A descriptive analysis of Regal Fritillary (Speyeria idalia) habitat utilizing biological monitoring data along the big bend of the Platte River, NE

Caven, Andrew J.; King, Kelsey C.; Wiese, Joshua D.; Buckley, Emma M. Brinley

doi:10.1007/s10841-017-9968-0

Cited by 16 publications

(39 citation statements)

References 46 publications

(119 reference statements)

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“…Previous research has even suggested that regal larvae perish in the absence of litter accumulation, possibly from exposure (Wagner et al 1997, Ferster andVulinec 2010). These results coincide with a number of other studies that indicate litter buildup is an important component to regal habitat (Mason 2001, Davies et al 2007, Powell et al 2007, Vogel et al 2007, Ferster and Vulinec 2010, Helzer 2012, Caven et al 2017. These results coincide with a number of other studies that indicate litter buildup is an important component to regal habitat (Mason 2001, Davies et al 2007, Powell et al 2007, Vogel et al 2007, Ferster and Vulinec 2010, Helzer 2012, Caven et al 2017.…”

Section: Habitat Characteristicssupporting

confidence: 85%

“…Regals are commonly described as a prairie-specialist, indicator, or flagship species of pristine prairie habitat in the literature (Hammond and McCorkle 1983, Swengel 1996, Moranz et al 2014, Henderson et al 2018. In fact, big bluestem has been positively associated with regals and documented to be nearly twice as abundant on plots where regals were present vs. plots where they were absent (Caven et al 2017). Previous studies have reported similar findings regarding the importance of native grass species and lack of woody vegetation to regals.…”

Section: Habitat Characteristicsmentioning

confidence: 77%

“…Patch size can play an important role in predicting butterfly abundance (Hanski 1994, Wahlberg et al 1996, Sutcliffe et al 1997 including regals , Mason 2001, Caven et al 2017. For instance, one study found that contiguous size of grassland accounted for 60% of the variation in regal abundance (Mason 2001).…”

Section: Fire-return Intervalmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In contrast to the aforementioned studies that were conducted on very small, isolated remnant patches of prairie, our study sites were much larger and embedded within a landscape comprised largely of native tallgrass prairie. Accordingly, small isolated populations of regals are likely to be most vulnerable to disturbances that were characteristic of the historic prairie landscape (Selby 2007, Caven et al 2017. Likewise, the propensity of regals to remain in native prairie and sensitivity to non-natural habitat boundaries such as row crops, tree lines, and roads (Ries andDebinski 2001, Caven et al 2017) may explain why recolonization can happen in some contexts such as the contiguous grassland within the Flint Hills but not others.…”

Section: Fire-return Intervalmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…; Klots 1951, Hammond 1974, Ferris and Brown 1981. In the Midwest and Great Plains, USA, larvae are reported to predominantly feed on bird's-foot (Viola pedata) and prairie violet (Viola pedatifida; Swengel 1997, Dole et al 2004, McCullough et al 2017); however, larvae have also been documented using wild pansy (Viola tricolor; Shuey et al 2016) and common blue violet (Viola sororia; Caven et al 2017, McCullough et al 2017. In the Midwest and Great Plains, USA, larvae are reported to predominantly feed on bird's-foot (Viola pedata) and prairie violet (Viola pedatifida; Swengel 1997, Dole et al 2004, McCullough et al 2017); however, larvae have also been documented using wild pansy (Viola tricolor; Shuey et al 2016) and common blue violet (Viola sororia; Caven et al 2017, McCullough et al 2017.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Management regime and habitat response influence abundance of regal fritillary (Speyeria idalia) in tallgrass prairie

et al. 2019

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The >2,570,000-ha Flint Hills ecoregion of Kansas, USA, harbors the largest remaining contiguous tract of tallgrass prairie in North America, a unique system, as the remainder of North America's tallgrass prairie has succumbed to development and conversion. Consequently, the loss and degradation of tallgrass prairie has reduced populations of many North American prairie-obligate species including the regal fritillary (Speyeria idalia) butterfly. Population abundance and occupied range of regal fritillary have declined >99%, restricting many populations to isolated, remnant patches of tallgrass prairie. Such extensive decline has resulted in consideration of the regal fritillary for protection under the Endangered Species Act. Although it is widely accepted that management practices such as fire, grazing, and haying are necessary to maintain prairie ecosystems, reported responses by regal fritillary to these management regimes have been ambiguous. We tested effects of prescribed fire across short, moderate, and long fire-return intervals as well as grazing and haying management treatments on regal fritillary density. We also tested the relative influence of habitat characteristics created by these management regimes by measuring density of an obligate host plant (Viola spp.) and canopy cover of woody vegetation, grasses, forbs/ferns, bare ground, and litter. We found density was at least 1.6 times greater in sites burned with a moderate fire-return interval vs. sites burned with short and long fire-return intervals. Overall management regardless of fire-return interval did not have an effect on density. Percent cover of grass had the strongest positive association, while percent cover of woody vegetation had the greatest negative effect on density. Our results indicate that patch-burning is a viable and perhaps even ideal management strategy for regal fritillary in tallgrass prairie landscapes. Additionally, these results elucidate the importance of fire, particularly when applied at moderate-return intervals to regal fritillary, and corroborate a growing suite of studies that suggest fire is perhaps not as detrimental to populations of regal fritillary as previously believed.

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Section: Habitat Characteristicssupporting

confidence: 85%

Section: Habitat Characteristicsmentioning

confidence: 77%

Section: Fire-return Intervalmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Fire-return Intervalmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Management regime and habitat response influence abundance of regal fritillary (Speyeria idalia) in tallgrass prairie

et al. 2019

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Phenology and foraging bias contribute to sex‐specific foraging patterns in the rare declining butterfly Argynnis idalia idalia

Chmielewski,

Naya,

Borghi

et al. 2023

Ecology and Evolution

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Variation in pollinator foraging behavior can influence pollination effectiveness, community diversity, and plant-pollinator network structure. Although effects of interspecific variation have been widely documented, studies of intraspecific variation in pollinator foraging are relatively rare. Sex-specific differences in resource use are a strong potential source of intraspecific variation, especially in species where the phenology of males and females differ. Differences may arise from encountering different flowering communities, sex-specific traits, nutritional requirements, or a combination of these factors. We evaluated sex-specific foraging patterns in the eastern regal fritillary butterfly (Argynnis idalia idalia), leveraging a 21-year floral visitation dataset.Because A. i. idalia is protandrous, we determined whether foraging differences were due to divergent phenology by comparing visitation patterns between the entire season with restricted periods of male-female overlap. We quantified nectar carbohydrate and amino acid contents of the most visited plant species and compared those visited more frequently by males versus females. We demonstrate significant differences in visitation patterns between male and female A. i. idalia over two decades.

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Conservation planning for pollinators in the U.S. Great Plains: considerations of context, treatments, and scale

et al. 2021

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Populations of many species of grassland-associated butterflies, moths, and bumblebees in the Great Plains of North America are experiencing steep declines due to habitat loss and degradation -primarily conversion of grasslands to row-crop agriculture and invasion of woody plants and exotic cool-season grasses-and insecticide use. These declines are exacerbated by the generally limited dispersal ability of insects, which make local populations susceptible to extirpation following habitat fragmentation. Interest in pollinator conservation has grown substantially in recent years, but information to guide pollinator conservation across the region is limited. We used pollinator biology along with principles of landscape ecology and metapopulation dynamics to develop a simple decision matrix based on patch size and inter-patch distances to guide landscape-scale grassland conservation efforts in the U.S. northern Great Plains. When applied to spatial land cover data depicting potential pollinator habitat, the matrix uses landscape characteristics to guide placement of conservation treatments to help ensure persistence of target pollinator populations. Patch size and connectivity thresholds can be set to match characteristics of target species, but in all cases, local management will be necessary to ensure that fine-grained features such as nectar sources and host plants are present. Applying the matrix to habitat layers for a nine-state analysis region showed substantial geographic variation in conservation needs, opportunities, and potential treatments. We also demonstrate that non-native planted cover such as alfalfa and certain grasslands enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program can substantially enhance landscape structure by increasing grassland patch size and core area while decreasing distance between patches. Pollinators dependent on native prairie will also benefit from planted cover that provides nectar sources and serves as a buffer from pesticides associated with croplands. Consistent with the principles of strategic habitat conservation, targeted monitoring and research will be necessary to validate and adapt the model to meet local conditions.

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A descriptive analysis of Regal Fritillary (Speyeria idalia) habitat utilizing biological monitoring data along the big bend of the Platte River, NE

Cited by 16 publications

References 46 publications

Management regime and habitat response influence abundance of regal fritillary (Speyeria idalia) in tallgrass prairie

Management regime and habitat response influence abundance of regal fritillary (Speyeria idalia) in tallgrass prairie

Phenology and foraging bias contribute to sex‐specific foraging patterns in the rare declining butterfly Argynnis idalia idalia

Conservation planning for pollinators in the U.S. Great Plains: considerations of context, treatments, and scale

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