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Abstract

The relationship between butterfly diversity and both habitat and landscape variables was studied in two areas of southern Sweden. The habitat quality of the grasslands was similar in the two study areas but the landscape pattern differed in grain size and amount of grassland and forest. Using a transect survey method, a total of 3341 butterflies were observed and 30 taxa identified. We found that both habitat and landscape variables influenced the butterfly diversity of the investigated grasslands. Species composition differed markedly between the two study areas. A study area with a fine-grained landscape pattern, a high cover of semi-natural grassland and many forest edges had twice as many butterfly species but half the number of individuals compared with a coarser-grained study area with larger grasslands widely spread in a matrix of arable fields. The results of our study indicate that both habitat quality and landscape pattern have to be considered when developing conservation strategies for grassland butterflies.

Keywords

butterfly diversity; grassland management; grain size; landscape pattern; Sweden

Published in

Journal of Insect Conservation
2001, volume: 5, number: 3, pages: 163-171

UKÄ Subject classification

Environmental Sciences and Nature Conservation

Publication identifier

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1017932931192

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/20633