Restoration, Reintroduction, and captive Propagation for at-risk Butterflies: A review of British and American Conservation Efforts

Schultz, Cheryl B.; Russell, Cheryl; Wynn, Louise

doi:10.1560/ijee.54.1.41

Cited by 59 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 50 publications

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“…Appropriate habitat management of endangered butterfly species highly depends on sufficient knowledge of their required habitat quality parameters, which is often lacking (Schultz et al 2008;Sutherland et al 2004). Butterflies 1 3 may require a variety of microhabitats to provide the vital resources required during subsequent life stages of their life cycle (Dennis et al 2006;Wynhoff et al 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The influence of wild boar (Sus scrofa) on microhabitat quality for the endangered butterfly Pyrgus malvae in the Netherlands

2018

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The decline of open habitats in Europe, such as semi-natural grasslands and heathlands, has caused a general decline in biodiversity, which has been well documented for butterflies. Current conservation practices often involve grazing by domestic livestock to maintain suitable butterfly habitats. The extent to which wild ungulates may play a similar role remains largely unknown. Through their rooting activity, wild boar could be effective to reduce grass encroachment and restore pioneer microhabitats that are vital to many grassland insects in temperate climates. Here, we assessed the microhabitat requirements of Pyrgus malvae, an endangered butterfly of heathland and grassland habitats in the Netherlands, with special attention for the influence of wild boar rooting. To date, oviposition site selection of this species has concentrated on calcareous grasslands, whereas we also include heathlands. Overall, larval occupancy was higher in warm, open and sparsely vegetated microhabitats, which supports earlier findings. In heathland, microhabitat occupancy was positively affected by bryophyte and litter cover. In heath-grassland mosaic, microhabitat occupancy was also influenced by bryophyte and litter cover, but in addition low grass cover increased occupancy by favouring host plants. In grassland, only low grass cover and host plant cover determined microhabitat quality. Across all habitats, occupied microhabitats were characterized by lower vegetation as well as higher average daytime temperatures than unoccupied microhabitats. We discovered that wild boar play an important role in reducing grass cover by shallow rooting in grass patches, thereby increasing host plant availability. Hence, wild boar may have an added value in maintaining and restoring P. malvae microhabitats in grassland habitats in addition to grazing by domestic livestock.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The influence of wild boar (Sus scrofa) on microhabitat quality for the endangered butterfly Pyrgus malvae in the Netherlands

2018

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“…), and are likely to be habitat specialists and thus less likely to traverse an inter‐fragment matrix (Schultz et al . , Dennis et al . ).…”

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confidence: 99%

Species‐habitat relationships and ecological correlates of butterfly abundance in a transformed tropical landscape

2017

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Tropical butterfly conservation strategies often focus on total and/or common species richness to assess the conservation value of a patch or habitat. However, such a strategy overlooks the unique dynamics of rare species. We evaluated the species‐habitat relationships of 209 common, intermediate, and rare butterfly species (including morphospecies) across four habitat types (mature, degraded, or fragmented forest, and urban parks) and two patch sizes (<400 ha, ≥400 ha) in Singapore. Common species richness was consistent across habitat types. Intermediate species richness declined by more than 50 percent in urban parks (relative to all forest habitats), and rare species richness was reduced by 50 percent in degraded and fragmented forest and by 90 percent in urban parks (relative to mature forest). Large patches had comparable overall richness to small patches, but they supported more rare species and three times as many habitat‐restricted species over a similar area. Importantly, a number of rare species were confined to single small patches. Mixed‐effects regression models were constructed to identify habitat and ecological/life history variables associated with butterfly abundance. These models revealed that species with greater habitat specialization, rare larval host plants, few larval host plant genera, and narrow global geographic ranges were more likely to be rare species. Overall, these results demonstrate that the richness of habitat‐restricted and rare species do not follow the same spatial distribution patterns as common species. Therefore, while conserving mature forests is key, effective butterfly conservation in a transformed landscape should take into account rare and habitat‐restricted species.

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“…However, butterflies, as an intensively studied and flagship group for invertebrate conservation, have been the subject of several reintroduction programs, particularly in Europe (Schultz et al. ). The successful reintroduction of Maculinea arion to the United Kingdom has become a model for similar actions (Thomas et al.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Use of genetic, climatic, and microbiological data to inform reintroduction of a regionally extinct butterfly

Dincă

Bálint

Vodă

et al. 2018

Conservation Biology

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Species reintroductions are increasingly used as means of mitigating biodiversity loss. Besides habitat quality at the site targeted for reintroduction, the choice of source population can be critical for success. The butterfly Melanargia russiae (Esper´s marbled white) was extirpated from Hungary over 100 years ago, and a reintroduction program has recently been approved. We used museum specimens of this butterfly, mitochondrial DNA data (mtDNA), endosymbiont screening, and climatic-similarity analyses to determine which extant populations should be used for its reintroduction. The species displayed 2 main mtDNA lineages across its range: 1 restricted to Iberia and southern France (Iberian lineage) and another found throughout the rest of its range (Eurasian lineage). These 2 lineages possessed highly divergent wsp alleles of the bacterial endosymbiont Wolbachia. The century-old Hungarian specimens represented an endemic haplotype belonging to the Eurasian lineage, differing by one mutation from the Balkan and eastern European populations. The Hungarian populations of M. russiae occurred in areas with a colder and drier climate relative to most sites with extant known populations. Our results suggest the populations used for reintroduction to Hungary should belong to the Eurasian lineage, preferably from eastern Ukraine (genetically close and living in areas with the highest climatic similarity). Materials stored in museum collections can provide unique opportunities to document historical genetic diversity and help direct conservation.

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Restoration, Reintroduction, and captive Propagation for at-risk Butterflies: A review of British and American Conservation Efforts

Cited by 59 publications

References 50 publications

The influence of wild boar (Sus scrofa) on microhabitat quality for the endangered butterfly Pyrgus malvae in the Netherlands

The influence of wild boar (Sus scrofa) on microhabitat quality for the endangered butterfly Pyrgus malvae in the Netherlands

Species‐habitat relationships and ecological correlates of butterfly abundance in a transformed tropical landscape

Use of genetic, climatic, and microbiological data to inform reintroduction of a regionally extinct butterfly

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