Traits of butterfly communities change from specialist to generalist characteristics with increasing land-use intensity
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Traits of butterfly communities change from specialist to generalist characteristics with increasing land-use intensity. / Börschig, Carmen; Klein, Alexandra-Maria; von Wehrden, Henrik et al.
In: Basic and Applied Ecology, Vol. 14, No. 7, 11.2013, p. 547–554.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Traits of butterfly communities change from specialist to generalist characteristics with increasing land-use intensity
AU - Börschig, Carmen
AU - Klein, Alexandra-Maria
AU - von Wehrden, Henrik
AU - Krauss, Jochen
PY - 2013/11
Y1 - 2013/11
N2 - Land-use intensification leads to species loss and shifts in community composition, but only few studies examine how these dynamics affect ecological and life-history traits. We thus investigated whether ecological and life-history traits differ between butterfly communities of grasslands with different land-use intensity. We conducted butterfly transect surveys in 137 grassland sites in three regions of Germany and compiled 10 species-specific ecological and life-history traits from the literature. These traits are associated with food plant specialisation, dispersal, distribution, reproduction and development. We calculated a land-use intensity gradient based on the amount of fertilise mowing frequency and grazing intensity. We analysed differences of traits characteristics between butterfly communities along the land-use intensity gradient in a fourth-corner analysis, thus considering correlations between traits. Six ecological and life-history traits changed from characteristics associated with specialists to such associated with generalists with increasing land-use intensity. These traits characteristics in intensified grasslands were: high dispersal propensity, large distribution range, low population density, more than one generation per year, hibernation in a more advanced developmental stage and a long flight period. The functional homogenisation of the butterfly communities with changes from specialist to generalist trait characteristics with increasing land-use intensity may have severe consequences for ecosystem functioning and services.
AB - Land-use intensification leads to species loss and shifts in community composition, but only few studies examine how these dynamics affect ecological and life-history traits. We thus investigated whether ecological and life-history traits differ between butterfly communities of grasslands with different land-use intensity. We conducted butterfly transect surveys in 137 grassland sites in three regions of Germany and compiled 10 species-specific ecological and life-history traits from the literature. These traits are associated with food plant specialisation, dispersal, distribution, reproduction and development. We calculated a land-use intensity gradient based on the amount of fertilise mowing frequency and grazing intensity. We analysed differences of traits characteristics between butterfly communities along the land-use intensity gradient in a fourth-corner analysis, thus considering correlations between traits. Six ecological and life-history traits changed from characteristics associated with specialists to such associated with generalists with increasing land-use intensity. These traits characteristics in intensified grasslands were: high dispersal propensity, large distribution range, low population density, more than one generation per year, hibernation in a more advanced developmental stage and a long flight period. The functional homogenisation of the butterfly communities with changes from specialist to generalist trait characteristics with increasing land-use intensity may have severe consequences for ecosystem functioning and services.
KW - Biology
KW - Development
KW - Dispersal
KW - Distribution
KW - Flight period
KW - Grassland
KW - Life-history traits
KW - Population density
KW - Reproduction
KW - Voltinism
KW - Development
KW - Dispersal
KW - Distribution
KW - Flight period
KW - Grassland
KW - Life-history traits
KW - Population density
KW - Reproduction
KW - Voltinism
KW - Ecosystems Research
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84885425392&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.baae.2013.09.002
DO - 10.1016/j.baae.2013.09.002
M3 - Journal articles
AN - SCOPUS:84885425392
VL - 14
SP - 547
EP - 554
JO - Basic and Applied Ecology
JF - Basic and Applied Ecology
SN - 1439-1791
IS - 7
ER -