Seasonal dynamics and polyphenism of butterfly communities in the coastal plains of central Western Ghats, India

Abstract

Long-term socioeconomic progress requires a healthy environment/ecosystem, but anthropogenic activities cause environmental degradation and biodiversity loss. Constant ecological monitoring is therefore necessary to assess the state of biodiversity and ecological health. However, baseline data is lacking even for ecologically sensitive regions such as the Western Ghats. We looked at the seasonality and polyphenism of butterflies of the central Western Ghats to get baseline population patterns on these charismatic taxa. We recorded 43118 individuals (175 species) using fortnightly time-constrained counts for two consecutive years, and found the peak abundance (49% of the total individuals) in post-monsoon period (Oct to Jan). The seasonal abundance was correlated with the overall increase in species richness. Habitat differences were stronger than seasonality as samples clustered based on sites. Several species also displayed polyphenism with distinct distributions of wet and dry season forms. Seasonal equitability and indicator species analysis showed distinct inter-species differences in seasonality patterns. This work provides key baseline data on the seasonal dynamics of butterflies of the Western Ghats in the context of climate change and conservation, and will help in future monitoring of this ecologically sensitive region using butterflies.

Species traits help explain butterfly habitat use in a tropical forest

“…Like in most tropical areas, in the Western Ghats of India the environmental and spatial variables influencing community composition among juxtaposed habitat types have not been investigated. In Western Ghats, there is a strong effect of seasonality on the flora and fauna, although this is poorly studied (Kunte, 1997; Naik et al, 2022; Sundarapandian et al, 2005). The Western Ghats includes a natural mosaic of ridge grasslands and laterite plateau grassland patches within large and well‐connected areas of moist‐deciduous forest in a region with strong seasonality (Watve, 2013).…”