Habitat restoration affects immature stages of a wetland butterfly through indirect effects on predation

Aschehoug, Erik T.; Sivakoff, Frances S.; Cayton, Heather; Morris, William F.; Haddad, Nick M.

doi:10.1890/14-2403.1

Cited by 14 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…Tree removal plots succeeded in dramatically increasing the percent cover of C. mitchelliana, a host plant for Appalachian brown and St. Francis satyr (Aschehoug et al. ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Habitat restoration alters adult butterfly morphology and potential fecundity through effects on host plant quality

et al. 2016

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Abstract. Conservation strategies for threatened species frequently include habitat restoration, but the success of such recovery efforts has been mixed. When the target is an insect herbivore, restoration efforts have traditionally attempted to increase the abundance of its host plant, but these actions' impact on host plant quality has largely been ignored. Here, we test the impact of two forms of habitat restoration, tree removal and stream damming, on the physical and chemical properties of a wetland sedge and on the adult traits of its larval consumer, a wetland butterfly. Tree removal altered plant physical and chemical traits in a manner largely consistent with reduced host plant quality. Females emerging from these plots had fewer mature oocytes in their ovaries upon emergence, suggesting that tree removal has a negative effect on butterfly potential fecundity. Stream damming did not affect plant traits but forewing length increased more steeply with body mass for females from these plots, indicating that small females from dammed plots have a relatively higher wing loading ratio that likely increases the energetic cost of flight. This idea was supported by results from our subsequent capture-mark-recapture study, where both female and male butterflies were less likely to emigrate from dammed plots. Male dispersal was also affected by restoration, but individual body mass rather than wing allometry mediated this effect. Our results highlight the need to consider restoration's impact on host plant quality, in addition to other aspects of habitat quality, when undertaking habitat restoration for threatened herbivores.

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“…Tree removal plots succeeded in dramatically increasing the percent cover of C. mitchelliana, a host plant for Appalachian brown and St. Francis satyr (Aschehoug et al. ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Habitat restoration alters adult butterfly morphology and potential fecundity through effects on host plant quality

et al. 2016

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“…For example, landscape configuration determined predation rates on elk ( Cervus elaphus ) by gray wolves ( Canis lupus ) in Yellowstone after the latter were reintroduced because the elk were able to find refugia via habitat selection (Kauffman et al 2007). Further, success of habitat restoration to improve populations of the Appalachian brown butterfly ( Satyrodes appalachia ) depended on how particular restoration strategies affected access by predators to the eggs and larvae (Aschehoug et al 2015).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Red Fox Use of Landscapes with Nesting Shorebirds

et al. 2020

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Predation of nests and young is one of the limiting factors in the conservation of birds; understanding environmental covariates of predator distribution can assist with decisions regarding the best management strategies to reduce predation risk. The habitat of beach-nesting birds is often reshaped by storms in ways that may affect nest predation, such as by flattening vegetated dunes where mammals hunt, but human management of beaches tries to prevent the effects of storms on the landscape with unknown implications for predator distributions. Moreover, human development may affect predator distributions by subsidizing food and shelter. To determine the relationship between predator occupancy and landscape features in beach-nesting bird habitat, we repeated mammalian predator track surveys 8 times/year at 90 plots in southern New Jersey, USA, from 2015-2017. We used dynamic occupancy models to estimate the probability of use by red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) and to document changes in habitat use as related to landcover types over the avian breeding season within years. We had 373 red fox detections with years pooled. Detection probability for red foxes varied by year, and probability of use decreased as the distance to the nearest primary dune increased. We found no evidence that red fox habitat use depended on distance to human development. Our results suggest that conserving nesting habitat that includes open areas (i.e., storm overwash [whereby vegetation is scoured by tidal flooding]) may reduce predation risk because beachnesting birds would not be forced into nesting close to dunes, which are typically used for hunting by red foxes.

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“…We combined artificial dam creation, which increased standing water to levels preferred by Carex sedges, with widespread hardwood removal, which eliminated encroaching trees and shrubs and decreased evapotranspiration rates [34]. The resulting increases in water availability directly contributed to significant increases in amount of C. mitchelliana in restored sites [34,42]. Consequently, populations of St. Francis' satyr in restored sites have increased dramatically from 50 individuals in 2012 to a population of almost 800 by 2016 (Figure 1).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Water Availability Coincides with Population Declines for an Endangered Butterfly

Cayton

Haddad

2018

Diversity

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Abstract:As global climate change causes population declines across numerous taxa, it becomes critical to understand the specific pathway by which climatic and anthropogenic factors influence population size. Water availability is a key environmental condition that links climate and humans to species response, especially for rare or threatened butterflies that are highly sensitive to changes in climate and the surrounding landscape. We use the wetland-dependent endangered St. Francis' satyr butterfly (Neonympha mitchellii francisci) to test how changes in water availability affect population size via changes in host plant growth. We show that long-term declines in water availability are directly linked to a decline in host plant growth and contributed to a population decrease of 95% for St. Francis' satyrs in the past decade, threatening the persistence of the species. Recent restoration work, which includes efforts to increase water availability via hardwood removal, has been successful in increasing population numbers. Many butterflies are broadly dependent on water availability and flow, and only by understanding the specific pathway that directly links water availability to species response can we make effective conservation plans to prepare for the altered water conditions of the future.

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Habitat restoration affects immature stages of a wetland butterfly through indirect effects on predation

Cited by 14 publications

References 30 publications

Habitat restoration alters adult butterfly morphology and potential fecundity through effects on host plant quality

Habitat restoration alters adult butterfly morphology and potential fecundity through effects on host plant quality

Red Fox Use of Landscapes with Nesting Shorebirds

Water Availability Coincides with Population Declines for an Endangered Butterfly

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