Additive partitioning of butterfly diversity in a fragmented landscape: importance of scale and implications for conservation

Author(s)

Ribeiro, Danilo Bandini ^[1] ; Prado, Paulo I. ^[2] ; Brown, Jr., Keith S. ^[3] ; Freitas, Andre V. L. ^[3]

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Estadual Campinas, Programa Posgrad Ecol, BR-05508900 Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[2] Univ Nacl Estadual Sao Paulo, Dept Ecol, Inst Biociencias, BR-05508900 Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[3] Univ Estadual Campinas, Dept Zool, Inst Biol, BR-13083970 Campinas, SP - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: DIVERSITY AND DISTRIBUTIONS; v. 14, n. 6, p. 961-968, NOV 2008.
• Web of Science Citations: 51

Abstract

Aim Most of the Atlantic Forest in Brazil occurs in fragments of various sizes. Previous studies indicate that forest fragmentation affects fruit-feeding butterflies. Conservation strategies that seek to preserve organisms that are distributed in high-fragmented biomes need to understand the spatial distribution of these organisms across the landscape. In view of the importance of understanding the fauna of these forest remnants, the objective of the present work is to investigate the extent to which the diversity of this group varies across spatial scales ranging from within-forest patches to between landscapes. Location South America, south-eastern Brazil, Sao Paulo State. Methods We used bait traps to sample fruit feeding butterflies at 50 points in 10 fragments in two different landscapes during a period of 12 months. Total species richness and Shannon index were partitioned additively in diversity at trap level, and beta diversity was calculated among traps, among forest patches, and between landscapes. We used permutation tests to compare these values to the expected ones under the null hypothesis that beta diversity is only a random sampling effect. Results There was significant beta diversity at the smallest scale examined; however, the significance at higher scales depends on the diversity measurement used. Beta diversity with Shannon index was smaller than expected by chance among fragments, whereas species richness was not. Among landscapes, only beta diversity in richness was higher than expected by chance. Main conclusions The results observed occur because there is great variability in species composition among forest patches in the same landscape, changing this diversity even though the communities are formed from the same pool of species. At the largest scale evaluated (between landscapes), these pattern changes and differences in beta diversity in richness were detectable. This difference is probably caused by the presence of rare species. Thus, a conservation strategy that seeks to preserve as many species as possible per unit of area in high-fragmented biomes should give priority to protecting fragments in different landscapes, rather than more fragments in the same landscape. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 03/11697-0 - Effects of anthropic activity and forest fragmentation on the lepidoptera guild
• Grantee: Danilo Bandini Ribeiro
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• FAPESP's process: 98/05101-8 - Lepidoptera of the State of São Paulo: diversity, distribution, resources, and use for analysis and environmental monitoring
• Grantee: Keith Spalding Brown Junior
• Support Opportunities: BIOTA-FAPESP Program - Thematic Grants
• FAPESP's process: 02/08558-6 - Biodiversity and social processes in São Luiz do Paraitinga, São Paulo
• Grantee: Paulo Inácio de Knegt López de Prado
• Support Opportunities: BIOTA-FAPESP Program - Regular Research Grants
• FAPESP's process: 00/01484-1 - Butterfilies as environmental indicators: monitoring with Nymphalidae (Eurytelinae and Satyrinae)
• Grantee: André Victor Lucci Freitas
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral