Butterfly Diversity in Relation to Human-Impact Gradient in Outskirts of Kolkata, West Bengal, India

Authors

  • Kaiyum Baskh Mollah Department of Zoology, Bangabasi College, Kolkata, 700009, India
  • Sudipta Mandal Department of Zoology, Bangabasi College, Kolkata, 700009, India

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30564/re.v4i4.5242

Abstract

Anthropogenic activities may affect species diversity and community structure. Butterfly species diversity in relation to human-impact gradient was evaluated in the Baruipur subdivision, outskirts of Kolkata metropolis, West Bengal, India as a model geographic area. Four study sites situated in bird sanctuaries, rural, suburban and urban areas with different levels of anthropogenic disturbances were selected to assess the human impact on butterfly diversity. A total of 80 butterfly species were recorded during the entire study period with the sanctuary (with minimal anthropogenic disturbance) showing the highest species richness (73) followed by rural (62), suburban (54) and urban (36) study sites indicating a strong negative impact of anthropogenic disturbance on butterfly species diversity. Butterfly species diversity varied significantly among different habitats (p ˂ 0.001). The relative abundance of butterflies also varied seasonally. It is apparent that the area under the present study is able to sustain diverse butterfly species provided natural habitats are protected from anthropogenic disturbances and steps are taken to increase urban greenery to support butterfly diversity and consequent ecosystem services.

Keywords:

Butterfly diversity; Human-impact gradient; Baruipur subdivision; Kolkata; Diversity indices

References

[1] Kurtz, J.C., Jackson, L.E., Fisher, W.S., 2001. Strategies for evaluating indicators based on guidelines from the Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Research and Development. Ecological Indicator. 1, 49-60. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S1470-160X(01)00004-8

[2] Nelson, S.M., 2007. Butterflies (Papilionoidea and Hesperioidea) as potential ecological indicators of riparian quality in the semi-arid western United States. Ecological Indicator. 7, 469-480. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2006.05.004

[3] Guiney, M.S., Oberhauser, K.S., 2008. Insects as flagship conservation species. Terrestrial Arthropod Reviews. 1, 111-123. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1163/187498308X414733

[4] Bonebrake, T.C., Ponisio, L.C., Boggs, C.L., et al., 2010. More than just indicators: A review of tropical butterfly ecology and conservation. Biological Conservation. 143(8), 1831-1841. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2010.04.044

[5] Ghazoul, J., 2002. Impact of logging on the richness and diversity of forest butterflies in a tropical dry forest in Thailand. Biodiversity and Conservation. 11(3), 521-541. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1014812701423

[6] Kocher, S.D., Williams, E.H., 2000. The diversity and abundance of North American butterflies vary with habitat disturbance and geography. Journal of Biogeography. 27, 785-794. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2699.2000.00454.x

[7] Heppner, J., 1998. Classification of Lepidoptera. Part I. Introduction. Holarctic Lepidoptera. 5(1), 1-148.

[8] Martinez, A.L., Bousquets, J.L., Fernandez, I.F., et al., 2003. Biodiversity and Biogeography of Mexican butterflies (Lepidoptera: Papilionoidea and Hesperioidea). Proceedings of Entomological Society of Washington. 105(1), 209-244.

[9] Larsen, T.H., Escobar, F., Armbrecht, I., 2011. Insects of the tropical andes: Biodiversity patterns, processes and global change. Herzog, S.K., Martínez, R., Jorgensen, P.M., et al. (editors). Climate Change and Biodiversity in the Tropical Andes. Brazil, Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) and Scientific Committee on Problems of the Environment (SCOPE): London. pp. 228-244.

[10] Varshney, R.K., Smetacek, P., 2015. A synoptic catalogue of the butterflies of India. Butterfly Research Centre, Bhimtal and Indinov Publishing: New Delhi. pp. 261.

[11] Kunte, K., 2000. Butterflies of Peninsular India. Universities Press Limited: Hyderabad. pp. 272.

[12] Fordyce, J.A., Nice, C.C., 2003. Variation in butterfly egg adhesion: Adaptation to level host plant senescence characteristics. Ecology Letters. 6, 23-27. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1461-0248.2003.00389.x

[13] Thomas, C.D., Bodsworth, E.J., Wilson, R.J., et al., 2001. Ecological and evolutionary processes at expanding range margins. Nature. 411, 577-581. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/35079066

[14] Anthes, N., Fartmann, T., Hermann, G., et al., 2003. Combining larval habitat quality and metapopulation structure—the key for successful management of pre-alpine Euphydryasaurinia colonies. Journal of Insect Conservation. 7, 175-185. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1027330422958

[15] Altermatt, F., Pearse, I.S., 2011. Similarity and specialization of the larval versus adult diet of European butterflies and moths. American Naturalist. 178, 372- 382. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1086/661248

[16] Kunte, K., 1997. Seasonal pattern in butterfly abundance and species diversity in four tropical habitats in northern Western Ghats. Journal of Bioscience. 22(5), 593-603. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02703397

[17] Blair, R.B., 1999. Birds and butterflies along an urban gradient: Surrogate taxa for assessing biodiversity? Ecological Applications. 9(1), 164-170. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1890/1051-0761(1999)009[0164:BABAAU]2.0.CO;2

[18] Mennechez, G., Schtickzelle, N., Baguette, M., 2003. Metapopulation dynamics of the bog fritillary between a continuous and a highly fragmented butterfly: Comparison of demographic parameters and dispersal landscape. Landscape Ecology. 18, 279-291. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1024448829417

[19] Mukherjee, S., Banerjee, S., Saha, G.K., et al., 2015. Butterfly diversity in Kolkata, India: An appraisal for conservation management. Journal of Asia-Pacific Biodiversity. 8, 210-221. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.japb.2015.08.001

[20] Bastin, M.E., 1999. Correction of eddy current-induced artefacts in diffusion tensor imaging using iterative cross-correlation. Magnetic Resonance Imaging. 17(7), 1011-1024. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/s0730-725x(99)00026-0

[21] Hall, R.I., Leavitt, P.R., Quinlan, R., et al., 1999. Effects of agriculture, urbanization, and climate on water quality in the northern Great Plains. Limnology and Oceanography. 44(3), 739-756. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4319/lo.1999.44.3_part_2.0739

[22] Debinski, D.M., Holt, R.D., 2000. A survey and overview of habitat fragmentation experiments. Conservation Biology. 14(2), 342-355. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1523-1739.2000.98081.x

[23] McKinney, M.L., 2002. Urbanization, biodiversity, and conservation. Bioscience. 52, 883-890. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1641/0006-3568(2002)052[0713:TCBFER]2.0.CO;2

[24] Fahrig, L., 2003. Effects of habitat fragmentation on biodiversity. Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics. 34(1), 487-515. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.ecolsys.34.011802.132419

[25] Clark, P.J., Reed, J.M., Chew, F.S., 2007. Effects of urbanization on butterfly species richness, guild structure, and rarity. Urban Ecosystem. 10, 321-337. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11252-007-0029-4

[26] Harrison, S., Bruna, E., 1999. Habitat fragmentation and large-scale conservation: What do we know for sure? Ecography. 22(3), 225-232. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0587.1999.tb00496.x

[27] Fischer, J., Lindenmayer, D.B., 2007. Landscape modification and habitat fragmentation: A synthesis. Global Ecology and Biogeography. 16(3), 265-280. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1466-8238.2007.00287.x

[28] Ruszczyk, A., de Araujo, A.M., 1992. Gradients in butterfly species diversity in an urban area in Brazil. Journal of the Lepidopterists’ Society (USA). 46(4), 255-264.

[29] Blair, R.B., Launer, A.E., 1997. Butterfly diversity and human land use: Species assemblages along an urban gradient. Biological Conservation. 80, 113- 125. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0006-3207(96)00056-0

[30] McDonnell, M.J., Pickett, S.T.A., Groffman, P., et al., 1997. Ecosystem processes along an urban-to-rural gradient. Urban Ecosystems. 1(1), 21-36. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1014359024275

[31] Hogsden, K.L., Hutchinson, T.C., 2004. Butterfly assemblages along a human disturbance gradient in Ontario, Canada. Canadian Journal of Zoology. 82, 739-748.

[32] McDonnell, M.J., Pickett, S.T., 1990. Ecosystem structure and function along urban-rural gradients: An unexploited opportunity for ecology. Ecology. 71(4), 1232-1237. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/1938259

[33] Rundlof, M., Nilsson, H., Smith, H.G., 2008. Interacting effects of farming practice and landscape context on bumble bees. Biological Conservation. 141(2), 417-426. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2007.10.011

[34] Batary, P., Holzschuh, A., Orci, K.M., et al., 2012. Responses of plant, insect and spider biodiversity to local and landscape scale management intensity in cereal crops and grasslands. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment. 146(1), 130-136. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2011.10.018

[35] Henry, M., Beguin, M., Requier, F., et al., 2012. A common pesticide decreases foraging success and survival in honey bees. Science. 336(6079), 348-350. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1215039

[36] Betrus, C.J., Fleishman, E., Blair, R.B., 2005. Cross-taxonomic potential and spatial transferability of an umbrella species index. Journal of Environmental Management. 74, 79-87. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2004.08.010

[37] Ramana, S.P.V., 2010. Biodiversity and conservation of butterflies in the eastern ghats. The Ecoscan. 4(1), 59-67.

[38] Hortal, J., Bello, F., Alexandre, J., et al., 2015.Seven shortfalls that beset large-scale knowledge of biodiversity. Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution and Systematics. 46, 523-549. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-ecolsys-112414-054400

[39] Wilson, E.O., 1997. Introduction. Reaka-Kudla M.L., Wilson D.E., Wilson E.O. (editors). Biodiversity II. Henry Press: Washington D.C. pp. 1-3.

[40] Gascon, C., Lovejoy, T.E., Bierregaard, R.O., et al., 1999. Matrix habitat and species richness in tropical forest butterflies. Biological Conservation. 91, 223- 229. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0006-3207(99)00080-4

[41] Rickets, T.H., Daily, G.C., Fay, J.P., 200l. Countryside biogeography of moths in a fragmented landscape: Biodiversity in native and agricultural habitats. Conservation Biology. 15, 378-388. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1523-1739.2001.015002378.x

[42] Watt, W.B., Boggs, C.L., 2003. Synthesis: Butterflies as model systems in ecology and evolution-present and future. Boggs C.L., Watt W.B., Ehrlich P.R. (editors). Butterflies: ecology and evolution taking flight. The University of Chicago Press: Chicago. pp. 603- 613.

[43] Ehrlich, P.R., Hanski, I., 2004. On the wings of checker spots: A model system for population biology. Oxford University Press: Oxford. pp. 408.

[44] Sutherland, W.J., 1996. Ecological Census techniques. University Press: Cambridge. pp. 200.

[45] Evans, W.H., 1932. The identification of Indian butterflies. Bombay Natural History Society: Bombay. pp. 464.

[46] Wynter-Blyth, M.A., 1957. Butterflies of the Indian region. Bombay Natural History Society: Mumbai. pp. 523.

[47] Haribal, M., 1992. The butterflies of Sikkim Himalaya and their natural history. Sikkim Natural Conservation Foundation: Sikkim. pp. 217.

[48] Kehimkar, I., 2016. Butterflies of India. Bombay Natural History Society and Oxford University Press: Mumbai. pp. 528.

[49] Tiple, A.D., 2012. Butterfly species diversity, relativeabundance and status in Tropical Forest Research Institute, Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, central India. Journal of Threatened Taxa. 4(7), 2713-2717. DOI: https://doi.org/10.11609/JoTT.o2656.2713-7

[50] McAleece, N., Gage, J.D., Lambshead, J., et al., 2016. Biodiversity professional softwareversion 2.0. The Natural History Museum and the Scottish Association for Marine Science: UK.

[51] Shannon, C.E., Weiner, W., 1948. A mathematical theory of communication. University of Illinois Press: Urbana. pp. 117.

[52] Magurran, A.E., 1988. Ecological diversity and its measurement. Chapman and Hall: London. pp. 192.

[53] Magurran, A.E., 2004. Measuring biological diversity. Blackwell Publishing Company: Hoboken, New Jersey. pp. 256.

[54] Pielou, E.C., 1969. An introduction to mathematical ecology. John Wiley: New York, USA. pp. 286.

[55] Sørensen, T., 1948. A method of establishing groups of equal amplitude in plant sociology based on similarity of species and its application to analyses of the vegetation on Danish commons. Biologiske Skrifter Danske Videnskabernes Selskabs Publicationer. 5(4), 1-34.

[56] Roy, U.S., Mukherjee, M., Mukhopadhyay, A.M., 2012. Butterfly diversity and abundance with reference to habitat heterogeneity in and around Neora Valley National Park, West Bengal, India. Our Nature. 10, 53-60. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3126/on.v10i1.7751

[57] Kuussaari, M., Heliölä, J., Luoto, M., et al., 2007. Determinants of local species richness of diurnal Lepidoptera in boreal agricultural landscapes. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment. 122, 366-376. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2007.02.008

[58] Ghosh, S., Siddique, S., 2005. Butterfly diversity in and around urban Kolkata. Records of the Zoological Survey of India. 104(3-4), 111-119.

[59] Tiple, A.D., Khurad, A.M., Dennis, R.L.H., 2007. Butterfly diversity in relation to a human-impact gradient on an Indian University campus. Nota Lepidopterologica. 30(1), 179-188.

[60] Majumder, J., Lodh, R., Agarwala, B.K., 2013. Butterfly species richness and diversity in the Trishna Wildlife Sanctuary in South Asia. Journal of Insect Science. 13(79), 1-13. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1673/031.013.7901

[61] Roy, U.S., Mukherjee, M., Mukhopadhyay, A.M., 2012. Butterfly diversity and abundance with reference to habitat heterogeneity in and around Neora Valley National Park, West Bengal, India. Our Nature. 10, 53-60.

[62] Harsh, S., 2014. Butterfly diversity of Indian Institute of Forest Management, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India. Journal of Insects. 1-4. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1155/2014/254972

[63] Samanta, S., Das, D., Mandal, S., 2017. Butterfly fauna of Baghmundi, Purulia, West Bengal, India: A preliminary checklist. Journal of Threatened Taxa. 9(5), 10198-10207. DOI: http://doi.org/10.11609/jott.2841.9.5.10198-10207

[64] Das, D., 2018. Butterfly (Lepidoptera: Rhopalocera) diversity in relation to habitat utilization at Jagannath Kishore College, Purulia, West Bengal (India). Journal of Insect Biodiversity. 7(1), 1-16. DOI: https://doi.org/10.12976/jib/2018.07.1.1

Downloads

How to Cite

Mollah, K. B., & Mandal, S. (2022). Butterfly Diversity in Relation to Human-Impact Gradient in Outskirts of Kolkata, West Bengal, India. Research in Ecology, 4(4), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.30564/re.v4i4.5242

Issue

Vol. 4 , Iss. 4 (December 2022)

Article Type

Articles

License

Copyright © 2022 The author(s)

Creative Commons License

This is an open access article under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) License.

Crossref
Scopus
Google Scholar
Europe PMC