The Effects of Field Mowing on Adult Butterfly Assemblages in Central New York State

Weber, Peter G.; Preston, Scott

doi:10.3375/0885-8608(2008)28[130:teofmo]2.0.co;2

Cited by 7 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…We suggest that maintenance of this habitat type as a component of forested landscapes will be critical for the persistence of eastern hognose snake populations at NBAFS and in the northeastern United States. Maintenance of these habitats also will benefit other imperiled early successional wildlife species including regionally rare shrubland birds (DeGraaf and Yamasaki 2003) and insect populations (Weber et al 2008). Our results indicate that future studies of habitat selection for this and other species should include measurement of available habitat at spatial scales larger than the home range size.…”

Section: Management Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 75%

An Examination of Scale‐Dependent Resource Use by Eastern Hognose Snakes in Southcentral New Hampshire

et al. 2009

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The decline of many snake populations is attributable to habitat loss, and knowledge of habitat use is critical to their conservation. Resource characteristics (e.g., relative availability of different habitat types, soils, and slopes) within a landscape are scale‐dependent and may not be equal across multiple spatial scales. Thus, it is important to identify the relevant spatial scales at which resource selection occurs. We conducted a radiotelemetry study of eastern hognose snake (Heterodon platirhinos) home range size and resource use at different hierarchical spatial scales. We present the results for 8 snakes radiotracked during a 2‐year study at New Boston Air Force Station (NBAFS) in southern New Hampshire, USA, where the species is listed by the state as endangered. Mean home range size (minimum convex polygon) at NBAFS (51.7 ± 14.7 ha) was similar to that reported in other parts of the species’ range. Radiotracked snakes exhibited different patterns of resource use at different spatial scales. At the landscape scale (selection of locations within the landscape), snakes overutilized old‐field and forest edge habitats and underutilized forested habitats and wetlands relative to availability. At this scale, snakes also overutilized areas containing sandy loam soils and areas with lower slope (mean slope = 5.2% at snake locations vs. 6.7% at random locations). We failed to detect some of these patterns of resource use at the home range scale (i.e., within the home range). Our ability to detect resource selection by the snakes only at the landscape scale is likely the result of greater heterogeneity in macrohabitat features at the broader landscape scale. From a management perspective, future studies of habitat selection for rare species should include measurement of available habitat at spatial scales larger than the home range. We suggest that the maintenance of open early successional habitats as a component of forested landscapes will be critical for the persistence of eastern hognose snake populations in the northeastern United States.

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Section: Management Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 75%

An Examination of Scale‐Dependent Resource Use by Eastern Hognose Snakes in Southcentral New Hampshire

et al. 2009

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“…Mowing is a disturbance that may increase dispersal (Weber et al, 2008) and thus cause frequent road crossings, exposing butterflies to collisions with vehicles. However, surprisingly, and in contrast to earlier studies (Valtonen et al, 2006), mowing had no visible impact on species richness and abundance.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Factors affecting road mortality and the suitability of road verges for butterflies

Skórka

Lenda

Moroń

et al. 2013

Biological Conservation

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a b s t r a c tLittle is known of the impact of roads on insect mortality. This is a significant gap, because road verges are regarded as an important tool for insect conservation. In this study, we investigated which factors affect the number of roadkills in grassland butterflies and, simultaneously, the species composition and abundance on road verges. We established sixty transects, two hundred metres long, on roads in farmland areas and with differing traffic volume. Each transect consisted of two parallel lines, one on either side of the road. Ordination methods showed that the species composition of the butterflies killed on the roads was primarily explained by the species composition of those living on the road verges. At least 6.8% of the butterflies were estimated to end up roadkilled. Also, the number of species and abundance of butterflies killed on the roads were positively dependent on both the abundance of butterflies on the road verges and on the traffic volume, but negatively correlated with the richness of plant species on the road verges. However, the proportion of individuals killed was negatively linked with the abundance of butterflies on the road verges, the richness of the plant species and the share of grassland in the landscape. There was a statistically significant tendency for small-bodied species to be overrepresented in the roadkill samples. Our results indicate that the verges which were of high conservation value for butterflies suffered the least from road mortality. The sowing of plant species, less frequent mowing and maintaining a high grassland cover in the vicinity of roads are recommended conservation actions for the improved conservation value of road verges for butterflies.

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“…Due to their species richness, abundance, diverse ecological needs, and dependency on various plants for nectaring and larva development butterflies serve as the umbrella species in nature conservation (New 1997). The protection of butterflies in a region indirectly leads to the protection of a number of plants, trees, and other flora, therefore, research on their population ecology offers crucial insights on the status of other taxa in a particular terrestrial ecosystem (Weber et al 2008). India being one of the 12 mega biodiversity countries of the world, harbours 1,800 species of butterflies including both endemic as well as globally threatened species (Harisha & Hosetti 2021).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diversity and status of butterfly fauna at Kurukshetra University campus, Haryana, India

Vidisha Gupta,

Parmesh Kumar

2024

J. Threat. Taxa

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Campuses of educational institutions in India serve as important reservoirs for different faunal components, including ecologically sensitive species like butterflies. To record the diversity, status, and occurrence of butterfly fauna in Kurukshetra University Campus, Haryana, a year-long survey was done from July 2021 to June 2022. A total of 710 individuals of butterflies belonging to 39 species, 32 genera, and five families were recorded. Nymphalidae represented the highest diversity with 13 species followed by Lycaenidae (11 species), Pieridae (10 species), Papilionidae (3 species), and Hesperiidae (2 species). The number of individuals encountered was maximum in family Pieridae (n = 158) while the minimum was in family Hesperiidae (n = 4). Species richness, abundance, and diversity differed significantly (P <0.05) across the different seasons. Species richness was recorded to be the highest in summer season (35 species) followed by monsoon, post monsoon, and winter. Among the recorded species, one species, i.e., Common Baron Euthelia aconthea is protected under Schedule II of the Wildlife (Protection) Amendment Act (2022). The findings of the present study support the importance of the higher educational institution campuses in providing valuable habitat and resources for butterflies.

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The Effects of Field Mowing on Adult Butterfly Assemblages in Central New York State

Cited by 7 publications

References 22 publications

An Examination of Scale‐Dependent Resource Use by Eastern Hognose Snakes in Southcentral New Hampshire

An Examination of Scale‐Dependent Resource Use by Eastern Hognose Snakes in Southcentral New Hampshire

Factors affecting road mortality and the suitability of road verges for butterflies

Diversity and status of butterfly fauna at Kurukshetra University campus, Haryana, India

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