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Movement of two grassland butterflies in the same habitat network: the role of adult resources and size of the study area
Author(s) -
Schneider Christine,
Dover John,
Fry Gary L. A.
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
ecological entomology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.865
H-Index - 81
eISSN - 1365-2311
pISSN - 0307-6946
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-2311.2003.00494.x
Subject(s) - habitat , grassland , abundance (ecology) , biology , ecology , butterfly , movement (music) , mark and recapture , demography , population , philosophy , sociology , aesthetics
. 1. Movement patterns of two butterfly species (meadow brownManiola jurtinaL. and scarce copperLycaenae virgaureae L.) were studied in a 172 ha area within a landscape with a high percentage of suitable habitats for mark–release–recapture experiments. 2. Adult resource density, but not patch size or larval food plant abundance, influenced the numbers and the fractions of residents, emigrants, and immigrants. 3. Differences between species were observed in movement frequency and maximum distances moved but not in mean distances moved. 4. The scarce copper showed much greater movement ability than expected from the results of published studies. This is believed to be a result of the comparatively large size of the study area and the high cover of suitable habitat (>50%). 5. The mean and maximum distances travelled by butterflies reflected differences in the size of the study area.