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Updated: Mar 6, 2026

Deploying Community Scientists to Conduct Nondestructive Genetic Sampling of Rare Butterfly Populations
Published on: October 28, 2022
Distributions of occupied and vacant butterfly habitats in fragmented landscapes
C D Thomas1, J A Thomas2, M S Warren3
1NERC Centre for Population Biology, Imperial College, Silwood Park, SL5 7PY, Ascot, Berks, UK.
Abstract:
We found several rare UK butterflies to be restricted to relatively large and non-isolated habitat patches, while small patches and those that are isolated from population sources remain vacant. These patterns of occurrence are generated by the dynamic processes of local extinction and colonization. Habitat patches act as terrestrial archipelagos in which long-term population persistence, and hence effective long-term conservation, rely on networks of suitable habitats, sufficiently close to allow natural dispersal.
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