Efeitos da fragmentação de hábitat sobre borboletas frugívoras (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) em remanescentes de Mata Atlântica no Rio Grande do Norte

Abstract

Habitat loss and fragmentation are the biggest threats to biodiversity, contributing to declines in biological communities. The response of species and communities to these disturbances depend on landscape features and characteristics of each fragment, and can also vary among different species. Our study test how fragment area, isolation, shape, matrix quality and distance to the nearest permanent course of water (river or pond) affect fruit-feeding butterfly communities in the northeastern portion of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. We used 15 fragments, surrounded by a heterogeneous matrix, consisting predominantly of sugarcane crop fields, ranging from 1,7 to 27,4 hectares, spread in distance classes to a permanent course of water ranging from zero to 2000 meters. Species richness and abundance decreased with increased distance to water. Model selection suggested distance to the water as the main factor affecting species richness and abundance, but matrix quality is also an important predictor for species richness, while fragment shape is important for abundance. Our results highlight the importance of distance to a water course in maintaining fruit-feeding butterflies communities in fragmented landscapes in the Atlantic Forest.