Effect of local weather on butterfly flight behaviour, movement, and colonization: significance for dispersal under climate change

Abstract

Recent climate change is recognized as a main cause of shifts in geographical distributions of species. The impacts of climate change may be aggravated by habitat fragmentation, causing regional or large scale extinctions. However, we propose that climate change also may diminish the effects of fragmentation by enhancing flight behaviour and dispersal of ectothermic species like butterflies. We show that under weather conditions associated with anticipated climate change, behavioural components of dispersal of butterflies are enhanced, and colonization frequencies increase. In a field study, we recorded flight behaviour and mobility of four butterfly species: two habitat generalists (Coenonympha pamphilus; Maniola jurtina) and two specialists (Melitaea athalia; Plebejus argus), under different weather conditions. Flying bout duration generally increased with temperature and decreased with cloudiness. Proportion of time spent flying 123Biodivers Conserv (2011) 20:483-503 DOI 10.1007 decreased with cloudiness. Net displacement generally increased with temperature. When butterflies fly longer, start flying more readily and fly over longer distances, we expect dispersal propensity to increase. Monitoring data showed that colonization frequencies moreover increased with temperature and radiation and decreased with cloudiness. Increased dispersal propensity at local scale might therefore lower the impact of habitat fragmentation on the distribution at a regional scale. Synergetic effects of climate change and habitat fragmentation on population dynamics and species distributions might therefore appear to be more complex than previously assumed.

Rural avenues as dispersal corridors for the vulnerable saproxylic beetle Elater ferrugineus in a fragmented agricultural landscape

“…Such a pattern was recently found in the beetles of the genus Osmoderma, a main prey of E. ferrugineus larvae, where differences in dispersal distances between populations from different geographic regions of Europe were detected (Ranius and Hedin 2001;Hedin and Ranius 2002;Dubois et al 2010;Oleksa et al 2013a;Chiari et al 2013;Le Gouar et al 2014). Since the dispersal in poikilotherms is strictly dependent on temperature, these differences may be the result of climatic factors, as observed in other insects (Cormont et al 2011;Delattre et al 2013); however, it is also possible that differences in dispersal capacities could be explained by various selective pressures acting on the beetles in landscapes of different connectivity and habitat size.…”

Adult longevity and its relationship with conservation status in European butterflies

“…On the other hand, a longer light period allows for the compensation of the negative efects of stochastic changes during the light period such as unfavourable weather conditions, and inappropriate management interventions, e.g. inappropriate timing of meadow mowing (Cormont et al 2011). An extended adult occurrence season improves the resilience of butterly populations to catastrophic events such as loods or ires (cf.…”

Fine-scale habitat requirements of the Heidelberg Opal Butterfly (<i>Chrysoritis aureus</i>) in Gauteng and Mpumalanga, South Africa

“…Not observing butterflies at a specific habitat could be because of less favourable weather conditions on the day of recording (Cormont et al 2011;Ide 2010). The ants are small and not easy to observe in these rocky habitats.…”