Microdistribution of butterflies in a mosaic‐like habitat: The role of nectar sources

Abstract

The microdistribution of five butterfly species through their flying season was analyzed in a mosaic‐like habitat, brought about by secondary succession In order to explain the patterns observed, activity patterns and the use and distribution of nectar sources were determined Emphasis was laid on the changing allocation of visits to flower species and changing abundances of flowers during the season The use of nectar sources was basically limited to three flower species, Centaurea scabiosa, C bracteata and Serratula tinctoria As a consequence, niche breadth values were generally low and niche overlaps generally high Some butterflies changed their patterns of flower visits during the season and therefore reduced niche overlap with the other butterfly species The microdistribution of Melanargia galathea, Lysandra condon, Ochlodes venatus and Lictoria achilleae was strongly influenced by the distribution of their preferred nectar sources as well as by areas generally rich in flowers Changing flower preferences of Melanargia galathea and Lysandra coridon males during the course of the season were also expressed by changes in the correlations between the distribution of these butterflies and their nectar plants The distribution of nectar sources was not found to be of importance for Coenonympha arcanta, a species which rarely visited flowers

Distribution of butterflies along a trekking corridor in the Khangchendzonga Biosphere Reserve, Sikkim, Eastern Himalayas

“…Moreover, some of the habitat specific species, as discussed in the result section, does have implications on their habitat specificity and need cautious interventions to conserve them as they could be sensitive to even subtle changes in their habitat due to their food habit (Krauss et al 2004). This relationship is expected because butterfly species diversity is a function of plant species diversity as butterflies and their food plants are the product of coevolution (Ehrlich and Raven 1964, Loertscer 1995, Singh and Singh 1998. However, the population dynamism found in this study could also be subject to their habits as majority of butterfly species uses one habitat condition for feeding and other for basking.…”

Pluralism in grassland management promotes butterfly diversity in a large Central European conservation area

“…Nectar availability has frequently been shown to be a major driver of butterfly abundance and richness (e.g. Loertscher et al 1995;Lebeau et al 2016). In our data set, nectar flower abundance was highly significantly related to the number of butterfly sightings (r = 0.3957, P < 0.001).…”

Biology and biogeography of the chalk-hill blue Polyommatus coridon – insect of the year 2015 for Germany, Austria and Switzerland

“…However, the imagoes tend to prefer classic butterfly flowers, mostly of the plant families Lamiaceae, Asteraceae and Caprifoliaceae, although species of Leguminosae are also frequently visited for nectaring. The most visited plant genera are apparently Origanum, Scabiosa, Knautia and Centaurea (Weidemann 1986, Ebert and Rennwald 1991, Lörtscher et al 1995, Pfeuffer 2013. The distribution of nectar sources strongly influences the microdistribution of the butterflies within the habitat (Lörtscher et al 1995).…”

“…The most visited plant genera are apparently Origanum, Scabiosa, Knautia and Centaurea (Weidemann 1986, Ebert and Rennwald 1991, Lörtscher et al 1995, Pfeuffer 2013. The distribution of nectar sources strongly influences the microdistribution of the butterflies within the habitat (Lörtscher et al 1995). It seems that butterflies give preference to violet flower heads, but visits to white and yellow flowers can also frequently be observed (Fig.…”