Horizontal and vertical variation in the structure of fruit‐feeding butterfly (Nymphalidae) assemblages in the Brazilian Cerrado

Freire, Geraldo de Brito; Ribeiro, Danilo Bandini; Santos, Andréia de Carvalho; Silva, Thayane; Dias, João Paulo; Rodrigues, Hanna Pâmela; Diniz, Ivone Rezende

doi:10.1111/icad.12547

Cited by 7 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 50 publications

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“…The species composition differed between the understory and canopy in all forest types. This is a common pattern found in tropical forest butterfly communities where many species show a strong association with a particular forest stratum (Araujo et al, 2020; DeVries, 1988; Fordyce & DeVries, 2016; Freire et al, 2021; Graça, Pequeno, Franklin, & Morais, 2017; Ribeiro & Freitas, 2012; Santos et al, 2017; Schulze et al, 2001). However, the assemblage composition within each stratum only changed between seasons in várzea .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 80%

“…Butterflies also show clear forest stratification patterns (Araujo et al, 2020; DeVries, 1988; DeVries & Walla, 2001; Fordyce & DeVries, 2016; Freire et al, 2021; Graça, Pequeno, Franklin, & Morais, 2017; Lilleengen, 2016; Ribeiro & Freitas, 2012; Santos et al, 2017; Schulze et al, 2001), which can be explained by the different environmental conditions in the understory and canopy. The contrasting conditions between strata in tropical forests seem to act as an evolutionary force, as marked phylogenetic and trait signals are reported in butterflies occupying different strata (Fordyce & DeVries, 2016; Graça, Pequeno, Franklin, & Morais, 2017; Le Roy et al, 2021; Mena et al, 2020; Santos et al, 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Seasonal flooding decreases fruit‐feeding butterfly species dominance and increases spatial turnover in floodplain forests of central Amazonia

Oliveira

Baccaro

Werneck

et al. 2023

Ecology and Evolution

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The seasonal flood pulse in Amazonia can be considered a primary driver of community structure in floodplain environments. Although this natural periodic disturbance is part of the landscape dynamics, the seasonal inundation presents a considerable challenge to organisms that inhabit floodplain forests. The present study investigated the effect of seasonal flooding on fruit‐feeding butterfly assemblages in different forest types and strata in central Amazonia. We sampled fruit‐feeding butterflies in the canopy and the understory using baited traps in adjacent upland (unflooded forests—terra firme), white and blackwater floodplain forests (várzea and igapó, respectively) during the low‐ and high‐water seasons. Butterfly abundance decreased in the high‐water season, especially of dominant species in várzea, but the number of species was similar between seasons in the three forest types. Species composition differed between strata in all forest types. However, the flood pulse only affected butterfly assemblages in várzea forest. The β‐diversity components also differed only in várzea. Species replacement (turnover) dominated the spatial β‐diversity in igapó and terra firme in both seasons and várzea in the high‐water season. Nonetheless, nestedness was relatively higher in várzea forests during the low‐water season, mainly due to the effect of dominant species. These results emphasize the importance of seasonal flooding to structure butterfly assemblages in floodplain forests and reveal the idiosyncrasy of butterfly community responses to flooding in different forest types. Our results also suggest that any major and rapid changes to the hydrological regime could severely affect floodplain communities adapted to this natural seasonal hydrological cycle, threatening the existence of these unique environments.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 80%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seasonal flooding decreases fruit‐feeding butterfly species dominance and increases spatial turnover in floodplain forests of central Amazonia

Oliveira

Baccaro

Werneck

et al. 2023

Ecology and Evolution

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Table 3. Vertical stratification of fruit-feeding butterflies in (relatively undisturbed) tropical forests as extracted from the literature [3,7,9,11,15,[50][51][52][53][54][55][56][57][58][59]. Note that the % canopy species that we calculated from the reported data will depend on sampling effort and butterfly abundance, and studies vary in their use of trap heights.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Community Structure in an Isolated Tropical Forest Biome: One Year of Fruit-Feeding Butterfly Trapping in Four Habitats in the Western Ghats, India

Das¹,

Radhamany

Molleman

2022

Diversity

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Insect communities in tropical forests tend to be structured vertically and with respect to tree fall gaps and edges. Furthermore, insect communities vary over time. Insight into such habitat specificity and temporal variation is needed to design and interpret biodiversity surveys and to compare conservation value among habitats. Some aspects of tropical insect community structure, such as the proportion of canopy specialists and temporal variation, vary among biogeographical regions and climatic zones. To date, few regions have been sampled systematically, so generalization remains difficult. We compared fruit-feeding butterfly communities among understory, canopy, natural treefalls, and forest edge, in a tropical forest of the Western Ghats, a strip of rainforest that is isolated from Sundaland, the large rainforest block of South-East Asia. During a yearlong study, we captured 3018 individuals belonging to 32 species and representing 14 genera. While some butterflies were captured in the canopy, no species was significantly more abundant in the canopy than in the understory. This observation was contrary to studies elsewhere in the tropics where 14–55% of the species could be classified as canopy specialists. Even though the largest number of species was captured at forest edges, species diversity was highest in the gaps. The communities at the forest edge differed importantly from those in treefall gaps: at the forest edge, we caught grassland species in addition to the forest species. Larger treefall gaps had higher butterfly abundance than smaller gaps. Both abundance and diversity peaked during the late monsoon season, and all common species in our sample also peaked during this period. The spatiotemporal community structure appears to depend on biogeography (less vertical stratification further from large forest blocks) and climate (more synchrony among species in seasonal abundance when there is a more severe dry season).

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Body size and its correlates in fruit-feeding butterflies in a seasonal environment

et al. 2023

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Introduction: Diet and temporal specialists, especially those in tropical seasonal environments, require synchronous phenology with hosts. Species with life-history-traits that covary with temporal specialization may be particularly vulnerable to climate-driven changes in phenology. In the Cerrado, larger fruit-feeding butter ies species tend to be less abundant and more seasonal than their smallerbodied relatives. It is important to consider how ecological process and phylogenetic history are associated with these attributes.Aim/Methods: Here we evaluated the effects of climate and body size on the seasonality of abundance of fruit-feeding butter ies as well as their association with natural history traits including diet breadth and synchrony with fruits.Results: The distribution of abundances of these butter ies species was not uniform throughout the year, was associated with body size and shaped by habitat type and climate. Overall, hot and wet months were associated with higher abundance and species richness of these nymphalids in the Cerrado. Lineages of large-bodied species were less abundant, more seasonal and more generalized in larval diet breadth. In addition, these large-bodied clades were more tightly synchronized with fruit phenology. Discussion: Our ndings support the hypothesis that large and less abundant species to occur in a narrow temporal window and synchronized with fruit phenology.Implications for insect conservation: Particular attention should be given for the conservation of largerbodied temporal specialist species as they are vulnerable to phenology mismatching as a result of rapid global warming, but they will also face additional pressures with the advancing deforestation in the Cerrado.

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Horizontal and vertical variation in the structure of fruit‐feeding butterfly (Nymphalidae) assemblages in the Brazilian Cerrado

Cited by 7 publications

References 50 publications

Seasonal flooding decreases fruit‐feeding butterfly species dominance and increases spatial turnover in floodplain forests of central Amazonia

Seasonal flooding decreases fruit‐feeding butterfly species dominance and increases spatial turnover in floodplain forests of central Amazonia

Community Structure in an Isolated Tropical Forest Biome: One Year of Fruit-Feeding Butterfly Trapping in Four Habitats in the Western Ghats, India

Body size and its correlates in fruit-feeding butterflies in a seasonal environment

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