Resource use in two contrasting habitat types raises different challenges for the conservation of the dryad butterfly Minois dryas
Oglądaj/ Otwórz
Data
2013-08Autor
Kalarus, Konrad
Skórka, Piotr
Nowicki, Piotr
Metadane
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The suitability of any location for a given species
is determined by the available resources. However, there are
many species that occur in more than one habitat type and
their successful conservation may be particularly difficult.
The dryad Minois dryas, a locally endangered butterfly,
occurs in two contrasting habitats—xerothemic and wet
grasslands. We investigated the influence of various habitat
characteristics, such as vegetation height, grass cover,
proximity of shrubs, plant species composition, Ellenberg
indices of trophic and microclimatic conditions, on the
microhabitat selection by the species. The nectaring of randomly
selected butterflies was observed and habitat characteristics
were compared at random points within the
meadow and at the butterfly’s nectaring and resting places.
The butterflies generally preferred to stay close to shrubs and
avoided invasive goldenrods. Thermal conditions and the
availability of nectar plants were the factors limiting the
dryad’s use of wet grassland. In xerothermic habitats grass
cover affected the distribution of butterflies. Concerning
the availability of larval host plants, wet meadows proved
potentially more favourable, whereas nectar resources for
adults were more abundant in xerothermic grasslands. Based
on our findings, conservation strategies for this butterfly
must differ in the two habitats. Rotational mowing in
xerothermic grasslands and the removal of invasive goldenrods
in wet grasslands are the recommended actions. At a
larger spatial scale, a habitat mosaic composed of xerothermic
and wet grasslands in close proximity would seem to be
the most suitable areas for the conservation of the dryad.
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