Dataset Information

Tracking butterfly movements with harmonic radar reveals an effect of population age on movement distance.

ABSTRACT: We used harmonic radar to track freely flying Glanville fritillary butterfly (Melitaea cinxia) females within an area of 30 ha. Butterflies originated from large and continuous populations in China and Estonia, and from newly established or old (> 5 years) small local populations in a highly fragmented landscape in Finland. Caterpillars were raised under common garden conditions and unmated females were tested soon after eclosion. The reconstructed flight paths for 66 individuals comprised a total distance of 51 km with high spatial resolution. Butterflies originating from large continuous populations and from old local populations in Finland exhibited similar movement behaviors, whereas butterflies originating from newly established local populations in the fragmented landscape in Finland moved significantly more than the others. There was no difference in the lengths of individual flight bouts, but the new-population females flew more frequently, resulting in longer daily movement tracks. The flight activity of all individuals was affected by environmental conditions, peaking at 19-23 degrees C (depending on population type), in the early afternoon, and during calm weather. Butterflies from all population types showed a strong tendency to follow habitat edges between the open study area and the neighboring woodlands.

SUBMITTER: Ovaskainen O

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2614720 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Tracking butterfly movements with harmonic radar reveals an effect of population age on movement distance.

Ovaskainen Otso O Smith Alan D AD Osborne Juliet L JL Reynolds Don R DR Carreck Norman L NL Martin Andrew P AP Niitepõld Kristjan K Hanski Ilkka I

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 20081205 49

We used harmonic radar to track freely flying Glanville fritillary butterfly (Melitaea cinxia) females within an area of 30 ha. Butterflies originated from large and continuous populations in China and Estonia, and from newly established or old (> 5 years) small local populations in a highly fragmented landscape in Finland. Caterpillars were raised under common garden conditions and unmated females were tested soon after eclosion. The reconstructed flight paths for 66 individuals comprised a tot ...[more]

PMID: 19060191

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Project description:Background:Spatio-temporal patterns of movement can characterize relationships between organisms and their surroundings, and address gaps in our understanding of species ecology, activity budgets, bioenergetics, and habitat resource management. Highly mobile waterfowl, which can exploit resources over large spatial extents, are excellent models to understand relationships between movements and resource usage, landscape interactions and specific habitat needs. Methods:We tracked 3 species of dabbling ducks with GPS-GSM transmitters in 2015-17 to examine fine-scale movement patterns over 24?h periods (30?min interval), dividing movement pathways into temporally continuous segments and spatially contiguous patches. We quantified distances moved, area used and time allocated across the day, using linear and generalized linear mixed models. We investigated behavior through relationships between these variables. Results:Movements and space-use were small, and varied by species, sex and season. Gadwall (Mareca strepera) generally moved least (FFDs: 0.5-0.7?km), but their larger foraging patches resulted from longer within-area movements. Pintails (Anas acuta) moved most, were more likely to conduct flights >?300?m, had FFDs of 0.8-1.1?km, used more segments and patches per day that they revisited more frequently, resulting in the longest daily total movements. Females and males differed only during the post-hunt season when females moved more. 23.6% of track segments were short duration (1-2 locations), approximately 1/3 more than would be expected if they occurred randomly, and were more dispersed in the landscape than longer segments. Distance moved in 30?min shortened as segment duration increased, likely reflecting phases of non-movement captured within segments. Conclusions:Pacific Flyway ducks spend the majority of time using smaller foraging and resting areas than expected or previously reported, implying that foraging areas may be highly localized, and nutrients obtainable from smaller areas. Additionally, movement reductions over time demonstrates behavioral adjustments that represent divergent energetic demands, the detection of which is a key advantage of higher frequency data. Ducks likely use less energy for movement than currently predicted and management, including distribution and configuration of essential habitat, may require reconsideration. Our study illustrates how fine-scale movement data from tracking help understand and inform various other fields of research.

Dataset Information

Tracking butterfly movements with harmonic radar reveals an effect of population age on movement distance.

Publications

Tracking butterfly movements with harmonic radar reveals an effect of population age on movement distance.

Similar Datasets

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