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Seasonal dynamics and polyphenism of butterfly communities in the coastal plains of central Western Ghats, India

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Abstract

Long-term socioeconomic progress requires a healthy environment/ecosystem, but anthropogenic activities cause environmental degradation and biodiversity loss. Constant ecological monitoring is, therefore, necessary to assess the state of biodiversity and ecological health. However, baseline data are lacking even for ecologically sensitive regions such as the Western Ghats. We looked at the seasonality and polyphenism of butterflies of the central Western Ghats to obtain baseline population patterns on these charismatic taxa. We recorded 43118 individuals (175 species) using fortnightly time-constrained counts for two consecutive years and found the peak abundance (49% of the total individuals) in the post-monsoon period (October to January). Seasonal abundance was correlated with the overall increase in species richness. Habitat differences were stronger than seasonality as samples clustered based on sites. Several species also displayed polyphenism with distinct distributions of wet and dry season forms. Seasonal equitability and indicator species analysis showed distinct inter-species differences in seasonality patterns. This work provides key baseline data on the seasonal dynamics of butterflies of the Western Ghats in the context of climate change and conservation. It will help monitor this ecologically sensitive region using butterflies.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank Deviprasad KN (Vivekananda College, Puttur), Dipendra Nath Basu (NCBS, Bengaluru), and Nagarjuna Pasupuletti (Mangalore University) for informal discussions and suggestions on the work; Abhishek, Nishanth Katta, Vinod Simon Pinto, and Vivek Hasyagar for their help in the fieldwork; and Dr. Kiran Kiggal for providing some butterfly photos. The authors also thank the Karnataka Forest Department, Bengaluru; and the Pilikula Biological Park, Mangaluru, for providing permissions (No. PCCF/C/GL-01/2016-17) for the field survey. DN thanks UGC-SAP, Department of Applied Zoology, Mangalore University, for the facilities and the Mangalore University SC/ST cell for providing the fellowship.

Funding

Funding was provided by University Grants Commission-Special Assistance Programme (UGC-SAP-DRS-II), New Delhi and Fellowship (CR.17/2015-16/SCT-1) for DN.

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Author notes

  1. Deepak Naik

    Present address: Environmental Management and Policy Research Institute, Circle Arch, Vinayaka Nagar, Sahyadri Layout, J.P. Nagar, Bengaluru, 560078, India

  2. R Shyama Prasad Rao

    Present address: Center for Bioinformatics, NITTE University, Mangaluru, 575018, India

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Applied Zoology, Mangalore University, Mangalagangothri, Karnataka, 574199, India

    Deepak Naik & Mohammed S Mustak

  2. Biostatistics and Bioinformatics Division, Yenepoya Research Center, Yenepoya University, Mangaluru, 575018, India

    R Shyama Prasad Rao

  3. National Centre for Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bengaluru, 560065, India

    Krushnamegh Kunte

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  1. Deepak Naik
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Contributions

DN and MSM initiated the work. DN collected the data. KK advised on field methods, butterfly identification and phenology. DN and RSPR analysed the data and wrote the paper. All authors contributed and were involved in the revision.

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Correspondence to Mohammed S Mustak.

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Statement of ethics

The work complies with ethical standards. No ethical clearance was necessary. No butterflies were killed or collected in this study.

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The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest regarding the publication of this article.

Data availability

The data used in this work are given in supplementary table 1. Further data may be obtained from the authors for collaborative work upon reasonable request.

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Corresponding editor: NG Prasad

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Naik, D., Rao, R.S.P., Kunte, K. et al. Seasonal dynamics and polyphenism of butterfly communities in the coastal plains of central Western Ghats, India. J Biosci 47, 79 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12038-022-00316-0

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