The changing status of the Chalkhill Blue butterfly Polyommatus coridon in the UK: the impacts of conservation policies and environmental factors

Brereton, Tom; Warren, M. S.; Roy, David B.; Stewart, Katherine

doi:10.1007/s10841-007-9099-0

Cited by 39 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…and large distances between conspecific habitat fragments (Murphy & Lovett-Doust, 2004;Tscharntke & Brandl, 2004). Chalk-hill Blue is considered a sedentary species (Cowley et al, 2001;Brereton et al, 2008). A study based on mark-release-recapture (MRR) conducted on Chalk-hill Blue inhabiting south-west Germany confirmed this statement (only 3.2% of the recaptured individuals moved between patches; Schmitt et al, 2006).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Increasing patch area, proximity of human settlement and larval food plants positively affect the occurrence and local population size of the habitat specialist butterfly Polyommatus coridon (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) in fragmented calcareous grasslands

Rosin¹,

Skórka²,

Lenda³

et al. 2011

Eur. J. Entomol.

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Abstract. Which factors influence the occurrence, population size and density of species in fragmented habitat patches are key questions in population and conservation ecology. Metapopulation theory predicts that larger and less isolated habitat patches should positively influence species occurrence and population size. However, recent studies have shown that habitat quality, human activity and permeability of the landscape surrounding habitat patches may be also important. In this paper we test the relative effects of habitat patch characteristics, human settlement and landscape permeability on the occurrence, local population size and density of the Chalk-hill Blue Polyommatus coridon a charismatic butterfly inhabiting calcareous grasslands in a fragmented landscape in southern Poland. Patch occupancy rate (corrected for the butterfly detection probability) was 0.45. Habitat patch area, proximity of human settlement and cover of larval food plants positively affected occurrence of the Chalk-hill Blue. Local population size of the Chalk-hill Blue was positively affected by patch area and proximity of human settlement, and negatively by patch isolation. Local density was higher in patches located close to human settlement. Our study is one of the few showing a positive effect of human settlement on a grassland specialist butterfly although the mechanism hidden behind this phenomenon is unknown and requires further examination. In order to maintain local populations of the Chalk-hill Blue in southern Poland, conservation action should be focused on large, closely connected calcareous grasslands. Moreover, extensive management of this habitat should be maintained by local inhabitants who are better placed to undertake such work.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Increasing patch area, proximity of human settlement and larval food plants positively affect the occurrence and local population size of the habitat specialist butterfly Polyommatus coridon (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) in fragmented calcareous grasslands

Rosin¹,

Skórka²,

Lenda³

et al. 2011

Eur. J. Entomol.

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“…The effects of various methods of grassland management on invertebrates are currently intensively studied throughout Europe in connection with the EU agricultural policy reform, which aims to reward farmers for biologically more benign farming (Critchley et al 2004;Kuussaari et al 2007;Brereton et al 2008). Some studies targeted entire landscapes, comparing management impacts on insects over large scales (Bergman et al 2004;Wickramasinghe et al 2004).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Moths and management of a grassland reserve: regular mowing and temporary abandonment support different species

Šumpich

Konvička

2012

Biologia

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Although reserves of temperate seminatural grassland require management interventions to prevent succesional change, each intervention affects the populations of sensitive organisms, including insects. Therefore, it appears as a wise bet-hedging strategy to manage reserves in diverse and patchy manners. Using portable light traps, we surveyed the effects of two contrasting management options, mowing and temporary abandonment, applied in a humid grassland reserve in a submountain area of the Czech Republic. Besides of Macrolepidoptera, we also surveyed Microlepidoptera, small moths rarely considered in community studies. Numbers of individiuals and species were similar in the two treatments, but ordionation analyses showed that catches originating from these two treatments differed in species composition, management alone explaining ca 30 per cent of variation both for all moths and if split to Marcolepidoptera and Microlepidoptera. Whereas a majority of macrolepidopteran humid grassland specialists preferred unmown sections or displayed no association with management, microlepidopteran humid grassland specialists contained equal representation of species inclining towards mown and unmown sections. We thus revealed that even mown section may host valuable species; an observation which would not have been detected had we considered Macrolepidoptera only. Our results highlight the necessity of diversified management, including temporary abandonment, to conserve the biodiversity of grassland reserves and grasslands in general.

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“…Polyommatus coridon (Poda, 1761) and P. bellargus (Rottemburg, 1775) represent a pair of lycaenid butterflies sharing an identical host plant, in which the former one is univoltine and fares quite well across Western Europe, whereas the latter is bivoltine and declining (cf. Bourn & Thomas 2002;Brereton et al 2008). Roy & Thomas (2003) reported that P. bellargus requires more diversified sward and microclimatic conditions to meet larval development needs during two climatically different periods of the year, high summer and early spring.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the model group of butterflies, one third of European species is declining (Van Swaay et al 2010) and even worse situation applies in individual countries, such as the Czech Republic, where declines have affected about half the fauna (Beneš et al 2002;Konvička et al 2006). Species of seminatural grasslands rank among the most severely affected ones, because these biotopes have been maintained for centuries by traditional, and now obsolete, land use techniques (Brereton et al 2008;Poschlod et al 2005). Xeric grasslands of Northern and Central Europe, where many species find their northern distribution margins, seem to be particularly suffering due to the concentration of such grasslands in warm regions suitable for intensive agriculture (Kadlec et al 2010;Thomas 1993).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

How life history affects threat status: Requirements of two Onobrychis-feeding lycaenid butterflies, Polyommatus damon and Polyommatus thersites, in the Czech Republic

et al. 2012

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Comparisons of related species differing in conservation status may offer insights into causes of species declines. We studied egg-laying patterns and landscape occupancy of two sympatric lycaenidae butterflies inhabiting xeric grasslands, vulnerable Polyommatus thersites and critically endangered Polyommatus [Agrodiaetus] damon, both developing on sainfoin, Onobrychis spp. Females of bivoltine P. thersites oviposit on host plant leaves at a relatively low height (≈20 cm), in both spring (May-June) and summer (July-August) generations. Females of univoltine P. damon (July-September) oviposit to senescing inflorescences, in significantly higher heights (>30 cm), and the species is hence vulnerable to summer mowing or grazing. On a landscape scale, both species tended to occur at sites with diverse sward management, including temporarily unmanaged patches. In addition, P. damon occurred only in the proximity of other occupied sites. The study documents that grassland management must respect the needs of the most vulnerable species, and because these needs are seldom known, it must maintain a high diversity of conditions within individual sites.

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The changing status of the Chalkhill Blue butterfly Polyommatus coridon in the UK: the impacts of conservation policies and environmental factors

Cited by 39 publications

References 34 publications

Increasing patch area, proximity of human settlement and larval food plants positively affect the occurrence and local population size of the habitat specialist butterfly Polyommatus coridon (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) in fragmented calcareous grasslands

Increasing patch area, proximity of human settlement and larval food plants positively affect the occurrence and local population size of the habitat specialist butterfly Polyommatus coridon (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) in fragmented calcareous grasslands

Moths and management of a grassland reserve: regular mowing and temporary abandonment support different species

How life history affects threat status: Requirements of two Onobrychis-feeding lycaenid butterflies, Polyommatus damon and Polyommatus thersites, in the Czech Republic

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