Download or read book Butterfly Conservation in Fragmented Landscapes written by and published by . This book was released on 2001 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Human activities disturb and fragment many natural areas, thereby altering the way in which species interact with their landscape. In natural settings, species often evolved to disperse through areas unsuitable for habitation, but in a world dominated by human-modified landscapes, species face novel features that may disrupt their movement, increasing the isolation of populations. Consequently, there is a pressing need to understand if animals can persist in small natural areas separated by agricultural or urban development. The way in which species respond to fragmentation will inform if conservation actions are necessary to protect a species and what strategies might mitigate the consequences of fragmentation. My dissertation addresses these conservation problems using two studies of butterflies in fragmented landscapes. First, I used a novel synthesis of behavioral, mark-recapture, and population genetic studies to identify the effects of urban fragmentation on a rare butterfly. I present the synthesis in the context of a butterfly endemic to barrier islands in North Carolina, Atrytonopsis new species 1. Atrytonopsis sp1 occupies sand dune habitat, which in this region has largely been converted to residential and commercial development. Many studies rely on a single method to measure movement, but combining methods may help elucidate the effects of natural or anthropogenic fragmentation. To test edge permeability, I conducted butterfly releases at four edge types: sand dune â€" beach, sand dune â€" maritime forest/shrub, sand dune â€" urbanization, and beach â€" ocean. I then used mark-recapture to compare Atrytonopsis sp1 movement rates in continuous sand dune habitat and between habitat patches separated by urban areas. Finally, I conducted a range-wide population genetic study to assess if there was significant population structure across the range of Atrytonopsis sp1, and to determine how the structure was partitioned relative to natural barriers and urbaniz.