Fine-scale butterfly community and trait diversity in a structurally complex urban green space in West London
Urban and peri-urban landscapes represent increasingly important reservoirs for biodiversity conservation, yet our understanding of community structure and genetic variation maintenance in these fragmented environments remains limited. I investigated butterfly communities and wing pattern polymorphi...
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| Date: | 2026 |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Publishing House "Akademperiodyka" of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine
2026
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| Online Access: | https://ojs.akademperiodyka.org.ua/index.php/Zoodiversity/article/view/892 |
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| Journal Title: | Zoodiversity |
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Zoodiversity| _version_ | 1863673986248867840 |
|---|---|
| author | Bangay, R. |
| author_facet | Bangay, R. |
| author_sort | Bangay, R. |
| baseUrl_str | https://ojs.akademperiodyka.org.ua/index.php/Zoodiversity/oai |
| collection | OJS |
| datestamp_date | 2026-04-27T12:11:30Z |
| description | Urban and peri-urban landscapes represent increasingly important reservoirs for biodiversity conservation, yet our understanding of community structure and genetic variation maintenance in these fragmented environments remains limited. I investigated butterfly communities and wing pattern polymorphism across four structurally distinct habitats (grassland, hedgerow, woodland edge, and woodland) within a 10ha peri-urban site in West London. Over two summer months, standardized transect surveys recorded 2,786 individuals representing 23 species. Woodland edge and hedgerow habitats supported the highest diversity (21 species each), while grassland and woodland showed lower richness (17 and 13 species respectively). Five species dominated the community, with Maniola jurtina (Meadow Brown) and Aphantopus hyperantus (Ringlet) comprising 51% of total abundance. Mendelian analysis of wing spot polymorphism in these focal species revealed inheritance patterns consistent with dihybrid F2 expectations, independent of habitat context but showing significant sexual dimorphism in M. jurtina. These findings demonstrate that small, structurally complex peri-urban habitats can maintain both species-level and genetic diversity, highlighting their conservation value and the importance of preserving habitat heterogeneity in urban planning strategies.
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| doi_str_mv | 10.15407/zoo2026.02.127 |
| first_indexed | 2026-04-28T01:00:14Z |
| format | Article |
| id | oai:ojs.akademperiodyka.org.ua:article-892 |
| institution | Zoodiversity |
| keywords_txt_mv | keywords |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2026-04-28T01:00:14Z |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| publisher | Publishing House "Akademperiodyka" of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine |
| record_format | ojs |
| spelling | oai:ojs.akademperiodyka.org.ua:article-8922026-04-27T12:11:30Z Fine-scale butterfly community and trait diversity in a structurally complex urban green space in West London Bangay, R. Urban ecology Lepidoptera biodiversity phenotype species richness Urban and peri-urban landscapes represent increasingly important reservoirs for biodiversity conservation, yet our understanding of community structure and genetic variation maintenance in these fragmented environments remains limited. I investigated butterfly communities and wing pattern polymorphism across four structurally distinct habitats (grassland, hedgerow, woodland edge, and woodland) within a 10ha peri-urban site in West London. Over two summer months, standardized transect surveys recorded 2,786 individuals representing 23 species. Woodland edge and hedgerow habitats supported the highest diversity (21 species each), while grassland and woodland showed lower richness (17 and 13 species respectively). Five species dominated the community, with Maniola jurtina (Meadow Brown) and Aphantopus hyperantus (Ringlet) comprising 51% of total abundance. Mendelian analysis of wing spot polymorphism in these focal species revealed inheritance patterns consistent with dihybrid F2 expectations, independent of habitat context but showing significant sexual dimorphism in M. jurtina. These findings demonstrate that small, structurally complex peri-urban habitats can maintain both species-level and genetic diversity, highlighting their conservation value and the importance of preserving habitat heterogeneity in urban planning strategies.   Publishing House "Akademperiodyka" of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine 2026-03-04 Article Article application/pdf https://ojs.akademperiodyka.org.ua/index.php/Zoodiversity/article/view/892 10.15407/zoo2026.02.127 Zoodiversity; Vol. 60 No. 2 (2026): Zoodiversity Zoodiversity (Vestnik Zoologii); Том 60 № 2 (2026): Zoodiversity 2707-7268 2707-725X 10.15407/zoo2026.02 en https://ojs.akademperiodyka.org.ua/index.php/Zoodiversity/article/view/892/383 Copyright (c) 2025 R. Bangay |
| spellingShingle | Bangay, R. Fine-scale butterfly community and trait diversity in a structurally complex urban green space in West London |
| title | Fine-scale butterfly community and trait diversity in a structurally complex urban green space in West London |
| title_full | Fine-scale butterfly community and trait diversity in a structurally complex urban green space in West London |
| title_fullStr | Fine-scale butterfly community and trait diversity in a structurally complex urban green space in West London |
| title_full_unstemmed | Fine-scale butterfly community and trait diversity in a structurally complex urban green space in West London |
| title_short | Fine-scale butterfly community and trait diversity in a structurally complex urban green space in West London |
| title_sort | fine-scale butterfly community and trait diversity in a structurally complex urban green space in west london |
| topic_facet | Urban ecology Lepidoptera biodiversity phenotype species richness |
| url | https://ojs.akademperiodyka.org.ua/index.php/Zoodiversity/article/view/892 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT bangayr finescalebutterflycommunityandtraitdiversityinastructurallycomplexurbangreenspaceinwestlondon |