Newly introduced butterfly species’ urban habitat use driven by shorter vegetation and exotic plants

Dexheimer, E.; Despland, Emma

doi:10.1007/s10530-023-03009-3

Cited by 4 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…In contrast, increasing the proportion of urban land had a positive effect on the abundance of one non-native species: P. icarus (see Results). This was expected given previous work showing that P. icarus populations in this region are concentrated in urban areas where its main host plants (i.e., non-native Fabaceae) are commonly available (Dexheimer & Despland, 2023;Rivest & Kharouba, 2021). This result is also consistent with past work that shows some non-native species can reach very high abundances in cities for a variety of reasons…”

Section: Components Of α-Diversitysupporting

confidence: 91%

Taxonomic and functional homogenization of butterfly communities along an urban gradient

Rivest,

Kharouba

2024

Insect Conserv Diversity

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Urbanization is a major cause of global insect declines, yet some species can persist, and even thrive, in cities. Research on butterflies frequently report reduced diversity in urban habitats compared to rural ones, but less is known about whether urbanization favours butterflies with specific functional traits. Further, few studies have evaluated whether urbanization leads to the biotic homogenization of butterfly communities, despite being frequently reported for other taxa. Here, we investigate how butterfly community composition changes along an urban gradient by surveying 44 sites around Montréal, Quebec, Canada. We test the hypothesis that urban butterfly communities are homogenized at the taxonomic and functional levels. We found clear differences in the structure of urban versus rural butterfly communities with urban areas favouring a few, highly abundant, non‐native species. These shifts were defined by losses of native species richness and abundance combined with increases in non‐native species abundance. For most of the butterfly community, species with longer flight periods were more common in urban areas. Finally, urban communities were homogenized at the taxonomic and functional levels as demonstrated by reductions in beta diversity and variation in several key functional traits (wingspan, larval diet breadth, oviposition style) in urban habitats compared to rural ones. Overall, urban habitats in this region support less diverse butterfly communities that are homogenized. Since urban areas are growing worldwide, a better understanding of how biotic homogenization arises and what its consequences are will be key to guiding future conservation efforts.

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Section: Components Of α-Diversitysupporting

confidence: 91%

Taxonomic and functional homogenization of butterfly communities along an urban gradient

Rivest,

Kharouba

2024

Insect Conserv Diversity

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“…Urban areas can also protect native species, such as the Grey-headed Flying-fox (Pteropus poliocephalus) foraging in Melbourne, Australia, in ways that non-urban areas cannot afford to fund [54]. Moreover, even successful urban non-natives may be of conservation concern because of habitat declines within their native distribution range [55,56].…”

Section: Protecting Local Biodiversitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Opportunities for Biodiversity Conservation via Urban Ecosystem Regeneration

Perry,

Cox

2024

Diversity

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Conservation traditionally focuses on at-risk species and relatively intact ecosystems. As the human population and our global impact have risen, many more species and ecosystems are at risk and fewer intact ecosystems remain, with urbanization being a major contributing factor. Cities and their inhabitants are here to stay, and the prevalence of urbanization, often in the vicinity of areas of high conservation value, requires reconsideration of the conservation value of urban ecosystems and urban green spaces. Our aim is to explore the practical aspects of such actions. Urban ecosystem regeneration will require the incorporation of strategies for urban ecosystem regeneration into an overall conservation policy. The novel paradigm of urban ecosystem regeneration, advocated here, maximizes the capacity of urban spaces to support biodiversity while reducing undesirable outcomes and enhancing human wellbeing. The potential for cities to exacerbate biological invasion, climate change, and other ecosystem-degrading factors requires particular attention in devising a strategy for conservation in urban spaces, made essential by the predicted further spread of cities across the globe.

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“…This butter y thus provides a striking example of an invasive species enriching urban faunas locally, but at the same time making urban biodiversity more homogeneous at a broad spatial scale (Rahel 2002 Our work raises the question how urban environments facilitate the establishment of P. mannii. The answer must partly be related to the larval host plants (see also Dexheimer and Despland 2023). Based on eld observations, this butter y has been speculated to have broadened its host plant repertoire within the invaded range (Geier 2016; Köhler 2021).…”

Section: Dispersal and Longevitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Invasion of Pieris mannii butterflies across Central Europe facilitated by urbanization

RUFFENER,

MATTHEY-DE-L’ENDROIT,

BERNER

2023

Preprint

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Urbanization progresses world-wide and the frequency of biological invasions increases. Understanding to what extent urban environments facilitate biological invasions and how this affects ecosystems within and outside urbanized areas thus becomes crucial. We here examine the role of urban environments in the invasion of the butterfly Pieris mannii that expanded across Central Europe within the last two decades. Using standardized butterfly captures at paired urban and (semi)natural field sites within the invaded range in Switzerland, we demonstrate that P. mannii is strongly associated with cities and towns. At least at some urban localities, this species is now the most common butterfly, and abundances tend to be particularly high where urban areas are large. Urbanization has thus clearly promoted the species’ rapid invasion because this butterfly is pre-adapted to non-native host plants common in urban environments, and perhaps also to the physical structure of urban habitats. Studying phenology over an entire season, we further infer that P. mannii has up to six generations per year, which may allow the species to adjust its life cycle to changing season length during northward expansion. Elucidating the origin of the range-expansive population and investigating potential ecological consequences of the invasion are exciting next steps to understanding this butterfly invasion.

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Newly introduced butterfly species’ urban habitat use driven by shorter vegetation and exotic plants

Cited by 4 publications

References 33 publications

Taxonomic and functional homogenization of butterfly communities along an urban gradient

Taxonomic and functional homogenization of butterfly communities along an urban gradient

Opportunities for Biodiversity Conservation via Urban Ecosystem Regeneration

Invasion of Pieris mannii butterflies across Central Europe facilitated by urbanization

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