Revista de Biología Tropical ISSN: 0034-7744 [email protected] Universidad de Costa Rica Costa Rica Stephen, Carolyn; Sánchez, Ragde Species richness and relative species abundance of Nymphalidae (Lepidoptera) in three forests with different perturbations in the North-Central Caribbean of Costa Rica Revista de Biología Tropical, vol. 62, núm. 3, septiembre, 2014, pp. 919-928 Universidad de Costa Rica San Pedro de Montes de Oca, Costa Rica Available in: http://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=44932441008 How to cite Complete issue Scientific Information System More information about this article Network of Scientific Journals from Latin America, the Caribbean, Spain and Portugal Journal's homepage in redalyc.org Non-profit academic project, developed under the open access initiative Species richness and relative species abundance of Nymphalidae (Lepidoptera) in three forests with different perturbations in the North-Central Caribbean of Costa Rica Carolyn Stephen1 & Ragde Sánchez2 1. Knox College, Galesburg, IL 61401, USA; [email protected] 2. Asociación Theria para la Investigación y Conservación, San José, Costa Rica; [email protected] Received 20-III-2014. Corrected 30-IV-2014. Accepted 26-V-2014. Abstract: Measurements of species richness and species abundance can have important implications for regulations and conservation. This study investigated species richness and abundance of butterflies in the fam- Rica program Costa Special section (ACM) ily Nymphalidae at undisturbed, and disturbed habitats in Tirimbina Biological Reserve and Nogal Private Reserve, Sarapiquí, Costa Rica. Traps baited with rotten banana were placed in the canopy and the understory of three habitats: within mature forest, at a river/forest border, and at a banana plantation/forest border. In total, 71 species and 487 individuals were caught and identified during May and June 2011 and May 2013. Species richness and species abundance were found to increase significantly at perturbed habitats (p<0.0001, p<0.0001, respectively). The edge effect, in which species richness and abundance increase due to greater complementary resources from different habitats, could be one possible explanation for increased species richness and abun- dance. Rev. Biol. Trop. 62 (3): 919-928. Epub 2014 September 01. Key words: butterflies, disturbance effects, edge effect, nymphalidae, species abundance, species diversity, spe- cies richness, Chiquita Nature and Community Project, Nogal Private Reserve. Biological diversity has become increas- disturbance to ecosystems (Erhardt, 1985; ingly important in the realm of conservation Fleishman, Thomson, Nally, Murphy, & Fay, biology. Changes in species richness and spe- 2005; Bobo, Waltert, Fermon, Njokagbor, & cies relative abundance due to disruptions in Mühlengber, 2006; Pöyry et al., 2006; Leidner, continuous habitats have been used in multiple Haddad, & Lovejoy, 2010). Habitat loss is studies to suggest or evaluate management thought to be the greatest cause for insect decisions on which conservation efforts are extinction, and their populations can be easily needed to maintain the survival of a species or influenced by anthropogenic forest fragmenta- a community of species (Horner-Devine, Daily, tion (Hogue, 1993; Leidner et al., 2010). Bar- Ehrlich, & Boggs, 2003; Uehara-Prado, Brown, low, Overal, Araujo, Gardner, & Peres (2007) & Freitas, 2007; Sjödin, Bengtsson, & Ekbom, found that butterfly species richness in Brazil 2008; Hjältén et al., 2012). tended to be greater in primary forest than on Insects, and in particular butterflies, have Eucalyptus plantations, but that relative species contributed greatly to understanding tropical abundance of the species existing there tended biodiversity (DeVries, Alexander, Chacon, & to be greater on the Eucalyptus plantations. Fordyce, 2012). Although plentiful, insects Uehara-Pradoet al. (2007) compared primary are still incredibly prone to great popula- forest and fragmented forest in the Brazilian tion increases and decreases, and have been Atlantic, finding that butterfly species richness used frequently as important indicators of increased at fragmented sites while relative Rev. Biol. Trop. (Int. J. Trop. Biol. ISSN-0034-7744) Vol. 62 (3): 919-928, September 2014 919 abundance did not change, suggesting that and 84°7’ W) is at an elevation of 180-220m forest fragmentation and disturbance does not above sea level and is made up of 345ha of negatively affect species diversity. Horner- lowland rainforest. Mean annual temperature Devine et al. (2003) found that coffee farms is 25.3°C with a mean high of 30.2°C and a within 1-2.5km of a forest reserve had greater mean low of 20.2°C. Mean annual precipitation butterfly species richness and relative species is 3777mm. Landscape inclines generally fall abundance than both, farms 6-9km away and between 10-25% with rolling hills, although within the forest reserve itself, indicating that closer to creeks and the river, slopes can reach nearby forest may have a positive impact on 60%. Soils are of volcanic origin. The Sara- butterfly species richness and relative species piquí River forms the Western border of the abundance. It also suggests that forest edges reserve. Tirimbina falls within two Holdridge may experience increases in species richness life zones, Humid Tropical Pre-Montane For- and abundance. est and transition to Basal and Humid Tropical This study focuses on the butterfly family Forest. Primary forest makes up 85% of TBR Nymphalidae, which contains more species while the rest is secondary forest (Tirimbina than any other butterfly family in the world, Biological Reserve, 2010b). except the family Lycaenidae. Nymphalidae The data of the banana plantation/forest species can be found on every continent except border was part of a long term study executed Antarctica, although they are most diverse in by Chiquita Nature and Community Project at Neotropical regions (DeVries, 1987). More Nogal Private Reserve and forest fragments specifically, this study looked at fruit-feeding around it. This fragment is located close to nymphalids, a feeding guild in Nymphalidae, Puerto Viejo, Sarapiquí at 40-60m elevation. which feed on rotten fruit juices (DeVries et Mean annual precipitation falls between 3 al., 2012). The objectives of this study were to 712-4 000mm. The mean annual temperature compare species richness and relative species is 25.8°C, and the vegetation corresponds to abundance in the butterfly family Nymphalidae Holdridge Life Zone of Humid Tropical Forest in both the canopy and the understory between (Barquero Villalobos, 2009). Although close (a) mature forest habitat and two disturbance to Puerto Viejo, the surrounding area of this habitats: (b) river/forest (a natural disturbance) plantation is rural with fragmented forest. In and (c) banana plantation/forest (an anthropo- general, banana and pineapple farms are espe- genic disturbance). cially common in Sarapiquí (Municipalidad de Sarapiquí-Secretaria Técnica de Gobierno MATERIALS AND METHODS Digital, 2012a). Study site: This study took place primar- Data collection: In TBR, data was taken ily in Tirimbina Biological Reserve (referred from a river/forest border along the Río Sara- to as TBR in this study), located in the sec- piquí and from within the forest itself. In TBR, ond district of La Virgen, Sarapiquí, Heredia data was taken 5d/wk for 3weeks and 4d the Province in the North central-Caribbean area 4th week between 2 to 31 May. Data used from of Costa Rica. La Virgen has a population of the banana plantation/forest border were taken 8 715 people, and is a rural area (Municipalidad 3-7 May and 31 May-5 June, 2011 by staff of de Sarapiquí-Secretaria Técnica de Gobierno Chiquita Nature and Community Projects as Digital, 2012b). The TBR (345ha) is located part of their long-term butterfly survey. in the Sarapiquí River Basin of approximately Traps were made out of mosquito netting 1 923km2 in size. It is bordered by other pri- held in a cylindrical shape with an open bottom vate properties that altogether create 600ha and closed top approximately 30cm in diam- of continuous forest cover (Tirimbina Bio- eter and 1m in height as described in DeVries logical Reserve, 2010a). The TBR (10°24’ N (1987). Between 50 and 100mL of rotten 920 Rev. Biol. Trop. (Int. J. Trop. Biol. ISSN-0034-7744) Vol. 62 (3): 919-928, September 2014 banana were placed in a small plastic cup on a A species accumulation curve was created platform hanging about 5-8cm from the open to estimate the proportion of butterflies identi- bottom of the trap. Banana was mashed and left fied to the actual number of species in the popu- to sit about 1d before baiting. Traps were re- lation. Relationship between daily precipitation baited with banana only as necessary through- data versus daily captures of number of species out the week. Traps were checked once/d and number of individuals was estimated with (trap-day). All butterflies captured during a simple regression carried out with Statgraphics trap-day were counted by number of individu- XV.I (Statpoint Technologies, Inc. 2011). A als of each species and identified using DeVries regression was not done for the banana planta- (1987). Collected specimens were given to the tion/forest habitat due to differences in data Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad (INBio), collection on precipitation A “square-root-Y” Santo Domingo de Heredia, Costa Rica. Data model (best fit) was used in the mature forest on precipitation levels each day were obtained habitat and a “double-squared” model (best fit) from TBR. Sampling from the banana planta- was used in the river/forest border habitat for tion study was conducted in a similar manner. number of species. A “square root-Y” model Twenty traps were set up at the river/forest (best fit) was used in the forest habitat and a “squared-Y” model (best fit) in the river/for- Rica program Costa Special section (ACM) border throughout the entire study. For the first est border habitat for number of individuals. week of the study, 30 traps within the forest Simper Analysis was used to evaluate changes were used from another ongoing study.