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Rockiness determines meso-scale conservation of butterflies in Afro-montane grassland

Rockiness determines meso-scale conservation of butterflies in Afro-montane grassland Understanding how and why certain species respond to various habitat resources can optimize conservation strategies. Furthermore, behaviour can contribute significantly to predicting the presence or absence of a species under certain habitat conditions. There is a measurable interaction between higher percentage rock exposure in a landscape and butterfly species richness and composition in montane grasslands. Here, we attempt to explain this interaction by measuring the behavioural responses of montane butterfly species to rock cover. The butterfly assemblage was observed across three increasing levels of rockiness in the landscape. At sites within each of these rockiness categories, we also sampled the different behavioural traits of the different species. We determined whether there were significant differences in behavioural traits among this assemblage in response to rockiness. We also identified the specific species which were responsible for driving differential behavioural responses under varying rock exposure in a landscape. The rockiest areas had significantly more behavioural events, and these behaviours were more often associated with direct utilization of rocks, and related to agonistic interaction. Certain butterfly species therefore use rocks as a utility habitat resource, in different ways, highlighting the importance of the resource-based habitat concept for conservation. As such, for butterfly conservation in these montane grasslands, emphasis is placed on including a rocky gradient in protected areas and conservation landscape designs. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Journal of Insect Conservation Springer Journals

Rockiness determines meso-scale conservation of butterflies in Afro-montane grassland

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References (51)

Publisher
Springer Journals
Copyright
Copyright © 2014 by Springer International Publishing Switzerland
Subject
Life Sciences; Entomology; Conservation Biology/Ecology; Biodiversity; Animal Ecology; Life Sciences, general
ISSN
1366-638X
eISSN
1572-9753
DOI
10.1007/s10841-014-9616-x
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

Understanding how and why certain species respond to various habitat resources can optimize conservation strategies. Furthermore, behaviour can contribute significantly to predicting the presence or absence of a species under certain habitat conditions. There is a measurable interaction between higher percentage rock exposure in a landscape and butterfly species richness and composition in montane grasslands. Here, we attempt to explain this interaction by measuring the behavioural responses of montane butterfly species to rock cover. The butterfly assemblage was observed across three increasing levels of rockiness in the landscape. At sites within each of these rockiness categories, we also sampled the different behavioural traits of the different species. We determined whether there were significant differences in behavioural traits among this assemblage in response to rockiness. We also identified the specific species which were responsible for driving differential behavioural responses under varying rock exposure in a landscape. The rockiest areas had significantly more behavioural events, and these behaviours were more often associated with direct utilization of rocks, and related to agonistic interaction. Certain butterfly species therefore use rocks as a utility habitat resource, in different ways, highlighting the importance of the resource-based habitat concept for conservation. As such, for butterfly conservation in these montane grasslands, emphasis is placed on including a rocky gradient in protected areas and conservation landscape designs.

Journal

Journal of Insect Conservation – Springer Journals

Published: Feb 9, 2014

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