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Adult western jewel butterflies Hypochrysops halyaetus Hewitson were studied in the Koondoola Regional Bushland Reserve on the northern outskirts of the Perth metropolitan area, Australia, in 1999. The butterfly is myrmecophilous, and the southern (Perth) form is considered to be ‘Vulnerable’. Butterfly dispersal, distribution, population size and habitat preferences were estimated using mark-recapture techniques. Butterflies were capable of moving large distances, and were widespread within the reserve but with a low density; however, one small physical area (80 × 20 m) contained a colony with large numbers of individuals. This colony, and an adjacent area of bush, was subject to a detailed microdistribution study: 1158 butterflies were marked within it over a 25-day period. The small size of the microdistribution study area compromised statistical independence assumptions: spatial autocorrelation was tested for and corrected, where appropriate, using a Markov-chain Monte-Carlo approach. Sex differences were evident in spatial autocorrelation: female data were not spatially autocorrelated, whilst male data was. The latter probably reflects the impact of the perching mode of mate location employed by males. Butterflies appeared to prefer rather degraded bush typical of a post fire/disturbance regime with high densities of the host plant Jacksonia sternbergiana. Males were positively correlated with the proportion of bare ground, again probably relating to preferred perching sites for mate location. Females were negatively correlated with Conospremum stoechadis probably indicating dense ground cover in degraded areas and Xanthorrhoea preissii probably an indicator at the site of more mature vegetation. Reserve management to improve vegetation quality may threaten the persistence of the butterfly within the reserve, whilst controlled burning to create even quite small new areas of habitat in an urban situation may be difficult to achieve. The creation of suitable habitat may be possible using mechanical means, provided the action of fire is not an essential component of habitat creation. As the western jewel appears to prefer degraded vegetation, it is possible that there may be opportunities for this species’ expansion within the urban environment provided that its mutualistic ant partner is also present.  相似文献   

3.
In recent years, predictive habitat distribution models, derived by combining multivariate statistical analyses with Geographic Information System (GIS) technology, have been recognised for their utility in conservation planning. The size and spatial arrangement of suitable habitat can influence the long-term persistence of some faunal species. In southwestern Victoria, Australia, populations of the rare swamp antechinus (Antechinus minimus maritimus) are threatened by further fragmentation of suitable habitat. In the current study, a spatially explicit habitat suitability model was developed for A. minimus that incorporated a measure of vegetation structure. Models were generated using logistic regression with species presence or absence as the dependent variable and landscape variables, extracted from both GIS data layers and multi-spectral digital imagery, as the predictors. The most parsimonious model, based on the Akaike Information Criterion, was spatially extrapolated in the GIS. Probability of species presence was used as an index of habitat suitability. A negative association between A. minimus presence and both elevation and habitat complexity was evidenced, suggesting a preference for relatively low altitudes and a vegetation structure of low vertical complexity. The predictive performance of the selected model was shown to be high (91%), indicating a good fit of the model to the data. The proportion of the study area predicted as suitable habitat for A. minimus (Probability of occurrence ?0.5) was 11.7%. Habitat suitability maps not only provide baseline information about the spatial arrangement of potentially suitable habitat for a species, but they also help to refine the search for other populations, making them an important conservation tool.  相似文献   

4.
Despite the loss of 83% of native forests in the Philippines, little is known on the effects of this massive habitat loss and degradation on its forest biotas. This is a cause for concern because of the threat posed to the country’s large number of endemic taxa. To investigate the impacts of anthropogenic disturbance, forest birds and butterflies were surveyed in closed and open canopy forests, as well as suburban, rural and urban areas within the Subic Bay Watershed Reserve and Olongapo City in western Luzon. Measures of forest species richness and population densities for both taxa were similar in the two forest types, but showed different patterns in the other habitats. Indirect gradient analysis showed that forest bird species were positively correlated with vegetation variables (i.e., canopy cover, tree density, height to inversion and ground cover), while forest butterflies were not strongly correlated to any of the measured habitat variables. Community composition of birds in forests was distinct from those in modified habitats, while butterfly communities were more similar. A simulation showed that canopy cover of 60% or higher was required by 24 of the 26 bird species that were sensitive to canopy loss. Endemicity and nesting strata were the significant predictors of vulnerability to habitat disturbance for birds, while endemicity and larval hostplant specificity were significant for butterflies. Both taxa were negatively affected by anthropogenic disturbance but may respond to different components in the habitat (i.e., structure and resources), and thus cannot be used as surrogates of each other. Conservation of forests with contiguous canopy cover should be prioritized, and more ecological research is needed to improve the knowledge on the effects of disturbance on Philippine biodiversity.  相似文献   

5.
The unambiguous recognition of a species’ habitat is a matter of debate. For terrestrial species, habitat is often defined as physical patches of a certain vegetation type in a matrix of non-habitat. Ecological resources that make up the habitat of a species may, however, only cover subsets of vegetation types or can be spatially dispersed in a complex way over different vegetation types. Here we present and test a procedure to recognize and delineate habitat according to a resource-based approach instead of a vegetation-based approach. We used the green hairstreak butterfly (Callophrys rubi) in a heathland landscape as a study case. Our resource-based habitat approach selects those zones that comprise essential resources and conditions within an appropriate spatial window. Variables that were retained in a logistic regression model were used to calculate larval, adult and combined habitat indices in a GIS, taking into account thermal constraints on resource-use, as this is a key habitat aspect for this heliothermous insect. To group different (and sometimes scattered) ecological resources into functional habitat zones, we derived a measure of space-use from mark-release-recapture data. By least-cost modelling this spatial window was adapted to the nature of the vegetation between sets of resources. The habitat zones that were delineated using this approach matched the observed distribution of butterflies significantly better than did a classic approach based on vegetation types with host plants only. Our approach provides concrete output for conservation purposes, like recognizing zones with the highest potential for habitat restoration.  相似文献   

6.
The red-listed butterfly Lopinga achine was studied by mark-recapture methods in southern Sweden for three seasons. We examined movement within and between populations and egg production in relation to age. The majority of the movements were small with mean movements between recaptures of 45-54 m for males and 94-116 m for females. There were few movements between sites, 20 of 996 recaptured males moved and 36 of 391 recaptured females, even though the distance to other sites was in many cases <100 m. The distance moved and the number of females moving between sites increased with increasing age. On average, a female that moves does so after laying two-thirds of its eggs in its natal site. It is therefore important to take account of the proportion of reproductive effort involved in dispersal when estimating colonisation ability. The males did not move more with increasing age. Female behaviour can be seen as a “spread-the-risk” strategy, an adaptation to the successional habitat of L. achine, whose natal site sooner or later will deteriorate. Butterflies like L. achine living in successional habitats may exhibit mobility that is intermediate between butterflies living in ephemeral habitats (very mobile) and in long-lived habitats (sedentary).  相似文献   

7.
Determination of which aspects of habitat quality and habitat spatial arrangement best account for variation in a species’ distribution can guide management for organisms such as the Karner blue butterfly (Lycaeides melissa samuelis), a federally endangered subspecies inhabiting savannas of Midwest and Eastern United States. We examined the extent to which three sets of predictors, (1) larval host plant (Lupinus perennis, wild lupine) availability, (2) characteristics of the matrix surrounding host plant patches, and (3) factors affecting a patch’s thermal environment, accounted for variation in lupine patch use by Karner blues at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, Indiana and Fort McCoy, Wisconsin, USA. Each predictor set accounted for 7-13% of variation in patch occupancy by Karner blues at both sites and in larval feeding activity among patches at Indiana Dunes. Patch area, an indicator of host plant availability, was an exception, accounting for 30% of variation in patch occupancy at Indiana Dunes. Spatially structured patterns of patch use across the landscape accounted for 9-16% of variation in patch use and explained more variation in larval feeding activity than did spatial autocorrelation between neighboring patches. Because of this broader spatial trend across sites, a given management action may be more effective in promoting patch use in some portions of the landscape than in others. Spatial trend, resource availability, matrix quality, and microclimate, in general, accounted for similar amounts of variation in patch use and each should be incorporated into habitat management planning for the Karner blue butterfly.  相似文献   

8.
We report the first population ecology study of the endangered Chinese grouse (Bonasa sewerzowi). The study population was stable during 1995-2000. Annual rates of survival were 0.64 for adults and only 0.17 for chicks to 13 weeks of age. Reproductive parameters were 6.1 eggs/clutch, 63% nest success, and overall 3.6 chicks hatched/female/year. The spring sex ratio was 64% males, with 44% of the males unmated in spring. Local people found an estimated 10-29% of the nests and took the eggs for food. Only about 9% of the reserve containing the study area is mature mixed forest, the preferred habitat. Inadequate brood habitat may have influenced chick survival and the skewed adult sex ratio may be a result of habitat fragmentation. We recommend protecting the remaining mixed forest, creating more brood habitat, and stopping the taking of eggs.  相似文献   

9.
We studied the impact of the invasive plant species Solidago canadensis on the species richness of vascular plants and the abundance, species richness and diversity of butterflies, hoverflies and carabid beetles in herbaceous semi-natural habitats near Ljubljana, Slovenia. The species groups were sampled in sites dominated by S. canadensis and paired nearby sites covered by semi-natural vegetation. Plant species richness and species richness, abundance and diversity of butterfly species were lower in plots dominated by S. canadensis. Hoverfly abundance, diversity and species richness were negatively affected only in July just before the onset of flowering of S. canadensis, but tended to be positively affected in August during the height of flowering of S. canadensis. Only the abundance of carabid beetles was reduced in plots dominated by S. canadensis. The responses of the insect groups seem largely driven by the effects of Solidago on the availability of essential resources like food or larval host plants. Our results suggest that insect species that are closely related to plant species composition are more vulnerable to the effects of invasive plant species than those that are loosely or only indirectly related to plant species composition.  相似文献   

10.
To organize and prioritise species-specific conservation efforts, we delineate `functional conservation units' for the threatened Alcon Blue butterfly Maculinea alcon in Belgium. We used detailed distribution data on the butterfly, its host plant and its habitat, present-day population sizes and its mobility and colonization capacity to determine functional conservation units (FCUs) on different spatial scales: FCU-1, i.e., the 12 presently occupied habitat patches plus the area within a range of 500 m surrounding them (the maximum local movement distance, based on mark-release-recapture data), FCU-2, i.e., the areas within a range of 2 km around the occupied habitat patches (the maximum observed colonization capacity) and FCU-3, i.e., potential re-introduction sites (sites where M. alcon went extinct recently). We suggest different management and planning measures for each type of functional conservation unit and discuss translocation and re-introduction as `intensive care' conservation measures for this threatened and sedentary species.  相似文献   

11.
The maintenance of wild populations of Greater Rhea (Rhea americana) through effective management requires an understanding of their habitat requirements in terms of vegetation composition and field configuration. We studied the relative influence of some anthropogenic variables (presence of route, house and fences) and resource variables (presence of water source, composition and coverage of plant species, vegetation height and bare soil), on the habitat use by a population of rheas in a cattle ranch of Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. Habitat use was determined indirectly by documenting the number of faeces in summer, autumn-winter and spring 1999. The presence or absence of faeces was related to the measured variables through discriminant analysis that allowed the elaboration of predictive models of habitat use by this species. Contrary to what was expected, those variables related to human activity showed a low predictive value on the habitat use by rheas when compared with resource variables. Rheas preferentially selected the stream area in all seasons and sites with great percent cover of Bupleurum sp., Phyla canescens, Sida leprosa, Plantago lanceolata, Trifolium repens, Lolium multiflorum, Stipa spp., and Stenotaphrum secundatum. Low vegetation height was another important component of rhea's habitat in summer and autumn-winter. The high accuracy level obtained by validation tests of this model supports its utility for the management of rhea populations in other cattle ranches of the region, and to analyze the suitability of other ranches for reintroduction programs.  相似文献   

12.
The conservation and management of biodiversity requires accurate, repeatable and cost-effective monitoring techniques. In this study, a simple and rapid methodology was employed to measure the quality of different habitats for butterfly species on 10 arable farms in lowland Britain. This habitat monitoring was seven times more rapid than the traditional species-based butterfly monitoring. Data on butterfly abundance were combined with the information gathered on habitat quality at five of the farms using stepwise regression. These models had a consistently high degree of explanatory power for the summary variables of total butterfly abundance and species richness, and the functional groupings of mobile and immobile species. There was good agreement between observed and predicted estimates of species richness and abundance when the models were validated on a further five independent sites. Models to predict the abundance of 11 common butterfly species were also produced. These varied considerably in their predictive power and validity between species. The results clearly demonstrated the beneficial effects of targeted habitat creation for butterflies which is promoted under the Agri-environment Schemes, especially the recently introduced pollen and nectar seed mixtures (WM2) available under the Countryside Stewardship Scheme. The models confirmed the importance of shelter, floristically diverse field margins and the availability of nectar resources from legume species in explaining the abundance of immobile butterfly species in arable landscapes. These sources of nectar and the presence of larval host plants in the crucifer family were important factors in explaining the abundance of mobile species. The results are discussed in terms of the potential of this approach for: (i) assessing habitat quality for butterflies in intensively managed landscapes; (ii) enhancing the value of butterfly monitoring schemes in explaining changes in butterfly abundance at the site and national scale; and (iii) informing habitat management and restoration guidelines for butterfly conservation on arable farmland.  相似文献   

13.
We report on a long-term study of the flower preferences of feeding adult butterflies undertaken in the Wyre Forest, UK. Examination of 5638 observations of nectar-feeding clearly demonstrates several findings: (i) that butterflies differ in their range of flower use, some are generalists and others specialists, respectively, exploiting more or less sources than expected; (ii) certain flower species are preferred over others. We find that (iii) generalism and specialism in flower use corresponds to generalism and specialism, respectively, in larval host range and biotope occupancy; that (iv) generalism in flower use is accounted for by life history and resource variables that increase opportunity for contact with a wider variety of flowering herbs; that (v) specialist flower users are more typically woodland butterflies and generalist flower users species of more open biotopes. A key finding is that (vi) many specialist flower users are butterfly species of conservation concern listed in Biodiversity Action Plans. We suggest that management of woodland sites for butterfly conservation should give as much consideration to nectar sources as to host plant sources.  相似文献   

14.
In the UK, Euphydryas aurinia exists in fragmented habitat patches, and undergoes population fluctuations as a result of a larval parasitoid. Its range is declining in the UK and conservation is thought to require a landscape approach since populations spread over large areas in some years and contract to core breeding patches in others. We examined populations at a range of geographic scales using allozyme electrophoresis to look for evidence of gene flow and differences in genetic diversity among populations. Nationally, our FST value was 0.1542 but between population groups within the suspected colonisation range of the butterfly (ca. 20 km), FST values were not significantly different from zero. Genetic diversity in terms of number of alleles and heterozygosity was reasonably high in natural populations (He=0.267) but low in an introduced, isolated population. We infer that migration between closely spaced subpopulations (in a metapopulation) maintains a high genetic effective population size (large number of individuals in a population that contribute genes to the next generation) which offsets any local reductions in population numbers due to stochastic extinctions or parasitoid effects. We therefore conclude that effective conservation of the species must seek to provide networks of suitable habitat for groups of subpopulations, rather than maintaining habitat for isolated populations.  相似文献   

15.
Decreasing habitat fragment area and increasing isolation may cause loss of plant population genetic diversity and increased genetic differentiation between populations. We studied the relation between the historical and the present landscape configuration (i.e., patch area and patch connectivity), and the present management of calcareous grassland fragments on the one hand, and the within and between population genetic structure of 18 Anthyllis vulneraria populations on the other hand. Despite the long-time fragmentation history and the mainly selfing breeding system of the species, we detected very low genetic differentiation (Φst = 0.056) among habitat fragments and no significant isolation-by-distance relation. Average within fragment genetic diversity measured as molecular variance and expected heterozygosity, were relatively high (16.46 and 0.28, respectively), and weakly positively correlated with the current fragment area, most likely because larger fragments contained larger populations. We found no effects of the historical landscape configuration on the genetic diversity of the populations. Our data suggest that the consequences of habitat fragmentation for genetic differentiation and genetic diversity of A. vulneraria are relatively minor which is very likely due to the historical high levels of seed exchange among fragments through grazing and roaming livestock. This study provides indirect evidence that nature management by grazing not only positively affects habitat quality but that it might also mitigate the genetic consequences of habitat fragmentation. From the conservation point of view, this study illustrates the importance of grazing and of the regular transport of livestock between fragments to prevent the long-term effects of fragmentation on the genetic diversity of the populations studied.  相似文献   

16.
The Florida panther (Puma concolor coryi) is an endangered, wide-ranging predator whose habitat needs conflict with a rapidly growing human population. Our goal was to identify specific regions of the south Florida landscape that are of high conservation value to support a self-sustaining panther population. We used compositional and Euclidean distance analyses to determine relative importance of various land cover types as panther habitat and to investigate the role of forest patch size in habitat selection. A model of landscape components important to Florida panther habitat conservation was created. The model was used in combination with radio telemetry records, home range overlaps, land use/land cover data, and satellite imagery to delineate Primary and Secondary zones that would comprise a landscape mosaic of cover types sufficient to support a self-sustaining population. The Primary Zone generally supports the present population and is of highest conservation value, while the Secondary Zone is of lesser value but could accommodate expansion of the population given sufficient habitat restoration. Least-cost path models identified important landscape linkages, and model results were used to delineate a Dispersal Zone to accommodate future panther dispersal outside of south Florida. We determined that the three habitat zones could support 80-94 panthers, a population likely to persist and remain stable for 100 years, but that would be subject to continued genetic problems. The Primary, Dispersal and Secondary zones comprise essential components of a landscape-scale conservation plan for the protection of a viable Florida panther population in south Florida. Assessments of potential impacts of developments should strive to achieve no net loss of landscape function or carrying capacity for panthers within the Primary Zone or throughout the present range of the Florida panther.  相似文献   

17.
The Dutch race of the large copper butterfly (Lycaena dispar Haw.), was introduced to Woodwalton Fen in 1927 and with careful management survived until 1969, following an exceptional July flood in 1968 which submerged the food plants, greatly reducing oviposition. This paper records the re-establishment of the butterfly in 1970 from caged stock and the population growth in the following three years in relation to weather conditions and fen management. It is suggested that the insect is not perfectly adapted to a fen environment because it has specialised requirements in terms of size and situation of the food plant. It is at risk from drowning if floods occur before or after the hibernation period and slight changes in the growth form of fen plants, which may overshade the food plant, can influence egg production. Experimental work suggests that when the fen vegetation is modified by cattle-grazing during June and July egg production increases because the food plants are made more accessible to the female butterflies. The heaviest mortality occurs in the period from oviposition to the beginning of hibernation but there is no known management technique which will reduce this. However, after emergence in the spring, protection in muslin cages significantly increases the survival rate. It is estimated that only about 30 ha of the Fen can be maintained in a suitable condition for the butterfly to breed successfully. It seems likely that this is too small an area for the insect to maintain itself without artificial aid such as protection for some of the larvae, creation of germination conditions for the food plant, continuance of a controlled grazing regime and the maintenance of a reserve stock in case re-introduction becomes necessary.  相似文献   

18.
In this paper, habitat models were used to predict potential habitat for endangered species, which is an important question in landscape and conservation planning. Based on logistic regression, we developed habitat distribution models for the burnet moth Zygaena carniolica and the nymphalid butterfly Coenonympha arcania in Northern Bavaria, Germany. The relation between adult occurrence and habitat parameters, including the influence of landscape context, was analyzed on 118 sites. Habitat connectivity analyses were carried out on the basis of (1) habitat suitability maps generated from these models and (2) dispersal data from mark recapture studies. Our results showed that (1) the presence of the burnet depended mainly on the presence of nectar plants and of nutrient-poor dry grasslands in direct vicinity, that of the nymphalid on larger areas of extensively used dry grasslands within 100 m vicinity in combination with small patches of higher shrubs and bushes. (2) Internal as well as external validation indicated the robustness and general applicability of the models. Transferability in time and space indicated their high potential relevance for applications in nature conservation, such as predicting possible effects of land use changes. (3) Habitat connectivity analyses revealed a high degree of habitat connectivity within the study area. Thus, we could show no effects of isolation or habitat size for both species.  相似文献   

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A key to conserving organisms is identification of the habitat bounds and essential resources within them. In population studies (metapopulations) of phytophagous arthropods it is tacitly assumed that habitat bounds portray short-term stability and that habitat is largely synonymous with hostplant areas or with a single vegetation unit comprising hostplants; structural components are usually ignored. We test these assumptions by monitoring the behaviour and relative abundance of Plebejus argus (L.) (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) in relation to changing weather conditions in two patches of a North Wales metapopulation for the butterfly. Our findings confirm the importance of structural habitat components. P. argus density is higher in the vicinity of shrubs which are used for roosting, resting, basking, mate location and shelter. A dominant proportion of the population adopts shrub areas in cooler, cloudy and windy weather. In warmer, sunnier and calmer conditions, the butterfly spends longer in flight and moves out onto calcareous heath dominated by hostplants. In doing so, an increasing, even dominant, proportion of the population occupies exposed slopes adjacent to and above shrub covered areas associated with the hostplant. In effect, the habitat bounds appear to change with conditions on scales of days and hours. What part of a landscape may be defined as a habitat, and what part of it may appear to be most important for an organism, depends on just when and where surveys are carried out. We argue that for correct delineation of habitats attention needs to be given to resource use in different conditions. In the face of enhanced global warming, a broad view should be taken of arthropod habitats that considers the resources required for varying conditions.  相似文献   

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