Restoring a butterfly hot spot by large ungulates refaunation: The case of the Milovice military training range, Czech Republic

Abstract

Background: Refaunation by large ungulates represents a cost-efficient approach to managing natural biotopes. We studied butterflies inhabiting grasslands of the former Milovice military training range in the Czech Republic, grazed since 2015 by a combination of Exmoor pony (“wild” horse), Tauros cattle (“aurochs”) and European wisent. Methods: We compared presence-absence patterns from two surveys preceding the refaunation, one immediately after military use termination (early 1990s), the other prior to the refaunation (2009), with the current (2016–19) results of monitoring 8 grazed and 8 ungrazed plots. We analysed the life history, climatic and conservation-related traits of recorded butterflies to gain insights into the ungulates’ impacts. Results: Following the termination of military use, several poorly mobile species displaying broad oceanity niches were lost. Newly gained species are more mobile and prefer warmer continental conditions. Currently, numbers of butterfly species do not differ between refaunated and neglected plots, but the former hosted higher abundances. Butterflies developing on coarse grasses and shrubs inclined towards neglected plots, whereas refaunated plots supported species developing on small forbs. Conclusion: The changes in species composition following the cessation of military use are attributable to successional change, coupled with climate-driven expansion of thermophilous and mobile species. By blocking succession, large ungulates support butterflies depending on competitively poor plants. Preserving butterflies of late-successional stages is ensured by the diverse setting of the reserves and by the relatively low ungulate densities.

The isolated Erebia pandrose Apennine population is genetically unique and endangered by climate change

“…A series of studies showed that hibernating larvae of high elevation Erebia species are less tolerant to cold (freeze‐avoidant) because they are adapted to survive the winter under a snow cover, while low elevation species exposed to unpredictable snow cover are freeze‐tolerant (Vrba et al ., 2012, 2017; Konvicka et al ., 2021). Erebia pandrose can be considered as a high elevation Erebia species since it tends to occur above 2000 m (Fig.…”

“…Erebia populations living in high elevation areas are considered at risk because they rely on snow cover to resist the extremely cold mountain winter (Vrba et al, 2012(Vrba et al, , 2017Konvic ˇka et al, 2021). Thus, according to the typical orophilous and chionophilous character of Erebia, we selected the following variables: temperature annual range between the coldest and the warmest month, mean temperature of the coldest quarter, annual precipitation, and precipitation of the coldest quarter.…”

“…During glaciations, Erebia populations occupied refugial areas represented by humid climate environments around wetter margins of glaciated high mountain systems and coniferous mountain forests (Peña et al ., 2015). Erebia species inhabiting the European mountains typically include highly isolated, small populations strongly threatened by the ongoing increases in temperatures (Minter et al ., 2020; Konvicka et al ., 2021). Although elevational shifts allow species to persist in areas within their physiological range, insect populations shifting to higher elevations can run into various problems, such as anoxia, reduced resources, and negative interactions with the species of the recipient communities (Cerasoli et al ., 2020; Hülber et al ., 2020; Shah et al ., 2020).…”