@article{WendtSenftlebenGrosetal.2021,
  author    = {Wendt, Martin and Senftleben, Nele and Gros, Patrick and Schmitt, Thomas},
  title     = {Coping with environmental extremes},
  series = {Insects : open access journal},
  volume    = {12},
  journal   = {Insects : open access journal},
  number    = {10},
  publisher = {MDPI},
  address   = {Basel},
  issn      = {2075-4450},
  doi       = {10.3390/insects12100896},
  pages     = {12},
  year      = {2021},
  abstract  = {Simple Summary:\& nbsp;High alpine meadows are home to numerous endemic butterfly species. A combination of climate change and changes in agricultural practices has led to a severe decline in many species. A seemingly unaffected representative of this habitat is Erebia pronoe. We studied the behaviour, resource use and population structure of this species to explain its resilience and estimate its future survival potential. This species shows pronounced protandry in combination with serial eclosion. Males were significantly more active and mobile and were also caught significantly more often than females, resulting in a pronounced shift in sex ratio in the predicted population structure. The adults use a wide range of nectar plants and establish homeranges in areas of high habitat quality. Thus, Erebia pronoe adults use a wide array of resources combined with a slight specialisation to avoid niche overlap with closely related species. The resulting ecological flexibility seems to be an adaptation to unpredictable environmental conditions, which should be the result of a long-lasting adaptation process. Moreover, the combination of opportunism and modest specialisation should also be a good basis for coping with future changes caused by climate and land-use change.</p> <br /> <br></p> <br /> A mark-recapture study of the nominotypical Erebia pronoe in the Alps was conducted to survey its ecological demands and characteristics. Population structure analysis revealed a combination of protandry (one-week earlier eclosion of males) and serial eclosion. Significant differences between both sexes were found in population density (males: 580/ha \& PLUSMN; 37 SE; females: 241/ha \& PLUSMN; 66 SE), sex-ratio (2.4) and behaviour (57.7 vs. 11.9\% flying). Both sexes used a wide range of nectar plants (Asteraceae, 77.3\%; Dipsacaceae, 12.3\%; Gentianaceae, 9.7\%). The use of nectar plants shows a non-specific spectrum, which, however, completely avoids overlap with the locally co-occurring species Erebia nivalis. Movement patterns show the establishment of homeranges, which significantly limits the migration potential. Due to its broad ecological niche, E. pronoe will probably be able to react plastically to the consequences of climate change. The formation of high population densities, the unconcerned endangerment status, the unspecific resource spectrum and the sedentary character of the species make E. pronoe a potential indicator of the quality and general resource occurrence of alpine rupicolous grasslands.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{HabelUlrichEberleetal.2022,
  author    = {Habel, Jan Christian and Ulrich, Werner and Eberle, Jonas and Schmitt, Thomas},
  title     = {Species community structures of Afrotropical butterflies differ depending on the monitoring method},
  series = {Biodiversity and conservation},
  volume    = {31},
  journal   = {Biodiversity and conservation},
  number    = {1},
  publisher = {Springer},
  address   = {Dordrecht},
  issn      = {0960-3115},
  doi       = {10.1007/s10531-021-02332-2},
  pages     = {245 -- 259},
  year      = {2022},
  abstract  = {Standardised biodiversity assessment is crucial to understand community structures and population dynamics of animals. There exist various methods to monitor biodiversity. Approaches differ depending on the target species group and the aim of study, and show advantages and disadvantages. The obtained data and results are influenced by local environmental conditions and seasonal variability. In a comparative approach, we studied butterfly diversity and community structure in the dryland savannah biome of south-eastern Kenya with two different methods, transect counts and bait trapping. We repeatedly collected data throughout the dry and rainy seasons, in both near natural and anthropogenically influenced landscapes. Significantly more species and individuals were recorded by transect counts than by bait trapping, though the larger and more mobile Nymphalid species (and in particular representatives of the genus Charaxes) were comparatively overrepresented in traps. The transect data revealed much more pronounced effects of land-use and seasonality than the trap data. These results show that the choice of data collection methods must depend on the general research question, habitat conditions and season. To study the relative variation of species diversity and abundance, the collection of a fraction of the total species diversity might be sufficient. However, if the focus is on a largely complete recording of species diversity, the use of various collection methods is essential. More specifically, our data clearly demonstrate that transect counts represent a reasonable method for assessing butterfly diversity for the African dryland savannah region, but fails to fully capture occurrences of all species. Bait trapping can be used only as a supplementary method for assessing some few highly mobile low-density species.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{KuehnBeckerHarpkeetal.2022,
  author    = {K{\"u}hn, Elisabeth and Becker, Marc and Harpke, Alexander and K{\"u}hn, Ingolf and Kuhlicke, Christian and Schmitt, Thomas and Settele, Josef and Musche, Martin},
  title     = {The benefits of counting butterflies: recommendations for a successful citizen science project},
  series = {Ecology and Society},
  volume    = {27},
  journal   = {Ecology and Society},
  number    = {2},
  publisher = {Resilience Alliance},
  address   = {Wolfville},
  issn      = {1708-3087},
  doi       = {10.5751/ES-12861-270238},
  pages     = {39},
  year      = {2022},
  abstract  = {Citizen science (CS) projects, being popular across many fields of science, have recently also become a popular tool to collect biodiversity data. Although the benefits of such projects for science and policy making are well understood, relatively little is known about the benefits participants get from these projects as well as their personal backgrounds and motivations. Furthermore, very little is known about their expectations. We here examine these aspects, with the citizen science project "German Butterfly Monitoring" as an example. A questionnaire was sent to all participants of the project and the responses to the questionnaire indicated the following: center dot Most transect walkers do not have a professional background in this field, though they do have a high educational level, and are close to retirement, with a high number of females; center dot An important motivation to join the project is to preserve the natural environment and to contribute to scientific knowledge; center dot Participants benefit by enhancing their knowledge about butterflies and especially their ability to identify different species (taxonomic knowledge); center dot Participants do not have specific expectations regarding the project beyond proper management and coordination, but have an intrinsic sense of working for a greater good. The willingness to join a project is higher if the project contributes to the solution of a problem discussed in the media (here, insect decline). Based on our findings from the analysis of the questionnaire we can derive a set of recommendations for establishing a successful CS project. These include the importance of good communication, e.g., by explaining what the (scientific) purpose of the project is and what problems are to be solved with the help of the data collected in the project. The motivation to join a CS project is mostly intrinsic and CS is a good tool to engage people during difficult times such as the COVID-19 pandemic, giving participants the feeling of doing something useful.},
  language  = {en}
}