Farming system and soil management affect butterfly diversity in sloping olive groves

Abstract

Abstract Olive groves on steep slopes with a low yield account for 29.6% of the total olive growing area in Andalusia, Spain. This type of olive grove is at high risk of abandonment. Thus, apart from their productive function, we should also take into consideration the ecosystem services that they provide. The diversity of Lepidoptera Rhopalocera was studied in sloping olive groves under conventional, organic, and abandoned farming systems. Line‐transect methods were used to survey butterflies in different olive grove treatments, which were defined by a combination of farming systems and soil management systems. The greatest diversity of Lepidoptera Rhopalocera was observed in organic and abandoned olive groves with cover crops. Mechanical soil tillage was found to have a negative effect in conventional and organic tillage treatments. From this viewpoint, although abandonment has economic repercussions, it does not lead to a loss of biodiversity. The environmental variables with the greatest influence are landscape complexity and the presence of areas of shrubland. The species Pyronia bathseba appears to be strongly associated with long‐abandoned olive groves. The results of this study confirm that the presence of sloping olive groves with cover crops and long‐abandoned groves set in heterogeneous landscapes and with areas of shrubland nearby, help to explain the distribution of Lepidoptera Rhopalocera communities, as well as fostering their richness and abundance.