The effect of habitat on insect movements: experimental evidence from wild-caught butterflies

Marcantonio, Matteo; Voda, Raluca; Da Re, Daniele; Igot, Quentin; Dennis, Roger L.H.; Vielfaure, Aurélien; Vanwambeke, Sophie O.; Nieberding, Caroline M.. 2023 The effect of habitat on insect movements: experimental evidence from wild-caught butterflies. Insects, 14 (9), 737. 17, pp. 10.3390/insects14090737

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Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/insects14090737

Abstract/Summary

There is broad evidence that the main driver of the ongoing biodiversity crisis is land-use change, which reduces and fragments habitats. The consequence of habitat fragmentation on behavioural responses of fitness-related traits in insects have been so far understudied. In herbivorous insects, oviposition-related behaviours determine access to larval food, and the fate of the next generation. We present a pilot study to assess differences in behaviours related to movement and oviposition in Limenitis camilla butterflies from Wallonia (Belgium), one of the most fragmented regions in Europe. We first quantified variation in functional habitat connectivity across Wallonia and found that fragmented habitats had more abundant, but less evenly distributed host plants of L. camilla. Secondly, we quantified the behaviours of field-caught L. camilla females originating from habitats with contrasted landscape connectivity in an outdoor experimental setting. We found differences in behaviours related to flight investment: butterflies from fragmented woodlands spent more time in departing flight, which we associated with dispersal, than butterflies from homogenous woodlands. Although results from this study should be interpreted with caution given the limited sample size, they provide valuable insights for the advancement of behavioural research that aims to assess the effects of global changes on insects.

Item Type:	Publication - Article
Digital Object Identifier (DOI):	10.3390/insects14090737
UKCEH and CEH Sections/Science Areas:	UKCEH Fellows
ISSN:	2075-4450
Additional Information. Not used in RCUK Gateway to Research.:	Open Access paper - full text available via Official URL link.
Additional Keywords:	behavioural ecology, oviposition site selection, butterflies, habitat fragmentation, land-use changes, Limenitis camilla
NORA Subject Terms:	Ecology and Environment Zoology
Related URLs:	Dataset
Date made live:	09 Nov 2023 12:52 +0 (UTC)
URI:	https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/536037

Item Type:

Publication - Article

Digital Object Identifier (DOI):

10.3390/insects14090737

UKCEH and CEH Sections/Science Areas:

UKCEH Fellows

ISSN:

2075-4450

Additional Information. Not used in RCUK Gateway to Research.:

Open Access paper - full text available via Official URL link.

Additional Keywords:

behavioural ecology, oviposition site selection, butterflies, habitat fragmentation, land-use changes, Limenitis camilla