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  1. Article: Weather and butterfly responses: a framework for understanding population dynamics in terms of species’ life-cycles and extreme climatic events

    Ubach, Andreu / Páramo, Ferran / Prohom, Marc / Stefanescu, Constantí

    Oecologia. 2022 June, v. 199, no. 2

    2022  

    Abstract: Understanding population responses to environmental conditions is key in the current context of climate change and the extreme climatic events that are threatening biodiversity in an unprecedented way. In this work, we provide a framework for ... ...

    Abstract Understanding population responses to environmental conditions is key in the current context of climate change and the extreme climatic events that are threatening biodiversity in an unprecedented way. In this work, we provide a framework for understanding butterfly population responses to weather and extreme climatic seasons by taking into account topographic heterogeneity, species' life-cycles and density-dependent processes. We used a citizen-science database of Mediterranean butterflies that contains long-term population data (28 years) on 78 butterfly species from 146 sites in the Mediterranean mesic and alpine climate regions. Climatic data were obtained from 93 meteorological stations operating during this period near the butterfly sites. We studied how seasonal precipitation and temperature affect population growth while taking into account the effects of density dependence. Our results reveal (i) the beneficial effects of winter and spring precipitation for butterfly populations, which are most evident in the Mediterranean region and in univoltine species, and mainly affect the larval stage; (ii) a general negative effect of summer rain in the previous year, which affects the adult stage; and (iii) a consistent negative effect of mild autumns and winters on population growth. In addition, density dependence played a major role in the population dynamics of most species, except for those with long-term negative population trends. Our analyses also provide compelling evidence that both extreme population levels in previous years and extreme climatic seasons in the current year provoke population crashes and explosions, especially in the Mediterranean mesic region.
    Keywords adults ; biodiversity ; butterflies ; citizen science ; climate change ; databases ; larvae ; population growth ; rain ; spring ; summer ; temperature ; topography ; univoltine habit ; winter ; Mediterranean region
    Language English
    Dates of publication 2022-06
    Size p. 427-439.
    Publishing place Springer Berlin Heidelberg
    Document type Article
    ZDB-ID 123369-5
    ISSN 1432-1939 ; 0029-8549
    ISSN (online) 1432-1939
    ISSN 0029-8549
    DOI 10.1007/s00442-022-05188-7
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  2. Article ; Online: Weather and butterfly responses: a framework for understanding population dynamics in terms of species' life-cycles and extreme climatic events.

    Ubach, Andreu / Páramo, Ferran / Prohom, Marc / Stefanescu, Constantí

    Oecologia

    2022  Volume 199, Issue 2, Page(s) 427–439

    Abstract: Understanding population responses to environmental conditions is key in the current context of climate change and the extreme climatic events that are threatening biodiversity in an unprecedented way. In this work, we provide a framework for ... ...

    Abstract Understanding population responses to environmental conditions is key in the current context of climate change and the extreme climatic events that are threatening biodiversity in an unprecedented way. In this work, we provide a framework for understanding butterfly population responses to weather and extreme climatic seasons by taking into account topographic heterogeneity, species' life-cycles and density-dependent processes. We used a citizen-science database of Mediterranean butterflies that contains long-term population data (28 years) on 78 butterfly species from 146 sites in the Mediterranean mesic and alpine climate regions. Climatic data were obtained from 93 meteorological stations operating during this period near the butterfly sites. We studied how seasonal precipitation and temperature affect population growth while taking into account the effects of density dependence. Our results reveal (i) the beneficial effects of winter and spring precipitation for butterfly populations, which are most evident in the Mediterranean region and in univoltine species, and mainly affect the larval stage; (ii) a general negative effect of summer rain in the previous year, which affects the adult stage; and (iii) a consistent negative effect of mild autumns and winters on population growth. In addition, density dependence played a major role in the population dynamics of most species, except for those with long-term negative population trends. Our analyses also provide compelling evidence that both extreme population levels in previous years and extreme climatic seasons in the current year provoke population crashes and explosions, especially in the Mediterranean mesic region.
    MeSH term(s) Animals ; Butterflies/physiology ; Climate Change ; Ecosystem ; Population Dynamics ; Seasons ; Weather
    Language English
    Publishing date 2022-05-26
    Publishing country Germany
    Document type Journal Article
    ZDB-ID 123369-5
    ISSN 1432-1939 ; 0029-8549
    ISSN (online) 1432-1939
    ISSN 0029-8549
    DOI 10.1007/s00442-022-05188-7
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  3. Article ; Online: Thermal plasticity in development and diapause strategy in a temperate butterfly across a latitudinal gradient

    Verspagen, Nadja / Ikonen, Suvi / Maes, Dirk / Stefanescu, Constanti / DiLeo, Michelle F. / Saastamoinen, Marjo

    Functional Ecology. 2023 Dec., v. 37, no. 12 p.3111-3123

    2023  

    Abstract: Trade‐offs among traits are central to life‐history theory and often closely linked to an organism's fitness. Understanding how these trade‐offs vary among populations and across environments is therefore important to more accurately predict species' ... ...

    Abstract Trade‐offs among traits are central to life‐history theory and often closely linked to an organism's fitness. Understanding how these trade‐offs vary among populations and across environments is therefore important to more accurately predict species' responses to future climate change. However, the extent to which responses vary across populations remains unknown because few studies investigate intraspecific differences. We performed a full‐factorial split‐brood common garden experiment to test how variation in rearing temperature affects developmental timing and other traits important for survival during diapause in the Glanville fritillary butterfly (Melitaea cinxia). Pre‐diapause larvae originating from four regions across a latitudinal cline across Europe were reared at four temperatures (25, 28, 31 and 34°C), and we used a reaction norm approach to test for evidence of genetic differentiation and variation in developmental plasticity across regions. We found clear signs of genetic differentiation in multiple developmental traits, as well as differences in developmental plasticity. Northern larvae entered diapause in the fourth instar when the temperatures were low, whereas southern larvae did so in the fifth instar. As a result, development time is canalized with regards to temperature in northern larvae: due to entering diapause one stage earlier, they develop fast even in the cold, whereas southern larvae always develop slower, especially at low temperatures. As a trade‐off, northern larvae have a lower body mass when reared at cooler temperatures compared to southern larvae, and they show increased plasticity in diapause mass. No clear clinal patterns were found in relative fat content. Our results show that trade‐offs between body size, development time and growth rate can vary within species living across environmental clines, possibly as a consequence of natural selection to local environmental conditions or other genetic constraints. This variation highlights the importance of recognizing the context dependency of relationships between important life‐history traits and their interactions with local environments in predicting species' responses to climate change. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.
    Keywords body size ; body weight ; butterflies ; climate change ; cold ; diapause ; ecology ; genetic variation ; instars ; life history ; lipid content ; natural selection ; temperature ; Europe
    Language English
    Dates of publication 2023-12
    Size p. 3111-3123.
    Publishing place John Wiley & Sons, Ltd
    Document type Article ; Online
    Note JOURNAL ARTICLE
    ZDB-ID 2020307-X
    ISSN 1365-2435 ; 0269-8463
    ISSN (online) 1365-2435
    ISSN 0269-8463
    DOI 10.1111/1365-2435.14446
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  4. Article: Timing of mating, reproductive status and resource availability in relation to migration in the painted lady butterfly

    Stefanescu, Constantí / Ubach, Andreu / Wiklund, Christer

    The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour Animal behaviour. 2021 Feb., v. 172

    2021  

    Abstract: In many migratory insects, migration occurs during the prereproductive phase of the life cycle. This trait probably arises from a trade-off between migration and reproduction and in females has been termed the ‘oogenesis–flight syndrome’. However, the ... ...

    Abstract In many migratory insects, migration occurs during the prereproductive phase of the life cycle. This trait probably arises from a trade-off between migration and reproduction and in females has been termed the ‘oogenesis–flight syndrome’. However, the generality of this syndrome has been questioned, especially for monomorphic insects. We studied the relationship between migration and reproduction in the highly cosmopolitan painted lady butterfly, Vanessa cardui, which in the Palaearctic undertakes the longest known multigenerational migration circuit of any insect. We tested for the oogenesis–flight syndrome in both spring and autumn migrants in two regions linked by migration, North Africa and northern Spain. Field observations were combined with laboratory experiments to determine the life span and the age at first mating to unravel the reproductive strategy observed in wild-caught individuals. Females and males wait on average around 5–6 days before mating, and field data revealed that mating frequencies increased rapidly once females reached a medium wing wear category. There were seasonal differences in mating frequencies in the study regions depending on whether the region acted as a source or as a destination for migrants, and in the latter case there were almost twice as many mated females. Moreover, a great majority of females collected during migratory flights were unmated, the remaining females having mated only very recently. Our results thus strongly indicate that the painted lady fulfils the oogenesis–flight syndrome, as migration is concentrated in its relatively short prereproductive period. Field data also showed a high positive correlation between mating frequency and host plant abundance, which suggests that mated females are able to locate potential breeding areas. This, together with the high fecundity estimated in laboratory trials, makes the painted lady a highly successful migratory insect.
    Keywords Palearctic region ; Vanessa cardui ; animal behavior ; autumn ; fecundity ; host plants ; insects ; longevity ; migratory behavior ; spring ; Northern Africa ; Spain
    Language English
    Dates of publication 2021-02
    Size p. 145-153.
    Publishing place Elsevier Ltd
    Document type Article
    Note NAL-light
    ZDB-ID 281-1
    ISSN 0003-3472
    ISSN 0003-3472
    DOI 10.1016/j.anbehav.2020.12.013
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  5. Article: Spatio‐temporal responses of butterflies to global warming on a Mediterranean island over two decades

    Colom, Pau / Traveset, Anna / Carreras, David / Stefanescu, Constantí

    Ecological entomology. 2021 Apr., v. 46, no. 2

    2021  

    Abstract: 1. One very conspicuous sign that warming is affecting the ecology of butterflies are the phenological advances occurring in many species. Moreover, rising temperatures are having a notable impact – both negative and positive – on population abundances. ... ...

    Abstract 1. One very conspicuous sign that warming is affecting the ecology of butterflies are the phenological advances occurring in many species. Moreover, rising temperatures are having a notable impact – both negative and positive – on population abundances. To date, patterns have generally been analysed at species level without taking into account possible differences between populations, which, when they are noted, are mostly attributed to large‐scale climate differences across a latitudinal gradient. 2. We use a long‐term database (18 years) of butterflies from five sites of the island of Menorca (Balearic Islands, Spain) to investigate how phenology and population dynamics have been affected by climate warming during the past two decades. 3. Both species' phenology and abundance respond differently to warming at a local scale depending on the season. Rising temperatures in spring give rise to greater advancement of the phenology, whereas warming affects population abundance negatively in summer. Additional variability of responses among sites suggests that habitats are involved in the modulation of the aforementioned seasonal effect. 4. We discuss how the effects of temperature could be partially offset in more inland habitats such as forests or deep ravines, especially the latter which represent particularly fresh and humid environments. The positive effect of temperature on ravine populations during the summer suggests that butterflies disperse across habitats as a response to rising temperatures during the season. This dispersal behaviour as a response to warming could be especially important in island ecosystems where the possibilities of modifying altitudinal or latitudinal distributions are often severely limited.
    Keywords altitude ; climate ; databases ; dispersal behavior ; entomology ; phenology ; population dynamics ; seasonal variation ; species abundance ; spring ; summer ; temperature ; Spain
    Language English
    Dates of publication 2021-04
    Size p. 262-272.
    Publishing place Blackwell Publishing Ltd
    Document type Article
    Note NAL-AP-2-clean ; JOURNAL ARTICLE
    ZDB-ID 196048-9
    ISSN 0307-6946
    ISSN 0307-6946
    DOI 10.1111/een.12958
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  6. Article ; Online: Phenological sensitivity and seasonal variability explain climate-driven trends in Mediterranean butterflies.

    Colom, Pau / Ninyerola, Miquel / Pons, Xavier / Traveset, Anna / Stefanescu, Constantí

    Proceedings. Biological sciences

    2022  Volume 289, Issue 1973, Page(s) 20220251

    Abstract: Although climate-driven phenological shifts have been documented for many taxa across the globe, we still lack knowledge of the consequences they have on populations. Here, we used a comprehensive database comprising 553 populations of 51 species of ... ...

    Abstract Although climate-driven phenological shifts have been documented for many taxa across the globe, we still lack knowledge of the consequences they have on populations. Here, we used a comprehensive database comprising 553 populations of 51 species of north-western Mediterranean butterflies to investigate the relationship between phenology and population trends in a 26-year period. Phenological trends and sensitivity to climate, along with various species traits, were used to predict abundance trends. Key ecological traits accounted for a general decline of more than half of the species, most of which, surprisingly, did not change their phenology under a climate warming scenario. However, this was related to the regional cooling in a short temporal window that includes late winter and early spring, during which most species concentrate their development. Finally, we demonstrate that phenological sensitivity-but not phenological trends-predicted population trends, and argue that species that best adjust their phenology to inter-annual climate variability are more likely to maintain a synchronization with trophic resources, thereby mitigating possible negative effects of climate change. Our results reflect the importance of assessing not only species' trends over time but also species' abilities to respond to a changing climate based on their sensitivity to temperature.
    MeSH term(s) Animals ; Butterflies ; Climate Change ; Phenotype ; Seasons ; Temperature
    Language English
    Publishing date 2022-04-27
    Publishing country England
    Document type Journal Article ; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
    ZDB-ID 209242-6
    ISSN 1471-2954 ; 0080-4649 ; 0962-8452 ; 0950-1193
    ISSN (online) 1471-2954
    ISSN 0080-4649 ; 0962-8452 ; 0950-1193
    DOI 10.1098/rspb.2022.0251
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    Zs.A 1364: Show issues Location:
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    Jg. 1995 - 2021: Lesesall (1.OG)
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  7. Article ; Online: The opposed forces of differentiation and admixture across glacial cycles in the butterfly Aglais urticae.

    Marques, Valéria / Hinojosa, Joan Carles / Dapporto, Leonardo / Talavera, Gerard / Stefanescu, Constantí / Gutiérrez, David / Vila, Roger

    Molecular ecology

    2024  Volume 33, Issue 7, Page(s) e17304

    Abstract: Glacial cycles lead to periodic population interbreeding and isolation in warm-adapted species, which impact genetic structure and evolution. However, the effects of these processes on highly mobile and more cold-tolerant species are not well understood. ...

    Abstract Glacial cycles lead to periodic population interbreeding and isolation in warm-adapted species, which impact genetic structure and evolution. However, the effects of these processes on highly mobile and more cold-tolerant species are not well understood. This study aims to shed light on the phylogeographic history of Aglais urticae, a butterfly species with considerable dispersal ability, and a wide Palearctic distribution reaching the Arctic. Through the analysis of genomic data, four main genetic lineages are identified: European, Sierra Nevada, Sicily/Calabria/Peloponnese, and Eastern. The results indicate that the Sardo-Corsican endemic taxon ichnusa is a distinct species. The split between the relict lineages in southern Europe and the main European lineage is estimated to have happened 400-450 thousand years ago, with admixture observed during the Quaternary glacial cycles, and still ongoing, albeit to a much smaller extent. These results suggest that these lineages may be better treated as subspecific parapatric taxa. Ecological niche modelling supported the existence of both Mediterranean and extra-Mediterranean refugia during the glacial periods, with the main one located on the Atlantic coast. Nevertheless, gene flow between populations was possible, indicating that both differentiation and admixture have acted continuously across glacial cycles in this cold-tolerant butterfly, generally balancing each other but producing differentiated lineages in the southern peninsulas. We conclude that the population dynamics and the processes shaping the population genetic structure of cold-adapted species during the Quaternary ice ages may be different than those classically accepted for warm-adapted species.
    MeSH term(s) Animals ; Phylogeny ; Genetic Variation/genetics ; Butterflies/genetics ; Phylogeography ; Europe
    Language English
    Publishing date 2024-02-29
    Publishing country England
    Document type Journal Article
    ZDB-ID 1126687-9
    ISSN 1365-294X ; 0962-1083
    ISSN (online) 1365-294X
    ISSN 0962-1083
    DOI 10.1111/mec.17304
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  8. Article ; Online: Interspecific differences in microhabitat use expose insects to contrasting thermal mortality

    Vives‐Ingla, Maria / Sala‐Garcia, Javier / Stefanescu, Constantí / Casadó‐Tortosa, Armand / Garcia, Meritxell / Peñuelas, Josep / Carnicer, Jofre

    Ecological Monographs. 2023 May, v. 93, no. 2 p.e1561-

    2023  

    Abstract: Ecotones linking open and forested habitats contain multiple microhabitats with varying vegetal structures and microclimatic regimes. Ecotones host many insect species whose development is intimately linked to the microclimatic conditions where they grow ...

    Abstract Ecotones linking open and forested habitats contain multiple microhabitats with varying vegetal structures and microclimatic regimes. Ecotones host many insect species whose development is intimately linked to the microclimatic conditions where they grow (e.g., the leaves of their host plants and the surrounding air). Yet microclimatic heterogeneity at these fine scales and its effects on insects remain poorly quantified for most species. Here we studied how interspecific differences in the use of microhabitats across ecotones lead to contrasting thermal exposure and survival costs between two closely‐related butterflies (Pieris napi and P. rapae). We first assessed whether butterflies selected different microhabitats to oviposit and quantified the thermal conditions at the microhabitat and foliar scales. We also assessed concurrent changes in the quality and availability of host plants. Finally, we quantified larval time of death under different experimental temperatures (thermal death time [TDT] curves) to predict their thermal mortality considering both the intensity and the duration of the microclimatic heat challenges in the field. We identified six processes determining larval thermal exposure at fine scales associated with butterfly oviposition behavior, canopy shading, and heat and water fluxes at the soil and foliar levels. Leaves in open microhabitats could reach temperatures 3–10°C warmer than the surrounding air while more closed microhabitats presented more buffered and homogeneous temperatures. Interspecific differences in microhabitat use matched the TDT curves and the thermal mortality in the field. Open microhabitats posed acute heat challenges that were better withstood by the thermotolerant butterfly, P. rapae, where the species mainly laid their eggs. Despite being more thermosensitive, P. napi was predicted to present higher survivals than P. rapae due to the thermal buffering provided by their selected microhabitats. However, its offspring could be more vulnerable to host‐plant scarcity during summer drought periods. Overall, the different interaction of the butterflies with microclimatic and host‐plant variation emerging at fine scales and their different thermal sensitivity posed them contrasting heat and resource challenges. Our results contribute to setting a new framework that predicts insect vulnerability to climate change based on their thermal sensitivity and the intensity, duration, and accumulation of their heat exposure.
    Keywords Pieris napi ; air ; butterflies ; canopy ; climate change ; death ; drought ; ecotones ; heat ; heat tolerance ; host plants ; larvae ; microclimate ; microhabitats ; mortality ; oviposition ; progeny ; soil ; summer ; thermosensitivity
    Language English
    Dates of publication 2023-05
    Publishing place John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
    Document type Article ; Online
    Note JOURNAL ARTICLE
    ZDB-ID 410216-2
    ISSN 1557-7015 ; 0012-9615
    ISSN (online) 1557-7015
    ISSN 0012-9615
    DOI 10.1002/ecm.1561
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  9. Article ; Online: Reply to López-Mañas et al.: Spatial population models of migrants should be underpinned by phenology, behavior, and ecology.

    Stefanescu, Constanti / Hu, Gao / Oliver, Tom H / Reynolds, Don R / Chapman, Jason W

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

    2022  Volume 119, Issue 19, Page(s) e2203349119

    MeSH term(s) Ecology ; Ecosystem ; Humans ; Transients and Migrants
    Language English
    Publishing date 2022-05-05
    Publishing country United States
    Document type Letter
    ZDB-ID 209104-5
    ISSN 1091-6490 ; 0027-8424
    ISSN (online) 1091-6490
    ISSN 0027-8424
    DOI 10.1073/pnas.2203349119
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    Zs.A 1148: Show issues Location:
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  10. Article: Long-term monitoring of Menorcan butterfly populations reveals widespread insular biogeographical patterns and negative trends

    Colom, Pau / Carreras, David / Stefanescu, Constantí

    Biodiversity and conservation. 2019 June, v. 28, no. 7

    2019  

    Abstract: A number of studies analysing the structure of butterfly communities on Mediterranean islands have confirmed the well-established pattern of a current decrease in species richness in island communities. However, these studies generally lack quantitative ... ...

    Abstract A number of studies analysing the structure of butterfly communities on Mediterranean islands have confirmed the well-established pattern of a current decrease in species richness in island communities. However, these studies generally lack quantitative data on butterfly population densities across habitats and over time. This precludes testing the hypotheses of ecological release, niche expansion and density compensation in island populations and their links to the presence of fewer competitors and/or predators. Here we use long-term monitoring data on butterfly populations from five sites on Menorca (Balearic Islands) and 20 sites from continental Catalonia (NE Spain) to test several hypotheses regarding island biogeography. We first confirm that island butterfly assemblages are not only impoverished versions of their continental counterparts but also have an over-representation of habitat generalists and highly mobile species. On the other hand, we did not find a consistent phenomenon of niche expansion and density compensation was only found for Celastrina argioulus and Gonepteryx cleopatra. Given the absence of habitat specialists on islands and the severe population declines taking place amongst specialist species on mainland Catalonia in the past two decades, we expected to detect more positive trends in island butterfly communities. Instead, we noted widespread declines, comparable to those previously recorded on the continent. Both the extension of the summer drought on Menorca and general habitat degradation due to the abandonment of cattle and sheep grazing may be responsible for these general declines.
    Keywords Celastrina ; biogeography ; butterflies ; cattle ; drought ; geographical distribution ; grazing ; habitat destruction ; habitats ; islands ; monitoring ; population density ; population dynamics ; predators ; sheep ; species richness ; summer ; Balearic Islands ; Spain
    Language English
    Dates of publication 2019-06
    Size p. 1837-1851.
    Publishing place Springer Netherlands
    Document type Article
    ZDB-ID 2000787-5
    ISSN 1572-9710 ; 0960-3115
    ISSN (online) 1572-9710
    ISSN 0960-3115
    DOI 10.1007/s10531-019-01764-1
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