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Sex-biased topography effects on butterfly dispersal
Elisa Plazio1, Terezie Bubová2, Vladimír Vrabec2
1Institute of Environmental Sciences, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 7, 30-387, Kraków, Poland. elisa.plazio@doctoral.uj.edu.pl.
Movement Ecology
|December 15, 2020
Summary
Landscape topography significantly impacts butterfly dispersal, with females avoiding hills and males showing less topographical constraint. This sex-specific dispersal influences metapopulation connectivity and conservation strategies.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Landscape Ecology
- Conservation Biology
Background:
- Metapopulation persistence relies on individual dispersal between populations.
- Landscape topography, often overlooked, can significantly influence dispersal patterns.
- Sex-specific reproductive strategies may lead to differential responses to topographical constraints.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate sex-biased effects of landscape topography on butterfly dispersal.
- To test if females avoid hill crossing and if male dispersal is mainly driven by habitat patch geometry.
- To understand how topography influences movement probabilities between habitat patches.
Main Methods:
- Conducted mark-recapture surveys of Maculinea butterflies in a hilly landscape.
- Utilized multi-state recapture models to analyze sex-specific inter-patch movement probabilities.
- Compared dispersal kernels based on Euclidean versus topography-based (valley) distances.
Main Results:
- Euclidean distance predicted male movement better, while valley-based distance predicted female movement.
- Females exhibited significantly lower probabilities of movement across hills compared to males.
- Butterflies predominantly followed valleys when dispersing, especially females.
Conclusions:
- Topography significantly restricts female dispersal but not male dispersal.
- Sex-specific dispersal patterns influenced by topography have implications for metapopulation functioning.
- Conservation strategies must consider topographical effects on female dispersal for maintaining metapopulation connectivity.
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