Effect of habitat loss and fragmentation on fruit-feeding butterflies in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest

Abstract

Habitat loss and fragmentation have drastically altered the availability and quality of tropical forest habitats, but information on how such changes influence local biodiversity is still insufficient. Here, we examine the effects of both patch and landscape metrics on fruit-feeding butterfly assemblages in a fragmented landscape of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. Our study was carried out in three habitat types: eight fragments (ranging from 8 to 126 ha), eight areas of forest edge (50 m from forest border), and eight areas of forest interior (>200 m from forest border) of the largest remnant (3500 ha) of the Atlantic Forest of northeast Brazil. Our results demonstrated that fragment area is negatively correlated with observed and estimated richness and abundance of butterflies, whereas habitat type is correlated with estimated richness and abundance of butterflies. Species composition responded to habitat type, fragment area, and distance between sample units. These findings illustrated (i) fruit-feeding butterfly sensitivity to habitat loss and fragmentation, (ii) that species composition and abundance are adequate parameters to access the responses of fruit-feeding butterflies to habitat loss and fragmentation, and (iii) the relevance of a heterogeneous and connected landscape for conservation of butterflies, where small fragments are important for generalist or open-habitat specialists and large remnants are key for disturbance-sensitive and threatened taxa.

Effects of habitat loss on three insect assemblages in modified ecosystems of foothills of the Colombian Orinoquia

“…This pattern may be associated with the fact that forest vegetation provides better microenvironmental conditions than open areas: a greater supply of food resources due to a greater presence of fauna, a decrease in soil temperature, protection against excessive radiation, and a greater quantity of leaf litter which provides protection and improves soil conditions for nesting (Edwards et al, 2017;Nunes et al, 2018;Senior et al, 2017). This result shows that conservation of the canopy (native or exotic) in the ecosystems is an important factor in the preservation of an assemblage of dung beetles of native forests by improving microenvironmental conditions and soil quality (Giménez-Gómez et al, 2018;Gómez-Cifuentes et al, 2020) As documented, the effect of habitat loss on butterfly assemblages can be positive and maintain high diversity rather than poor communities of individuals and low species richness (Filgueiras et al, 2016;Filgueiras et al, 2019b;Melo et al, 2019). However, the low representativeness for this group is demonstrated by the high number of singletons (60 % of the species) and doubletons (16 % of the species) present in the sample.…”

Functional diversity of plant communities at edge and interior of a submontane Atlantic Forest: greater functional than compositional stability

“…Forest ecosystems have been historically and continually devastated, leading to the reduction of biodiversity. Many studies indicate (Murcia 1995;Mendes et al 2016;Melo et al 2019) that ecosystem fragmentation and the edge effect contribute to this loss. Forest fragmentation creates abrupt edges that can severely alter microclimatic conditions (Laurance et al 2002;Santos et al 2008).…”

Mapping the functional connectivity of ecosystem services supply across a regional landscape

“…A connected landscape facilitates the movement of energy, matter, organisms, seeds, pollinators, and people, thereby supporting several ecological processes that are critical for maintaining supplies of ES (Tscharntke et al 2005, Kremen et al 2007, Biggs et al 2012, Mitchell et al 2013, Pal et al 2021). Conversely, a fragmented landscape exhibits decreased productivity, functional robustness, ecological richness (Leibold et al 2004, Gonzalez et al 2009, Simmonds et al 2019, Melo et al 2019), and increased vulnerability to further human modifications (Dutta et al 2017, Xinxin et al 2017, Liu et al 2017, Chi et al 2018). Smaller patches of habitat, biotic and/or abiotic supplies are not able to support as many species or as large populations relative to larger patches (Harper et al 2005), and loss of landscape connectivity can hinder dispersal and migration of plants and animals (Fischer et al 2007).…”