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Abstract
Fragmentation is the third cause of the biodiversity declination. Population genetic studies using Lepidoptera as the model species in the context of loss of habitat are scarce, particularly for tropical areas. We chose a widespread butterfly from Mexico as the model species to explore how changes of habitat characteristics (undisturbed forest, anthropogenic disturbances, and coastal areas), and climatic conditions affect genetic diversity and population structure. The Nymphalidae Eunica tatila is a common species in the Yucatan Peninsula considered to be a bio-indicator of undisturbed tropical forest, with migratory potential and a possible sex-biased dispersal. We genotyped 323 individuals collected in eight undisturbed areas, using four Inter Simple Sequence Repeats primers. Results show a high genetic diversity and no population structure. Temperature and shrub density present a positive and significant relationship with polymorphism values. Furthermore, our results show the positive effect of surrounding forest habitat on genetic diversity, confirming that E. tatila is a bio-indicator of undisturbed tropical forest. We found evidence of sex-biased dispersal. This paper represents one of the few studies on population genetics of tropical butterfly in a fragmented landscape and is, therefore, an important step in understanding the impact of habitat fragmentation on the risk of a butterflies’ decline.
Highlights
The impact of habitat fragmentation on biology and biodiversity is one of the most important issues of this century
Our results reveal that at a wide geographical scale, the E. tatila butterfly does not present genetic differentiation among localities, suggesting a metapopulation structure in the Yucatan
Leidner and Haddad (2010) [17] show that urban zones are not an obstacle to the dispersal of the endemic crystal skipper butterfly (A. quinteri). They argue that urbanization does not present a high degree of inhospitableness for this species of butterfly, as it can provide some food sources for adults, in addition to protection from predators and bad weather
Summary
The impact of habitat fragmentation on biology and biodiversity is one of the most important issues of this century. Fragmentation may be caused by natural processes (e.g., fire and wind, etc.) or human activities (e.g., agriculture and urbanization, etc.) [1], and often results in a reduction in population size, decreasing genetic diversity and connectivity [2]. Connectivity in a fragmented habitat can Diversity 2018, 10, 79; doi:10.3390/d10030079 www.mdpi.com/journal/diversity. Short lifecycles and variability for their resilience capacities make insects good bio-indicators [5]. Many studies have demonstrated the advantages of Lepidoptera as bio-indicators in tropical [6,7,8,9]
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