Metapopulation dynamics of the bog fritillary butterfly: Modelling the effect of habitat fragmentation

[en] Population viability analysis (PVA) and metapopulation theory are valuable tools to model the dynamics of spatially structured populations. In this article we used a spatially realistic population dynamic model to simulate the trajectory of a Proclossiana eunomia metapopulation in a network of habitat patches located in the Belgian Ardenne. Sensitivity analysis was used to evaluate the relative influence of the different parameters on the model output. We simulated habitat loss by removing a percentage of the original habitat, proportionally in each habitat patch. Additionally, we evaluated isolation and fragmentation effects by removing and dividing habitat parches from the network, respectively. The model predicted a slow decline of the metapopulation size and occupancy. Extinction risks predicted by the model were highly sensitive to environmental stochasticity and carrying capacity. For a determined level of habitat destruction, the expected lifetime of the metapopulation was highly dependent on the spatial configuration of the landscape. Moreover, when the proportion of removed habitat is above 40% of the original habitat, the loss of whole patches invariably leads to the strongest reduction in metapopulation viability. © 2002 Éditions scientifiques et médicales Elsevier SAS. All rights reserved.

Disciplines :

Environmental sciences & ecology

Author, co-author :

Sawchik, J.; Biodiversity Research Centre, Universite Catholique de Louvain, Louvain, Belgium, Seccion Ecologia Terrestre, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la Republica, Iguá 4225, 11400 Montevideo, Uruguay

Dufrêne, Marc ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Forêts, Nature et Paysage > Biodiversité et Paysage

Lebrun, Philippe

Schtickzelle, N.; Biodiversity Research Centre, Universite Catholique de Louvain, Louvain, Belgium

Baguette, M.; Biodiversity Research Centre, Universite Catholique de Louvain, Louvain, Belgium

Language :

English

Title :

Metapopulation dynamics of the bog fritillary butterfly: Modelling the effect of habitat fragmentation

Publication date :

2002

Journal title :

Acta Oecologica

ISSN :

1146-609X

eISSN :

1873-6238

Publisher :

Elsevier, Netherlands

Volume :

Issue :

Pages :

287-296

Peer reviewed :

Peer Reviewed verified by ORBi

Available on ORBi :

since 24 March 2013

Statistics

Number of views

106 (4 by ULiège)

Number of downloads

361 (3 by ULiège)

More statistics

Scopus citations^®

Scopus citations^®
without self-citations

OpenCitations

OpenAlex citations

Bibliography

Akçakaya, H.R., 1994. RAMAS/GIS: Linking landscape data with population viability analysis (version 1.0). Applied Biomathematics, New York.
Akçakaya, H.R., 2000. Population viability analysis with demographically and spatially structured models. Ecol. Bull. 48, 23-38.
Akçakaya, H.R., Atwood, J.L., 1997. A habitat-based metapopulation model of the California gnatcatcher. Conserv. Biol. 11, 422-434.
Akçakaya, HR., Sjgren-Gulve, P., 2000. Population viability analyses in conservation planning: An overview. Ecol. Bull. 48, 9-21.
Akçakaya, H.R., McCarthy, M.A., Pearce, J.L., 1995. Linking landscape data with population viability analysis: Management options for the helmeted honeyeater Lychenostomus melanops cassidix. Biol. Conserv. 73, 169-176.
Baguette, M., Goffart, P., 1991. Liste rouge des lépidoptères rhopalocères de Belgique. Bull. Annls. Soc. R. Belge. Entomol. 157, 147-153.
Baguette, M., Nève, G., 1994. Adult movements between populations in the specialist butterfly Proclossiana eunomia. Ecol. Entomol. 19, 1-5.
Baguette, M., Goffart, P., Bast de, B., 1992. Modification de la distribution et du statut des lepidoptères rhopalocères en Belgique depuis 1990. Mém. Soc. R. Belge. Entomol. 35, 591-596.
Baguette, M., Petit, S., Quéva, F., 2000. Population spatial structure and migration of three butterfly species within the same habitat network: Consequences for conservation. J. Appl. Ecol. 37, 100-108.
Barascud, B., Martin, J.F., Baguette, M., Descimon, H., 1999. Genetic consequences of an introduction - Colonization process in an endangered butterfly species. J. Evol. Biol. 12, 697-709.
Boyce, M.S., 1992. Population viability analysis. Annu. Rev. Ecol. Syst. 23, 481-506.
Brooks, B.W., 2000. Pessimistic and optimistic bias in population viability analysis. Conserv. Biol. 14, 564-566.
Burgman, M.A., Ferson, S., Akçakaya, H.R., 1996. Risk Assessment in Conservation Biology. Chapman & Hall, London.
Clinchy, M., Haydon, D.T., Smith, A.T., 2002. Pattern does not equal process: What does patch occupancy really tell us about metapopulation dynamics? Am. Nat. 159, 351-362.
Drechsler, M., 1998. Sensitivity analysis of complex models. Biol. Conserv. 86, 401-412.
Drechsler, M., Wissel, C., 1998. Trade-offs between local and regional scale management of metapopulations. Biol. Conserv. 83, 31-41.
Drechsler, M., Burgman, M., Menkhorst, P.W., 1998. Uncertainty in population dynamics and its consequences for the management of the orange-bellied parrot Neophema chrysogaster. Biol. Conserv. 84, 269-281.
Dunning, J.B., Stewart, D.J., Danielson, B., Noon, B.R., Root, T.L., Lamberson, R.H., et al., 1995. Spatially explicit population models: Current forms and future uses. Ecol. Appl. 5, 3-11.
Ehrlich, P.R., 1988. The loss of diversity: Causes and consequences. In: Wilson, E.O., Peter, F.M. (Eds.), Biodiversity. National Academy Press, Washington D.C, pp. 212-216.
Etienne, R.S., Heeterbeek, J.A.P., 2001. Rules of thumb for conservation of metapopulations based on a stochastic winking-patch model. Am. Nat. 158, 389-407.
Fahrig, L., 1997. Relative effects of habitat loss and fragmentation on population extinction. J. Wildl. Manage. 61, 603-610.
Fahrig, L., Merriam, G., 1994. Conservation of fragmented populations. Conserv. Biol. 8, 50-59.
Gilpin, M.E., 1980. The role of stepping-stone islands. Theor. Popul. Biol. 17, 247-253.
Gilpin, M.E., 1990. Spatial structure and population vulnerability. In: Soulé, M.E. (Ed.), Viable Populations for Conservation. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp. 125-140.
Goffart, P., Waeyenbergh, M., 1994. Exigences écologiques et gestion des populations de deux papillons des prairies humides ardennaises: te cuivré et le nacré de la bistorte (Lycaena helle, Proclossiana eunomia). Cah. Réserves Nat. 7, 21-29.
Goffart, P., Baguette, M., Bast De, B., 1992. La situation des lepidoptères rhopalocères en Wallonie ou Que sont nos papillons devenus? Bull. Soc. R. Belge. Entomol. 128, 355-392.
Goffart, P., Baguette, M., Dufrêne, M., Mousson, L., Nève, G., Sawchik, J., et al., 2001. Gestion des Milieux Semi-naturels et Restauration de Populations Menacées de Papillons de Jour, Région Wallonne, Direction Générale des Ressources naturelles de de l'Environnement, Travaux n° 25, Jambes.
Hanski, I., 1991. Single-species metapopulation dynamics: concepts, models and observations. In: Gilpin, M.E., Hanski, I. (Eds.), Metapopulation Dynamics: Empirical and Theoretical Investigations. Academic Press, London, pp. 3-16.
Hanski, I., 1994. A practical model of metapopulation dynamics. J. Anim. Ecol. 63, 151-162.
Hanski, I., 1997. Metapopulation dynamics: From concepts and observations to predictive models. In: Hanski, I., Gilpin, M.E. (Eds.), Metapopulation Biology, Ecology, Genetics and Evolution. Academic Press, San Diego, pp. 69-91.
Hanski, I., 1998a. Metapopulation dynamics. Nature 396, 41-49.
Hanski, I., 1998b. Metapopulation Ecology. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
Hanski, I., Ovaskainen, O., 2000. The metapopulation capacity of a fragmented landscape. Nature 404, 755-758.
Hanski, I., Koussaari, M., Nieminen, M., 1997. Metapopulation structure and migration in the butterfly Melitaea cinxia. Ecology 75, 747-762.
Hanski, I., Thomas, C.D., 1994. Metapopulation dynamics and conservation: A spatially explicit model applied to butterflies. Biol. Conserv. 68, 167-180.
Hanski, I., Moilanen, A., Pakkala, T., Kuussaari, M., 1996. The quantitative incidence function model and persistence of an endangered butterfly metapopulation. Conserv. Biol. 10, 578-590.
Hanski, I., Pakkala, T., Kuussaari, M., Lei, G., 1995. Metapopulation persistence of an endangered butterfly in a fragmented landscape. Oikos 72, 21-28.
Harrison, S., 1991. Local extinction in a metapopulation context: An empirical evaluation, ln: Gilpin, M.E., Hanski, I. (Eds.), Metapopulation Biology, Ecology, Genetics and Evolution. Academic Press, San Diego, pp. 73-88.
Harrison, S., Taylor, A.D., 1997. Empirical evidence for metapopulation dynamics. In: Hanski, I., Gilpin, M.E. (Eds.), Metapopulation Biology, Ecology, Genetics and Evolution. Academic Press, San Diego, pp. 27-42.
Heino, M., 1998. Noise colour, synchrony and extinctions in spatially structured populations. Oikos 83, 368-375.
Hill, J.K., Thomas, C.D., Lewis, O.T., 1996. Effects of habitat patch size and isolation on dispersal by Hesperia comma butterflies: Implications for metapopulation structure. J. Anim. Ecol. 65, 725-735.
Kuussaari, M., Nieminen, M., Hanski, I., 1996. An experimental study in the Glanville fritillary butterfly Meliaea cinxia. J. Anim. Ecol. 65, 791-801.
Moilanen, A., 1998. Modeling Metapopulation Dynamics, Academic Dissertation. University of Helsinki, Helsinki.
Moilanen, A., Smith, A.T., Hanski, I., 1998. Long-term dynamics in a metapopulation of the American pika. Am. Nat. 152, 530-542.
Nève, G., Barascud, B., Hughes, R., Aubert, J., Descimon, H., Lebrun, P., et al., 1996. Dispersal, colonisation power and metapopulation structure in the vulnerable butterfly Proclossiana eunomia (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae). J. Appl. Ecol. 33, 14-22.
Petit, S., Moilanen, A., Hanski, I., Baguette, M., 2001. Metapopulation dynamics of the bog fritillary butterfly: Movements between habitat patches. Oikos 92, 491-500.
Pollard, E., 1997. A method of assessing changes in the abundance of butterflies. Biol. Conserv. 12, 115-134.
Rolstod, J., 1997. Consequences of forest fragmentation for the dynamics of bird populations: Conceptual issues and the evidence. In: Hanski, I., Gilpin, M.E (Eds.), Metapopulation Bíology, Ecology, Genetics and Evolution. Academic Press, San Diego, pp. 149-163.
Ruggiero, L.F., Hayward, G.D., Squires, J.R., 1994. Viability analysis in biological evaluations: Concepts of population viability analysis, biological population, and ecological scale. Conserv. Biol. 8, 364-372.
Sawchik, J., 1999. Répartition Spatiale et Dynamique de Populations de Rhopalocères des Prairies Humides au Plateau des Tailles, Ph.D. thesis, Université catholique de Louvain.
Schtickzelle, N., 1997. Variation des Paramètres Démographiques d'une Population Subdivisée du Nacré de la Bistorte Proclossiana eunomi (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae), Mémoire de Licence, Université catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve.
Schtickzelle, N., Le Boulengé, E., Baguette, M., 2002. Metapopulation dynamics of the bog fritillary butterfly: Demographic processes in a patchy population. Oikos 97, 349-360.
Shaffer, M.L., 1990. Minimum viable population: Coping with uncertainty. In: Soulé. M.E. (Ed.), Viable Populations for Conservation. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp. 69-86.
Summerville, K.S., Christ, T.O., 2001. Effects of experimental habitat fragmentation on patch use by butterflies and skippers (Lepidoptera). Ecology 82, 1360-1370.
Sutcliffe, O.L., Thomas, C.D., Moss, D., 1996. Spatial synchrony and asynchrony in butterfly population dynamics. J. Anim. Ecol. 65, 85-95.
Thomas, C.D., Hanski, I., 1997. Butterfly metapopulations. In: Hanski, I., Gilpin, M.E. (Eds.), Metapopulation Biology, Ecology, Genetics and Evolution. Academic Press, San Diego, pp. 359-386.
Thomas, J.A., 1983. A quick method for estimating butterfly numbers during surveys. Biol. Conserv. 27, 195-211.
Thomas, J.A., 1984. The conservation of butterflies in temperate countries: past efforts and lessons for the future. In: Vane-Wright, R.I., Ackery, P.R. (Eds.), The Biology of Butterflies, 11th Symposium of the Royal Entomological Society of London. Academic Press, London, pp. 333-353.
Thomas, J.A., Bourn, N.A.D., Clarke, R.T., Stewart, K.E., Simcox, D.J., Pearman, G.S., et al., 2001. The quality and isolation of habitat parches both determine where butterflies persist in fragmented landscapes. Proc. R. Soc: London B 268, 1791-1796.
Waeyenbergh, M., Baguette, M., 1996. First Belgian record of Cotesia vestalis (Haliday, 1834) (Hymenoptera, Braconidae), parasite of Proclossiana eunomia (Esper, 1799) (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae), new host species. Belg. J. Zool. 126, 79-81.
Warren, M.S., 1992. Butterfly populations. In: Dennis, R.L.H. (Ed.), The Ecology of Butterflies in Britain. Oxford University Press, Oxford, pp. 73-92.
Watkinson, A.R., Sutherland, W.J., 1995. Sources, sinks and pseudo-sinks. J. Anim. Ecol. 64, 126-130.
Wilcove, D.S., McLellan, C.H., Dobson, A.P., 1986. Habitat fragmentation in the temperate zone. In: Soulé, M.E. (Ed.), Conservation Biology: The Science of Scarcity and Diversity. Sinauer Associates, Sunderland, MA, pp. 237-256.
Wilcox, B.A., Murphy, D.D., 1985. Conservation strategy: The effects of fragmentation on extinction. Am. Nat. 125, 879-887.