Effects of mire type, land use and climate on a strongly declining wetland butterfly

Weking, Sarah; Hermann, Gabriel; Fartmann, Thomas

doi:10.1007/s10841-013-9585-5

Cited by 25 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…In addition to better accessibility, sparsely vegetated microsites might be preferred due to warmer microclimatic conditions. Similar patterns have been observed for Hip parchia fagi (Möllenbeck et al, 2009) and Coenonympha tullia (Weking et al, 2013) whose oviposition sites characteristically have significantly lower values for vegetation cover and density, respectively.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 79%

“…Among Central European butterflies, the spectrum of preferred light conditions ranges from full light (e.g., Coe nonympha tullia: Weking et al, 2013;Satyrium spini: löf-fler et al, 2013) to partial shade (e.g., Hamearis lucina: Fartmann, 2006;Erebia aethiops: leopold, 2006) and almost full shade (e.g., Lopinga achine: Streitberger et al, 2012). With a mean potential daily length of sunshine of 11.1 h in May, E. medusa is clearly situated at the top end of this spectrum, with the corresponding values for the aforementioned species being 12.5, 11.0, 6.0, ca.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Oviposition-site preferences of a declining butterfly Erebia medusa (Lepidoptera: Satyrinae) in nutrient-poor grasslands

Stuhldreher¹,

Fartmann²

2015

Eur. J. Entomol.

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Abstract. Butterflies belong to one of the most intensively studied invertebrate groups. However, detailed information on the larval ecology is still lacking in many species. This is especially true for the grass-feeding subfamily Satyrinae, to which our study species, the Woodland ringlet (Erebia medusa Fabricius, 1787), belongs. At the habitat level, E. medusa exhibits a clear preference for abandoned grasslands with litter accumulation. In this study, we assessed the host-plant and oviposition preferences of E. medusa at the microhabitat level, i.e., within occupied habitat patches, in the Diemel Valley (Central Germany). Only two species of grass, Festuca ovina agg. and F. rubra agg., were systematically used for oviposition. Egg density was positively correlated with patchiness of herb layer, potential daily length of sunshine, and abandonment. However, the explanatory power of these parameters was low. We attribute this primarily to an ample supply of host plants growing under suitable conditions in the occupied habitat patches of E. medusa. The positive effect of abandonment is probably due to the fact that the average height of oviposition sites of E. medusa is greater than in most other satyrine species, which renders the eggs more vulnerable to mechanical disturbance. Moreover, thick layers of litter, which develop after the cessation of grazing or mowing, might be important as they modify the microclimate at the locations of the immature stages.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 79%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Oviposition-site preferences of a declining butterfly Erebia medusa (Lepidoptera: Satyrinae) in nutrient-poor grasslands

Stuhldreher¹,

Fartmann²

2015

Eur. J. Entomol.

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“…Similarly, the most important factors for the persistence of various peatland animal groups included openness and vegetation structure (for invertebrates and birds [Desrochers & van Duinen ] and butterflies [Turlure et al ; Weking et al ]), moisture, and the presence of dry overwintering sites (for invertebrates [Desrochers & van Duinen ]). Generally, environmental characteristics related to wetness and openness are the main conditions for a high number of peatland specialist animal taxa.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rapid recovery of invertebrate communities after ecological restoration of boreal mires

Noreika

Kotiaho

Penttinen

et al. 2015

Restoration Ecology

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Mire degradation due to drainage for forestry results in the loss of mire specialist species. To halt the loss in biodiversity, ecological restoration is needed and already implemented. However, a major challenge in ecological restoration is whether actions taken have the desired outcome. Key abiotic and biotic conditions for the successful restoration of invertebrate communities can be identified by testing the "Field of Dreams" hypothesis, which postulates that if a habitat is successfully restored, species will return. This study was conducted in nine boreal mires located in Eastern Finland, 1-3 years after restoration. Parts of each mire were drained for forestry during the 1960s and 1970s, and restored in 2003-2006. Two 250 m transects were established in each of three treatments (pristine, drained, restored) per mire. We used pitfall trapping to sample carabid beetles and spiders, sweep netting to sample micromoths and crane flies and counts along the transects to sample macromoths. Vegetation cover, water table level, and climatic variables were measured along all transects. Mire specialist species and invertebrate communities responded positively to restoration and negatively to drainage, whereas generalists showed varied responses. In addition, mire specialists were associated with high cover of Sphagnum mosses and with low numbers of tall trees (>3 m). Therefore, to successfully restore populations and communities of mire specialist invertebrates, maintaining environmental conditions that favor the growth of Sphagnum mosses, rewetting the sites and removing larger trees are necessary measures.

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“…Poyry et al () explain that while butterfly species richness is overall highest in taller vegetation, specialist butterflies which often rely on lower vegetation benefit from lower sward heights. Several species of specialist butterfly rely on relatively low cover and open habitat (Henry & Schultz ; Weking et al ) such that changes in vegetation height have had dramatic impacts on the butterfly population growth (Thomas et al ). However, we have no obvious explanation for why fecundity was augmented in the first season of application and was similar between sprayed and unsprayed plots in the second and third seasons of treatment despite strong differences in vegetation height unless there are residual effects of herbicide spray itself.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Demographic costs and benefits of herbicide‐based restoration to enhance habitat for an endangered butterfly and a threatened plant

Schultz

Ferguson²

2020

Restoration Ecology

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Restoring habitat degraded by invasive species is often a primary focus of conservation strategies, yet few studies investigate the effects of invasive species control on multiple at-risk taxa. Selective herbicides are increasingly used because they can selectively reduce aggressive invasive plant species with the aim of minimizing effects on other taxa within the habitat. We conducted a four-year experiment to test how annual application of grass-specific herbicide affected the demography on Fender's blue butterfly (Icaricia icarioides fenderi) and Kincaid's lupine (Lupinus oreganus), two federally protected species which persist in highly degraded prairie remnants in western Oregon, USA. Effects of herbicide application were transitory for the butterfly; reduction of invasive grasses increased fecundity and led to higher annual population growth ( ) at one of two conservation areas in the first season. There were no detectable differences in in subsequent seasons-suggesting that treatments caused neither extensive harm nor extensive benefit to the butterfly population. For the lupine, there were no detectable differences in leaf and flower abundance between control and herbicide treatments. However, greater seed production in herbicide plots in the first and third seasons suggests that lupines in herbicide-treated plots have greater potential reproductive success. While treatments do not have a long-term benefit to annual population growth for the butterfly, increasing reproductive success of the threatened plant may justify integrating this strategy into restoration plans. Considering the impact of restoration practices on the demography of multiple at-risk taxa within a community is critical to effective recovery strategies. Key words: Fender's blue butterfly (Icaricia (=Plebejus) icarioides fenderi), full annual cycle, Kincaid's lupine (Lupinus oreganus), nontarget effects of herbicides, prairie restoration, vital rates Implications for Practice• Restoration plans which use herbicide-based management should consider the effects of treatments on the full annual cycle of focal species as well as effects on interacting trophic levels within the community. • Multi-year monitoring is essential; herbicide-based management may have initial desirable effects, but these effects may be temporary. • Full-life cycle monitoring integrates effects of restoration treatments over one or more generations to project net effects of restoration actions on focal species. • Multi-year and multi-site demographic response of at-risk species to restoration actions provides insight into the generality and utility of management actions, especially when actions cause both costs and benefits and vary across years.

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Effects of mire type, land use and climate on a strongly declining wetland butterfly

Cited by 25 publications

References 21 publications

Oviposition-site preferences of a declining butterfly Erebia medusa (Lepidoptera: Satyrinae) in nutrient-poor grasslands

Oviposition-site preferences of a declining butterfly Erebia medusa (Lepidoptera: Satyrinae) in nutrient-poor grasslands

Rapid recovery of invertebrate communities after ecological restoration of boreal mires

Demographic costs and benefits of herbicide‐based restoration to enhance habitat for an endangered butterfly and a threatened plant

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