which may merely aid generalist butterfly species. The scarcity of butterflies in arid irrigated fields suggests a need to carefully assess the effects of irrigation and agrochemicals on species’ communities.

Urbanization is one of the leading causes of habitat loss, habitat degradation, and fragmentation. Urban development negatively affects biodiversity. We clarified changes in butterfly communities due to urbanization in urban green areas. Intotal, 59 species and 1,465 individuals of butterflies were observed in the four urban green areas -Namsan Park(NS), Ewha Womans University (EW), Bukseoul Dream Forest (BD), and Hongneung Forest (HF) -anda natural forest, Gwangneung Forest (GF). The categories of land use around the study sites were determined based on GIS data. Species richness and density of niche breadth and habitat type in the four urban green areas differed mostly from those in GF. Estimated species richness and species diversity (H')in the four urban green areas were significantly lower than those in GF. Species richness and density of forest interior species and specialist species were positively correlated with paddy, field, and forest, whereas those of forest interior species and specialists were negatively correlated with urban area and road. Species composition and community structure of butterflies in the four urban were differed from those in GF. Theseresults suggest that decreases in paddy, field, and forest associated with the increased urban area and road negatively influenced species composition and changed butterfly communities.

Although species richness has been hypothesized to be highest at 'intermediate' levels of disturbance, empirical studies have demonstrated that the disturbance-diversity relationship can be either negative or positive depending on productivity On the other hand, hypothesized productivity diversity relationships can be positive, negative or unimodal, as confirmed by empirical studies. However, it has remained unclear under what conditions each pattern is realized, and there is little agreement about the mechanisms that generate these diverse patterns. In this study, I present a model that synthesizes these separately developed hypotheses and shows that the interactive effects of disturbance and productivity on the competitive outcome of multispecies dynamics can result in these diverse relationships of species richness to disturbance and productivity The predicted productivity diversity relationship is unimodal but the productivity level that maximizes species richness increases with increasing disturbance. Similarly, the predicted disturbance diversity relationship is unimodal but the peak moves to higher disturbance levels with increasing productivity Further, these patterns are well explained by the opposite effects of productivity and disturbance on competitive outcome that are suggested by the change in community composition along these two environmental gradients: higher productivity favours superior competitors while higher disturbance levels favour inferior competitors.

Abstract. Rohman A, Subchan W, Buana YC. 2025. Butterfly (Lepidoptera) community structure in several habitat types of Tancak Maesan Forest, Bondowoso, East Java, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 26: 651-661. Butterflies are one of the biota in Tancak Maesan Region, Perhutani, Forest Management Unit (FMU) Bondowoso, East Java, Indonesia. The region encompasses several habitat types. Habitat-type variations can influence butterfly diversity and dispersion. Butterfly species may be impacted by habitat loss, modification, degradation, fragmentation, and the escalation of human population and activities. Alterations in species diversity and richness composition directly influence particular regions as producers of ecological services. This study aimed to analyze the composition of the butterfly community in Tancak Maesan Region, Perhutani, FMU Bondowoso. We documented 29 species of butterflies. The safeguarded forest and waterfall ecosystems (28 species) exhibited the highest butterfly species diversity. Protected forest habitats offer critical components for butterfly survival, including ample nectar supplies for adults, host plants for larvae, and stable microclimatic conditions. Symbrenthia lilaea exhibited the most significant population density and importance value (IVI: 11.11). The Nymphalidae family exhibited the most significant species diversity relative to the other families. The safeguarded forest ecosystem exhibited the highest diversity index (H': 3.291). The residential area exhibits the highest bird evenness index (E: 1.19). The agricultural habitat exhibited the highest dominance index (D: 0.072). The abiotic parameters fall within the acceptable tolerance limit. A total of 49 plant species were identified in the vegetation study. Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) of butterflies indicated that the species Tanaecia sp., Appias albina, Miletus sp., Papilio memnon, Eurema blanda, Tanaecia palguna, Udara akasa, and Oriens gola had a positive correlation with light intensity and wind speed in forest and agricultural environments. In conclusion, butterfly communities exhibit a significant relationship with diverse habitats, particularly protected forest areas, serving as ecological indicators of habitat alteration.

There is considerable interest in the fragmentation and loss of natural and semi-natural habitats, but few studies have examined the dynamics and mechanisms of change. A temporal analysis of landscape change on the South Downs in Sussex, UK, provides a clear description of the process of change over the 20 years 1971–1991. Transition probabilities were calculated from digital interpretations of an aerial photography time series of West Sussex. The analysis enabled quantitative comparison of landscape mosaics within different landscape ecoregions and under different management regimes to be made. Past changes in land use have produced a fragmented downland landscape. The key land conversion sequences identified show a substantial transition towards arable production, often at the expense of the internationally and nationally important unimproved grassland systems. A geographical information system facilitated greater understanding of the environmental and topographical characteristics of land converted to arable and other uses, and highlighted areas for protection and potential restoration. The patterns of land-use conversion observed in the study provide a landscape-scale planning tool for assessing the potential impact of agri-environmental policies, plans, and programmes in semi-natural grassland habitats.

The applicability of the species pool hypothesis to community diversity in the Inner Mongolia grassland along a mean annual precipitation gradient

Landscape history improves detection of marginal habitats on semi-natural grasslands

Semi-natural calcareous grasslands are of great conservation interest because of their high species richness, but they are threatened by land abandonment and nitrogen eutrophication. These plant communities evolved as a result of a long history of human activity, which generated and maintained these habitats by extensive grazing and mowing. Calcareous grasslands are listed as a priority for conservation in the EC Habitats Directive. However, the effects of different management regimes, nitrogen enrichment, and soil-borne pathogens on plant species diversity are less clear for grasslands of the Mediterranean Basin, compared to meadows in Northern and Central Europe. In this study, we assessed the impact of land abandonment, nitrogen enrichment, and fairy-ring fungi on species diversity in semi-natural grasslands found in the Mediterranean Basin by comparing the available literature with findings from recent studies carried out in Central Italy. In a series of field experiments, the cutting of abandoned grassland consistently reduced the living biomass of the dominant perennial grasses, such as Brachypodium rupestre and Bromus erectus, and promoted a rapid increase in species richness and diversity by allowing the establishment of rare species. There was a similar, but less effective, restoration of species diversity and composition in mowed grassland after litter removal. We also show that nitrogen enrichment at levels comparable to atmospheric deposition depresses species diversity, which also hampers the positive effects of litter removal. Our findings are consistent with previous results achieved in Northern and Central Europe, which however, mainly focused on grasslands with intermediate to high primary productivity levels. The limited availability of data from low-productivity, drought-prone Mediterranean grasslands requires further studies to assess the impact of land abandonment and nitrogen eutrophication in such ecosystems. Finally, we discuss the role of fairy-ring fungi in the maintenance of plant diversity in species-rich grassland. We show that fairy-ring fungi (e.g. Agaricus campestris) critically affect the spatial distribution and diversity of coexisting plant species. By killing the dominant perennial herbs, these radially growing plant pathogens produce empty niches for rare, short-lived species, thus affecting the vegetation pattern. Overall, our results are of interest for environmental managers, as they provide guidelines for the restoration of abandoned areas and the conservation of these species-rich habitats.

Spatial scale, plant identity and management effects on the diversity-productivity relationship in a semi-natural grassland

Embankments or levees of each paddy lot found in traditional agricultural landscapes have been focused as semi-natural grassland habitats with high species richness. In case of Yatsuda landscapes in hills, although there are several embankments or levee types, secondary forest verges to paddy fields on lowermost hillside-slopes are an important habitat not only for grassland plants but for well-managed forest species. We researched floristic compositions of the verges in the Kitsuregawa Hills, and understood how the differences of upslope forest vegetation and geomorphologic properties affect the species composition. In results, herbaceous vegetation of the verges consisted of several habitat-type plants such as specific species of forests and their margins, wetlands and grasslands. Species composition was drastically different in between valley-head-domain verges and crest-slope-domain ones. We concluded forest verges to paddy fields in hills were strongly influenced by upslope forest vegetation, and furthermore by periodic mowing: these could make species richness high.

(1) Background: Gamasid mites are a large group of arthropods, and some of them are of medical importance. Besides directly biting humans and causing dermatitis, some gamasid mites are the vector of rickettsialpox and potential vector of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS). The Three Parallel Rivers Area of China is one of the hotspots of biodiversity research in the world, with complicated topographic landforms, different types of vegetation, special elevation gradients and high biodiversity. (2) Methods: Species richness (S): the Shannon-Wiener diversity index (H), Simpson dominance index (D) and Pielou evenness index (E) were used to analyze the basic community structure. The β diversity (Cody index) was used to reflect the diversity difference between any two adjacent elevation gradients. The method based on Preston's lognormal model for species abundance distribution was used to estimate the total number of gamasid mite species. (3) Results: A total of 3830 small mammal hosts captured from the nine survey sites were identified as 44 species, 27 genera and nine families in five orders. Apodemus chevrieri, Eothenomys miletus and A. draco were the dominant host species with a total constituent ratio Cr = 52.037%. From the body surface of the hosts, 26,048 gamasid mites were collected and identified as 10 families, 21 genera and 82 species (excluding 847 unidentified specimens) with high species richness (S = 82) and diversity (H = 2.33). The three dominant mite species were Dipolaelaps anourosorecis, Laelaps nuttalli and L. echidninus, with a total Cr = 64.46% (16,791/26,048). There are significant differences in the species composition, species diversity and dominant species of gamasid mites on different hosts. The species diversity of the mite community fluctuated greatly in different elevation gradients. The highest peaks of species richness and β diversity appeared at altitudes of 3000-3500 m (S = 42) and 1500-2000 m (β = 17.5), respectively. The species abundance distribution of the mites was successfully fitted by Preston's lognormal model with S^(R)=19e-[0.22(R-0)]2 (α = 0.22, R2 = 0.9879). Based on fitting the theoretical curve by Preston's model, the total number of gamasid mite species was estimated to be 153 species. (4) Conclusions: Gamasid mites on small mammals are abundant with complex community structures and high species diversity in the Three Parallel Rivers Area of China. There is an apparent community heterogeneity of the mites on different hosts and in different environments.

Simple SummaryIn the era of expanding and enhancing urbanization, the conservation of urban biodiversity has gradually become a research hotspot. As an excellent indicator species reflecting the quality of the ecological environment, butterflies can be used to monitor and improve the quality of habitats. We explored the effects of urbanization on the α-diversity, β-diversity, and functional diversity of butterflies and analyzed the indicative species of different ecological gradients. This examination was aimed at understanding the effects of urbanization on the taxonomic diversity and functional similarity of butterflies and proposing scientific suggestions and strategies to improve the ecological quality of urban environments.Urbanization has been shown to cause biodiversity loss. However, its effects on butterfly taxonomic and functional diversity still need to be studied, especially in urban waterfront green spaces where mechanisms of impact still need to be explored. We used butterflies as indicators to study how urbanization affects their taxonomic and functional diversity and identify indicator species in different urban ecological gradient areas. From July to September 2022, we surveyed 10 urban waterfront green spaces in Fuzhou City, China. We recorded 1163 butterflies of 28 species from 6 families. First, we explored the effects of urbanization on butterfly communities and made pairwise comparisons of different urban ecological gradients (α-diversity); secondly, we looked for differences between butterfly communities across urban ecological gradients (β-diversity); finally, we investigated differences in the response of butterfly functional groups to different urban ecological gradient areas and identified ecological indicative species. This study found the following: (1) Urbanization has led to the simplification of butterfly community structure, but there are also favorable factors that support the survival of individual butterflies; (2) Urbanization has led to significant differences in butterfly communities and plant-feeding polyphagous butterfly groups; (3) Urbanization has led to differences in the functional diversity of butterfly diet and activity space groups; (4) We identified five eco-indicator species in different urban ecological gradients.