Consequences for selected high-elevation butterflies and moths from the spread of Pinus mugo into the alpine zone in the High Sudetes Mountains

Homogenization of bryophyte species after alpine grassland restoration

The causes of decreasing plant species richness include abandonment of traditional management and the spread of invasive species, even in alpine habitats. Studies on the restoration and management of alpine habitats are predominantly focused on vascular plants, although an important part of alpine vegetation and its diversity is formed by bryophytes. We used bryophytes to indicate changes that occur after the clearcutting of nonindigenous dwarf pine (Pinus mugo Turra) and attempted to reveal the community to which the development of bryophyte species structure was directed. We compared species richness and composition between surveys to test for changes in spatial heterogeneity bryophyte communities. We also tried to reveal the main ecological drivers of the restoration process. The study was performed in the (sub)alpine area of the Eastern High Sudetes Mts. (the Czech Republic). We estimated bryophyte species cover and compared the composition of the bryophyte community in autochthonous grassland areas, areas under the dwarf pine canopy, and clearcut areas to reveal the pattern of shifts 9 years after the treatment. We also measured soil characteristics to reveal the environmental habitat conditions. Evidence of taxonomic homogenization of habitat after dwarf pine removal was found. Light conditions and attributes of litter were the driving factors of successional changes in the bryophyte communities, which led to taxonomic homogenization. This finding explains the slow restoration process due to dwarf pine legacy on the clearcut area. The succession trends were also shaped by unobserved factors, such as climate change and environmental eutrophication. We highly recommended active management and long-term monitoring.

Climate change effects on animal ecology: butterflies and moths as a case study

Butterflies and moths (Lepidoptera) are one of the most studied, diverse, and widespread animal groups, making them an ideal model for climate change research. They are a particularly informative model for studying the effects of climate change on species ecology because they are ectotherms that thermoregulate with a suite of physiological, behavioural, and phenotypic traits. While some species have been negatively impacted by climatic disturbances, others have prospered, largely in accordance with their diversity in life-history traits. Here we take advantage of a large repertoire of studies on butterflies and moths to provide a review of the many ways in which climate change is impacting insects, animals, and ecosystems. By studying these climate-based impacts on ecological processes of Lepidoptera, we propose appropriate strategies for species conservation and habitat management broadly across animals.

Low winter precipitation, but not warm autumns and springs, threatens mountain butterflies in middle-high mountains

Low-elevation mountains represent unique model systems to study species endangered by climate warming, such as subalpine and alpine species of butterflies. We aimed to test the effect of climate variables experienced by Erebia butterflies during their development on adult abundances and phenology, targeting the key climate factors determining the population dynamics of mountain insects. We analysed data from a long-term monitoring of adults of two subalpine and alpine butterfly species, Erebia epiphron and E. sudetica (Nymphalidae: Satyrinae) in the Jeseník Mts and Krkonoše Mts (Czech Republic). Our data revealed consistent patterns in their responses to climatic conditions. Lower precipitation (i.e., less snow cover) experienced by overwintering larvae decreases subsequent adult abundances. Conversely, warmer autumns and warmer and drier springs during the active larval phase increase adult abundances and lead to earlier onset and extended duration of the flight season. The population trends of these mountain butterflies are stable or even increasing. On the background of generally increasing temperatures within the mountain ranges, population stability indicates dynamic equilibrium of positive and detrimental consequences of climate warming among different life history stages. These contradictory effects warn against simplistic predictions of climate change consequences on mountain species based only on predicted increases in average temperature. Microclimate variability may facilitate the survival of mountain insect populations, however the availability of suitable habitats will strongly depend on the management of mountain grasslands.