Forest eternal? Endemic butterflies of the Bamenda highlands, Cameroon, avoid close-canopy forest

0356183 - BC 2011 RIV US eng J - Článek v odborném periodiku
Tropek, Robert - Konvička, M.
Forest eternal? Endemic butterflies of the Bamenda highlands, Cameroon, avoid close-canopy forest.
African Journal of Ecology. Roč. 48, č. 2 (2010), s. 428-437. ISSN 0141-6707. E-ISSN 1365-2028
Grant CEP: GA ČR GD206/08/H044
Grant ostatní: Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of the Republic of Cameroon(CM) 014125; AV ČR(CZ) IAA601410709
Program: IA
Výzkumný záměr: CEZ:AV0Z50070508
Klíčová slova: afromontane landscape * conservation * Lepidoptera
Kód oboru RIV: EH - Ekologie - společenstva
Impakt faktor: 0.778, rok: 2010

The Gulf of Guinea Highlands, a centre of endemism and high conservation importance, represent the only large mountain system in West and Central Africa. We studied habitat use of three common endemic butterflies Colias electo manengoubensis, Bicyclus anisops and Mylothris jacksoni knutsoni, using time-standardized surveys in four distinct habitats: close-canopy forest, scrub and forest edges, bracken and grasslands. All three species avoided close-canopy forests and bracken; the Colias preferring grassland, whereas Bicyclus and Mylothris scrub and forest edges. Ordination analyses of surrounding habitats indicated that all three taxa required heterogeneous landscape mosaics. We argue that the life history traits of taxa with limited geographic distribution may reflect past habitat conditions within their ranges, and that these habitat preferences can indicate the continuous existence of mosaic of forest and nonforest habitats in the West African mountains.
Trvalý link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0194773