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Butterfly distribution in fragmented landscapes containing agroforestry practices in Southeastern Brazil

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Abstract

Agroforestry practices, such as Shaded Coffee and Homegardens, may provide habitat for forest butterflies and contribute to their conservation in fragmented agricultural landscapes. To determine the influence of agroforestry practices in an agricultural mosaic, the distribution of fruit-feeding butterflies was studied using a systematic approach that compared butterfly species richness in six land-use practices (Eucalyptus [Eucalyptus spp.], Shaded Coffee, Homegardens, Secondary Growth, Pastures, and monocultures of Cassava [Manihot esculenta] and Sugarcane [Saccharum officinarum]), and in natural habitat (secondary Forest Edge and Interior) in two study areas (agricultural landscapes). In each study area, Van Someren-Rydon butterfly traps were placed as a grid every 150 m, creating quadrants of 2.2 and 2.4 km2 that encompassed the different land-use practices. Land-use, plot area, number of traps and distance to the forest were set as covariates to compare species richness values. Butterfly species composition was compared using linear discriminant analysis (LDA). With the exception of Pastures, Cassava and Sugarcane, significant differences were not identified between the rest of the agricultural land-use practices and the forest habitats (edge and interior). The species composition in the agricultural practices was however, different to that found in forest habitats. Overall, Shaded Coffee practices that represent long-term mixed tree and crop stands have a better potential of conserving forest butterfly species compared to monoculture practices.

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Acknowledgments

The funding sources for the study include the School of Forest Resources and Conservation, the Tropical Conservation and Development Program, and the Working Forest in the Tropics Program, all at the University of Florida; the South Eastern Alliance of Graduate Students and Professoriate (SEAGEP), and the National Security Education Program Boren Fellowship. We are also grateful to the Institute for Ecological Research (IPE), Brazil, and its staff, well as to the Science Partners in Inquiry-based Collaborative Education GK-12 program, and the School of Agribusiness and Agriscience at Middle Tennessee State University. We would also like to acknowledge Purdue University’s statistical consulting services for their assistance with the statistical analyses.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Forest Resources and Conservation, University of Florida, Newins-Ziegler Hall, PO Box 110410, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA

    Wendy Francesconi & P. K. R. Nair

  2. Department of Biology, University of Florida, PO Box 118525, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA

    Douglas J. Levey

  3. National Science Foundation, 4201 Wilson Blvd, Arlington, VA, 22230, USA

    Douglas J. Levey

  4. Department of Entomology and Nematology, University of Florida, PO Box 110620, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA

    Jaret Daniels

  5. Instituto de Pesquisas Ecológicas (IPÊ) Rod. Dom Pedro I, Hm47, Nazaré Paulista, SP, Brazil

    Laury Cullen Jr.

  6. National Soil Erosion Research Laboratory, 275 South Russell Street, West Lafayette, IN, 47907-2077, USA

    Wendy Francesconi

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  1. Wendy Francesconi
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Correspondence to Wendy Francesconi.

Appendix

Appendix

See Tables 4 and 5

Table 4 List of butterfly species at Agua Sumida
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Table 5 List of butterfly species at Riberão Bonito
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Francesconi, W., Nair, P.K.R., Levey, D.J. et al. Butterfly distribution in fragmented landscapes containing agroforestry practices in Southeastern Brazil. Agroforest Syst 87, 1321–1338 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10457-013-9640-y

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