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Pignataro T, Lourenço GM, Beirão M, Cornelissen T. Wings are not perfect: increased wing asymmetry in a tropical butterfly as a response to forest fragmentation. THE SCIENCE OF NATURE - NATURWISSENSCHAFTEN 2023; 110:28. [PMID: 37289369 DOI: 10.1007/s00114-023-01856-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2023] [Revised: 05/18/2023] [Accepted: 05/24/2023] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Habitat fragmentation and ecosystem changes have the potential to affect animal populations in different ways. To effectively monitor these changes, biomonitoring tools have been developed and applied to detect changes in population structure and/or individual traits that reflect such changes. Fluctuating asymmetry (FA) represents random deviations from perfect symmetry in bilateral traits from perfect symmetry in response to genetic and/or environmental stresses. In this study, we evaluated the use of FA as a tool to monitor stress caused by forest fragmentation and edge formation, using the tropical butterfly M. helenor (Nymphalidae) as a model species. We collected adult butterflies from three fragments of Atlantic Forest in Brazil encompassing both edge and interior habitats. Four wing traits (wing length, wing width, ocelli area, and ocelli diameter) were evaluated. Butterflies captured at edge sites exhibited higher FA values for wing length and wing width compared to those captured at interior sites, whereas traits related to ocelli did not show differences between the two habitat types. Our results suggest that the differences in abiotic and biotic conditions between forest interior and edges can act as a source of stress, impacting the symmetry of flight-related traits. On the other hand, as ocelli are crucial for butterfly camouflage and counter-predator strategies, our results indicate that this trait may be more conserved. By employing FA, we identified trait-specific responses to habitat fragmentation, thus suggesting its potential as a biomarker for environmental stress that can be used in butterflies to monitor habitat quality and change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thaís Pignataro
- Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia, Conservação e Manejo de Vida Silvestre, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
- Centro de Síntese Ecológica e Conservação (CSEC), Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
| | - Giselle Martins Lourenço
- Centro de Síntese Ecológica e Conservação (CSEC), Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Ambientais, Instituto Ciências Naturais, Humanas e Sociais, Acervo Biológico da Amazônia Meridional, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso, Sinop, MT, Brazil
- Núcleo de Estudo da Biodiversidade da Amazônia Mato-grossense, Instituto Ciências Naturais, Humanas e Sociais, Acervo Biológico da Amazônia Meridional, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso, Sinop, MT, Brazil
| | - Marina Beirão
- Laboratório de Ecologia de Insetos, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
| | - Tatiana Cornelissen
- Centro de Síntese Ecológica e Conservação (CSEC), Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
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Schirmer SC, Gawryszewski FM, Cardoso MZ, Pessoa DMA. Melanism and color saturation of butterfly assemblages: A comparison between a tropical rainforest and a xeric white forest. Front Ecol Evol 2023. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2023.932755] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/18/2023] Open
Abstract
The study of butterfly coloration has helped to identify the ecological pressures involved in the evolution of animal coloration. However, almost all studies that addressed this issue have focused on species that inhabit more temperate environments, leaving the species and ecological factors of tropical regions mostly understudied. Here, our purpose was to evaluate whether butterfly assemblages from two distinct Neotropical biomes (i.e., tropical rainforest and xeric white forest) differ regarding their melanism and/or color saturation. Our hypotheses were that (1) tropical rainforest butterflies should be more melanic and color saturated, and that (2) butterflies from more open/arid tropical environments should be more melanic on their dorsal wing surfaces than on their ventral wings. Therefore, we quantified melanism and color saturation from dorsal and ventral surfaces of 121 different butterfly species. Comparisons show that rainforest butterflies, when contrasted to white forest butterflies, have more melanic dorsal wing surfaces, which might be seen as a form of protection against parasites. Our data also show that rainforest butterflies, but not white forest species, have darker dorsal wing surfaces, when compared to their own ventral surfaces, a trend that was also found for species inhabiting both biomes, which might be associated to thermoregulatory advantages. At last, our results also point that butterflies' dorsal wing sides present a higher variance between species (regardless of Biome), when compared to their own ventral wing side, an indication that some ecological factor (e.g., predation avoidance) might be exerting a strong homogenizing force on ventral wing coloration.
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Oliveira IF, Baccaro FB, Werneck FP, Haugaasen T. Seasonal flooding decreases fruit-feeding butterfly species dominance and increases spatial turnover in floodplain forests of central Amazonia. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e9718. [PMID: 36620401 PMCID: PMC9817189 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9718] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2022] [Revised: 12/12/2022] [Accepted: 12/19/2022] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
The seasonal flood pulse in Amazonia can be considered a primary driver of community structure in floodplain environments. Although this natural periodic disturbance is part of the landscape dynamics, the seasonal inundation presents a considerable challenge to organisms that inhabit floodplain forests. The present study investigated the effect of seasonal flooding on fruit-feeding butterfly assemblages in different forest types and strata in central Amazonia. We sampled fruit-feeding butterflies in the canopy and the understory using baited traps in adjacent upland (unflooded forests-terra firme), white and blackwater floodplain forests (várzea and igapó, respectively) during the low- and high-water seasons. Butterfly abundance decreased in the high-water season, especially of dominant species in várzea, but the number of species was similar between seasons in the three forest types. Species composition differed between strata in all forest types. However, the flood pulse only affected butterfly assemblages in várzea forest. The β-diversity components also differed only in várzea. Species replacement (turnover) dominated the spatial β-diversity in igapó and terra firme in both seasons and várzea in the high-water season. Nonetheless, nestedness was relatively higher in várzea forests during the low-water season, mainly due to the effect of dominant species. These results emphasize the importance of seasonal flooding to structure butterfly assemblages in floodplain forests and reveal the idiosyncrasy of butterfly community responses to flooding in different forest types. Our results also suggest that any major and rapid changes to the hydrological regime could severely affect floodplain communities adapted to this natural seasonal hydrological cycle, threatening the existence of these unique environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabela Freitas Oliveira
- Programa de Pós‐Graduação em EcologiaInstituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia – INPAManausBrazil,Ecosystem Modeling, Center for Computational and Theoretical Biology (CCTB)University of WürzburgWürzburgGermany,Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource ManagementNorwegian University of Life Sciences – NMBUÅsNorway
| | | | - Fernanda P. Werneck
- Coordenação de Biodiversidade, Programa de Coleções Científicas BiológicasInstituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia – INPAManausBrazil
| | - Torbjørn Haugaasen
- Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource ManagementNorwegian University of Life Sciences – NMBUÅsNorway
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Bellaver J, Romanowski HP, Richter A, Iserhard CA. Living on the edge: The use of fruit‐feeding butterflies to evaluate edge effect on subtropical assemblages. AUSTRAL ECOL 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/aec.13261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Juliane Bellaver
- Programa de Pós‐Graduação em Biologia Animal Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul Porto Alegre Brazil
| | - Helena Piccoli Romanowski
- Programa de Pós‐Graduação em Biologia Animal Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul Porto Alegre Brazil
| | - Aline Richter
- Departamento de Ecologia Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul Porto Alegre Brazil
| | - Cristiano Agra Iserhard
- Programa de Pós‐Graduação em Biodiversidade Animal Universidade Federal de Pelotas Pelotas Brazil
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Abstract
Natural habitats are increasingly affected by anthropogenically driven environmental changes resulting from habitat destruction, chemical and light pollution, and climate change. Organisms inhabiting such habitats are faced with novel disturbances that can alter their modes of signaling. Coloration is one such sensory modality whose production, perception and function is being affected by human-induced disturbances. Animals that acquire pigment derivatives through diet are adversely impacted by the introduction of chemical pollutants into their environments as well as by general loss of natural habitat due to urbanization or logging leading to declines in pigment sources. Those species that do manage to produce color-based signals and displays may face disruptions to their signaling medium in the form of light pollution and turbidity. Furthermore, forest fragmentation and the resulting breaks in canopy cover can expose animals to predation due to the influx of light into previously dark environments. Global climate warming has been decreasing snow cover in arctic regions, causing birds and mammals that undergo seasonal molts to appear conspicuous against a snowless background. Ectotherms that rely on color for thermoregulation are under pressure to change their appearances. Rapid changes in habitat type through severe fire events or coral bleaching also challenge animals to match their backgrounds. Through this review, we aim to describe the wide-ranging impacts of anthropogenic environmental changes on visual ecology and suggest directions for the use of coloration both as an indicator of ecological change and as a tool for conservation.
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Mendes MF, Gottschalk MS, Corrêa RC, Valente-Gaiesky VLS. Functional traits for ecological studies: a review of characteristics of Drosophilidae (Diptera). COMMUNITY ECOL 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s42974-021-00060-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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Richter A, Nakamura G, Agra Iserhard C, da Silva Duarte L. The hidden side of diversity: Effects of imperfect detection on multiple dimensions of biodiversity. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:12508-12519. [PMID: 34594516 PMCID: PMC8462181 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7995] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2021] [Accepted: 07/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Studies on ecological communities often address patterns of species distribution and abundance, but few consider uncertainty in counts of both species and individuals when computing diversity measures.We evaluated the extent to which imperfect detection may influence patterns of taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic diversity in ecological communities.We estimated the true abundance of fruit-feeding butterflies sampled in canopy and understory strata in a subtropical forest. We compared the diversity values calculated by observed and estimated abundance data through the hidden diversity framework. This framework evaluates the deviation of observed diversity when compared with diversities derived from estimated true abundances and whether such deviation represents a bias or a noise in the observed diversity pattern.The hidden diversity values differed between strata for all diversity measures, except for functional richness. The taxonomic measure was the only one where we observed an inversion of the most diverse stratum when imperfect detection was included. Regarding phylogenetic and functional measures, the strata showed distinct responses to imperfect detection, despite the tendency to overestimate observed diversity. While the understory showed noise for the phylogenetic measure, since the observed pattern was maintained, the canopy had biased diversity for the functional metric. This bias occurred since no significant differences were found between strata for observed diversity, but rather for estimated diversity, with the canopy being more clustered.We demonstrate that ignore imperfect detection may lead to unrealistic estimates of diversity and hence to erroneous interpretations of patterns and processes that structure biological communities. For fruit-feeding butterflies, according to their phylogenetic position or functional traits, the undetected individuals triggered different responses in the relationship of the diversity measures to the environmental factor. This highlights the importance to evaluate and include the uncertainty in species detectability before calculating biodiversity measures to describe communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aline Richter
- Departamento de EcologiaUniversidade Federal do Rio Grande do SulPorto AlegreBrazil
| | - Gabriel Nakamura
- Departamento de BiologiaUniversidade Federal do CearáFortalezaBrazil
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Cezário RR, Lopez VM, Gorb S, Guillermo-Ferreira R. Dynamic iridescent signals of male copperwing damselflies coupled with wing-clapping displays: the perspective of different receivers. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/blab068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Dynamic signals are a widespread phenomenon in several taxa, usually associated with intraspecific communication. In contrast, dynamic iridescent signals are detectable only at specific angles of illumination; hence, the animal can hide the signal to avoid detection when necessary. This structural coloration is mostly dependent on the illumination, the contrast against the background and the vision of the receiver. Complex behavioural displays can be coupled with structural coloration to create dynamic visual signals that enhance these functions. Here, we address whether iridescence of the males of a damselfly that inhabits dark rainforests, Chalcopteryx scintillans, can be considered a dynamic visual signal. We analyse whether coloration is perceived by conspecifics, while reducing detectability to eavesdroppers against three types of backgrounds. Our results suggest that the visual background affects the detectability of male hindwings by different receivers, mostly predators and prey. We discuss whether these results and the angle dependence of colour could indicate a mechanism to avoid unwanted intraspecific interactions or even to lure both predators and prey. We conclude that the main functions of the dynamic iridescent signal are to communicate with conspecifics while hindering the signal for prey, adding evidence of the multifunctionality of structural coloration coupled with behavioural displays in animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rodrigo Roucourt Cezário
- Laboratory of Ecological Studies on Ethology and Evolution (LESTES Lab), Federal University of São Carlos, São Carlos, SP, Brazil
- Graduate program in Entomology, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
| | - Vinicius Marques Lopez
- Laboratory of Ecological Studies on Ethology and Evolution (LESTES Lab), Federal University of São Carlos, São Carlos, SP, Brazil
- Graduate program in Entomology, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
| | - Stanislav Gorb
- Department of Functional Morphology and Biomechanics, Zoological Institute, Kiel University, Am Botanischen Garten 1–9, D-24098 Kiel, Germany
| | - Rhainer Guillermo-Ferreira
- Laboratory of Ecological Studies on Ethology and Evolution (LESTES Lab), Federal University of São Carlos, São Carlos, SP, Brazil
- Graduate program in Entomology, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
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Leveau L. United colours of the city: A review about urbanisation impact on animal colours. AUSTRAL ECOL 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/aec.13005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Lucas Leveau
- Departamento de Ecología Genética y Evolución Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales Universidad de Buenos Aires – IEGEBA (CONICET – UBA) Ciudad Universitaria, Pab 2, Piso 4 Buenos Aires1426Argentina
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