Life‐history traits predict species responses to habitat area and isolation: a cross‐continental synthesis

Abstract

There is a lack of quantitative syntheses of fragmentation effects across species and biogeographic regions, especially with respect to species life-history traits. We used data from 24 independent studies of butterflies and moths from a wide range of habitats and landscapes in Europe and North America to test whether traits associated with dispersal capacity, niche breadth and reproductive rate modify the effect of habitat fragmentation on species richness. Overall, species richness increased with habitat patch area and connectivity. Life-history traits improved the explanatory power of the statistical models considerably and modified the butterfly species-area relationship. Species with low mobility, a narrow feeding niche and low reproduction were most strongly affected by habitat loss. This demonstrates the importance of considering life-history traits in fragmentation studies and implies that both species richness and composition change in a predictable manner with habitat loss and fragmentation.

Which intrinsic traits predict vulnerability to extinction depends on the actual threatening processes

“…In agreement with these predictions studies of fish, birds and mammals show that larger species, which generally have long life cycles, are at greater risk of suffering from exploitation (Jennings et al 1999, Owens and Bennett 2000, Isaac and Cowlishaw 2004, Keane et al 2005) and among hunted artiodactyls older weaning ages (slow reproduction) are associated with a higher risk of extinction (Price and Gittleman 2007). Meanwhile more specialized species of beetles, butterflies, birds and primates are particularly affected by habitat fragmentation and degradation (Davies et al 2000, Owens and Bennett 2000, Isaac and Cowlishaw 2004, Ockinger et al 2010, Newbold et al 2013). However, not all previous results support the theoretical predictions.…”

Biodiversity, Species Interactions and Ecological Networks in a Fragmented World

“…Greenleaf et al, 2007;Nieminen, 1996;Ö ckinger et al, 2010;van Nieuwstadt and Ruano Iraheta, 1996;Woodward et al, 2005). Expectations are that (i) highly mobile species are less affected by fragmentation than less mobile species; (ii) specialists require larger fragments to fulfil their demands and are also less likely to use the surrounding matrix than generalists and (iii) r-species are expected to suffer less from fragmentation than K-species, because of their higher reproductive output, which means relatively more emigrants to other fragments.…”

Complex habitat changes along elevational gradients interact with resource requirements of insect specialist herbivores

“…Certainly, for species such as butterflies with monophagous caterpillars and imagines visiting a wider range of flowering plants, and where emigration rates are driven by adult population densities, it is natural to consider areas of discrete habitat as the patch area itself with cover of host plants as a quality parameter (cf. Ockinger et al 2010). However, for many host-restricted and less mobile species, common sampling designs may confuse patch area with patch quality.…”