The Habitat Network for Butterfly Communities of the Alta Murgia National Park (Apulia, Italy)

Elena Gagnarli (), Sauro Simoni, Rocco Addante, Onofrio Panzarino, Pamela Loverre, Maria Grazia Mastronardi, Chiara Mattia and Enrico de Lillo
Additional contact information
Elena Gagnarli: Consiglio per la ricerca in agricoltura e l’analisi dell’economia agraria—Research Centre for Plant Protection and Certification, Via Lanciola 12/a, 50125 Florence, Italy
Sauro Simoni: Consiglio per la ricerca in agricoltura e l’analisi dell’economia agraria—Research Centre for Plant Protection and Certification, Via Lanciola 12/a, 50125 Florence, Italy
Rocco Addante: Department of Soil, Plant and Food Sciences, University of Bari ‘Aldo Moro’, Via G. Amendola 165/a, 70126 Bari, Italy
Onofrio Panzarino: Department of Soil, Plant and Food Sciences, University of Bari ‘Aldo Moro’, Via G. Amendola 165/a, 70126 Bari, Italy
Pamela Loverre: Department of Soil, Plant and Food Sciences, University of Bari ‘Aldo Moro’, Via G. Amendola 165/a, 70126 Bari, Italy
Maria Grazia Mastronardi: Department of Soil, Plant and Food Sciences, University of Bari ‘Aldo Moro’, Via G. Amendola 165/a, 70126 Bari, Italy
Chiara Mattia: Parco Nazionale Dell’alta Murgia, Gravina in Puglia, In Via Firenze 10, Gravina in Puglia, 70026 Bari, Italy
Enrico de Lillo: Department of Soil, Plant and Food Sciences, University of Bari ‘Aldo Moro’, Via G. Amendola 165/a, 70126 Bari, Italy

Land, 2023, vol. 12, issue 5, 1-15

Abstract: Habitat networks can help to make habitats more resilient and assist species survival in a fragmented landscape and changing climate. Butterflies are one of the main indicators of diversity due to their high sensitivity to environmental changes. In the context of sudden and unpredictable environmental changes, protection strategies for butterflies at risk of extinction should consider the exact distribution of these species, as well as the various threats to which each of them is subjected. About 290 species of butterflies are reported in Italian fauna, and 120 of them are recorded in Apulia (Southern Italy). In the Alta Murgia National Park (AMNP) (Apulia Region, Italy), screening was performed to study the relationships between area/landscape composition and diurnal butterfly community structure. Representative semi-natural habitats of Alta Murgia buffering productive crops were selected to set up transects/paths along dry grasslands, oak forests and pine forests. Monthly samplings were performed for one year. During the survey, 909 specimens from 53 species were collected. The highest values of butterfly’s abundance and richness were recorded in dry grasslands. A strong positive correlation between butterfly abundance and air temperature was registered (Pearson correlation: r = 0.8; p < 0.001). Melanargia arge , endemic in central-southern Italy and considered threatened in Europe (Annexes II and IV—Habitats Directive), was registered in each habitat. The biodiversity indices (Chao 1, Shannon and Simpson) for each habitat were high and similar to those in protected areas of Sicily. The connected landscape is important for generalist or open-habitat specialists, and large remnants are key for disturbance-sensitive and threatened taxa. The presented evidence can provide useful information on butterfly conservation in the AMNP and for the management and conservation of characteristic landscapes of Alta Murgia.

Keywords: eco-mosaic landscape; phenology; biodiversity; Papilionoidea; biodiversity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/12/5/1039/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/12/5/1039/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jlands:v:12:y:2023:i:5:p:1039-:d:1143329

Access Statistics for this article

Land is currently edited by Ms. Carol Ma

More articles in Land from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().