Dispersal, Colonization Power and Metapopulation Structure in the Vulnerable Butterfly Proclossiana eunomia (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae)

1. Mark-release-recapture (MRR) surveys of Proclossiana eunomia conducted in 1992 and 1993 in the Belgian Ardennes, and in 1993 in the Pyrenees revealed that 8-16% of recaptures occurred after a movement of more than 200 m on unfavourable habitat. 2. The spread of P. eunomia following its introducti...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of applied ecology 1996, Vol.33 (1), p.14-22
Main Authors: Neve, Gabriel, Barascud, Bernard, Hughes, Rosemary, Aubert, Josiane, Descimon, Henri, Lebrun, Philippe, Baguette, Michel
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal, plant and microbial ecology
Applied ecology
Biological and medical sciences
Butterflies
Conservation biology
Conservation, protection and management of environment and wildlife
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Habitat conservation
Habitats
Human ecology
Insect ecology
Lepidoptera
Metapopulation ecology
Nymphalidae
Parks, reserves, wildlife conservation. Endangered species: population survey and restocking
Population ecology
Wildlife conservation
Citations: Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:1. Mark-release-recapture (MRR) surveys of Proclossiana eunomia conducted in 1992 and 1993 in the Belgian Ardennes, and in 1993 in the Pyrenees revealed that 8-16% of recaptures occurred after a movement of more than 200 m on unfavourable habitat. 2. The spread of P. eunomia following its introduction in Morvan (central France) 20 years ago shows a colonization speed of 1-3 km per favourable year (i.e. sunny weather during the imago flying season) and average 0.4 km year-1over a 25-year period. 3. Both MRR and introduction studies suggest a hierarchical nested metapopulation structure, movements being free within habitat patches, common between neighbouring patches and significant between river basins, ensuring population cohesion at the regional scale. 4. The establishment of a network of populations (metapopulation) within 5 years of the original introduction shows that (re)colonization of empty habitat patches around refuge/introduction sites may be effective and quick. High dispersal rate as well as the dynamics of P. eunomia's metapopulations suggest that a network of suitable habitat patches is necessary for the long-run conservation of this vulnerable species.
ISSN:0021-8901
1365-2664
DOI:10.2307/2405011