Diversity and Abundance of Butterfly Communities in the Amazon

Several factors interact and influence the distribution, abundance, and diversity of organisms, including environmental conditions and the availability of resources. Among important environmental factors are disturbances, natural or otherwise that cause habitat degradation. It is important to monitor these changes in conservation-oriented studies because habitat degradation can adversely affect diversity (so that only a few common species remain) or abundance (so that species have markedly reduced abundances). Butterflies are possibly the best group for assessing and monitoring patterns of terrestrial arthropod diversity. Butterfly biology and taxonomy are well known, and an estimated 90% of species are described. Deforestation and human activity directly affect butterfly population structures because they usually reduce oviposition sites and change habitat characteristics necessary for reproductive processes, such as sunlight level, temperature, and relative humidity. It is known that some butterflies are characteristic of disturbed areas, whereas others can only be found in relatively undisturbed sites. Therefore, the analysis of variation in the composition and structure of butterfly communities in protected areas is a powerful conservation biology tool for monitoring habitat changes. Conservation and management plans are usually based on vertebrate and plant data, but patterns of insect diversity are quite different from those of other groups and should also be used when management decisions are made.

This project aims to estimate butterfly diversity in Amazonian sites subjected to different levels of deforestation (high-impact and low-impact logging). These diversity data will show if there are significant differences between areas, and seasonally within one area, to be used to infer levels of disturbance. The data can then be used in conservation and restoration of these and other areas.

Participants: A. Caldas