Determinants of distribution and abundance in the clouded apollo butterfly: a landscape ecological approach

Abstract

Recent studies on the determinants of distribution and abundance of animals at landscape level have emphasized the usefulness of the metapopulation approach, in which patch area and habitat connectivity have often proved to explain satisfactorily existing patch occupancy patterns. A different approach is needed to study the common situation in which suitable habitat is difficult to determine or does not occur in well‐defined habitat patches. We applied a landscape ecological approach to study the determinants of distribution and abundance of the threatened clouded apollo Parnassius mnemosyne butterfly within an area of 6 km2 of agricultural landscape in south‐western Finland. The relative role of 24 environmental variables potentially affecting the distribution and abundance of the butterfly was studied using a spatial grid system with 2408 grid squares of 0.25 ha, of which 349 were occupied by the clouded apollo. Both the probability of butterfly presence and abundance in a 0.25 ha square increased with the presence of the larval host plant Corydalis solida the cover of semi‐natural grassland, the amount of solar radiation and spalial autocorrelation in butterfly occurrence. Additionally, butterfly abundance increased with overall mean patch size and decreased with maximum slope angle and wind speed. Two advantages of the employment of a spatial grid system included the avoidance of a subjective definition of suitable habitat patches and an evaluation of the relative significance of different components of habitat quality at the same time with habitat availability and connectivity. The large variation in habitat quality was influenced by the abundance of the larval host plant and adult nectar sources but also by climatological. topographical and structural factors. The application of a spatial grid system as used here has potential for a wide use in studies on landscape‐level distribution and abundance patterns in species with complex habitat requirements and habitat availability patterns.

Dos and Don’ts for butterflies of the Habitats Directive of the European Union

“…(Bergström 2005;Brommer and Fred 1999;Gorbach and Kabanen 2010;Gratton et al 2008;Konvička et al 2001;Konvička and Kuras 1999;Konvička et al 2006;Luoto et al 2001;Meglecz et al 1999;Välimäki and Itämies 2003) …”

Adult demography, spatial distribution and movements of Zerynthia polyxena (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae) in a dense network of permanent habitats

“…Since the different life stages of butterflies have different resource requirements, detailed ecological studies of each stage are needed in order to define a species' requirements in terms of the functional resourcebased concept (Dennis, 2003). As the availability of resources for adults affects their behaviour (e.g., Turlure & Van Dyck, 2009;Ide, 2010), spatial distribution (e.g., Loertscher et al, 1995;Krauss et al, 2005), movements (e.g., Brommer & Fred, 1999;Schneider et al, 2003) and demographic parameters (e.g., Luoto et al, 2001;Auckland et al, 2004;Junker & Schmitt, 2010), it is important to have a good knowledge of adult ecology when designing an appropriate management policy for the longterm survival of a target species. Since Z. polyxena utilizes the same plant species (Aristolochia spp.)…”

Successful translocation of the threatened Clouded Apollo butterfly (Parnassius mnemosyne) and metapopulation establishment in southern Finland

“…The Clouded Apollo is a Palearctic butterfly that is classified as threatened in Finland and elsewhere in Europe (Konvička and Kuras, 1999;Luoto et al, 2001;van Swaay et al, 2010). In Finland, the Clouded Apollo is a rare inhabitant of traditionally managed flower-rich meadows and pastures accompanied with deciduous forest patches abundant with Corydalis solida, the larval host plant of this butterfly (Luoto et al, 2001).…”