Historical and contemporary factors generate unique butterfly communities on islands

39Citations
Citations of this article
56Readers
Mendeley users who have this article in their library.

This article is free to access.

Abstract

The mechanisms shaping island biotas are not yet well understood mostly because of a lack of studies comparing eco-evolutionary fingerprints over entire taxonomic groups. Here, we linked community structure (richness, frequency and nestedness) and genetic differentiation (based on mitochondrial DNA) in order to compare insular butterfly communities occurring over a key intercontinental area in the Mediterranean (Italy-Sicily-Maghreb). We found that community characteristics and genetic structure were influenced by a combination of contemporary and historical factors, and among the latter, connection during the Pleistocene had an important impact. We showed that species can be divided into two groups with radically different properties: widespread taxa had high dispersal capacity, a nested pattern of occurrence, and displayed little genetic structure, while rare species were mainly characterized by low dispersal, high turnover and genetically differentiated populations. These results offer an unprecedented view of the distinctive butterfly communities and of the main processes determining them on each studied island and highlight the importance of assessing the phylogeographic value of populations for conservation.

Cite

CITATION STYLE

APA

Voda, R., Dapporto, L., Dinca, V., Shreeve, T. G., Khaldi, M., Barech, G., … Vila, R. (2016). Historical and contemporary factors generate unique butterfly communities on islands. Scientific Reports, 6. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep28828

Register to see more suggestions

Mendeley helps you to discover research relevant for your work.

Already have an account?

Save time finding and organizing research with Mendeley

Sign up for free