Data from: Butterfly community dynamics in a monoculture-dominated agricultural landscape

Understanding biodiversity dynamics in agricultural landscapes is
essential for promoting sustainable land use and conserving
wildlife. We examined butterfly communities in a
monoculture-dominated landscape, comparing remnant grassland sites
surrounded by agricultural land (AGR), grasslands (GR), and forests (FOR).
Data were collected from 30 sites across these three categories. We used
non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) to assess community
composition, rank abundance curves for community structure, and Hill
numbers for alpha diversity. Generalized additive models (GAMs) identified
key drivers of rare species richness and the abundance of the most common
species, Coenonympha pamphilus. Results showed a few
dominant species, with most having low abundances. Species richness was
similar across all site categories, but differences in evenness and
species dominance highlighted variations in community structure. GR and
FOR sites had higher numbers of both rare and abundant species, indicating
a more balanced distribution than AGR sites. NMDS revealed significant
differences in composition, especially between FOR and AGR. The GAM
results showed that the combination of agricultural land and forest cover
enhances rare species richness, while agricultural cover alone had a
negative impact. Even for the most common species, C. pamphilus, high
agricultural cover negatively impacts its population but shifts positively
when combined with greater vegetation height in adjacent
grasslands. These findings highlight the critical role of forest
habitats within monoculture-dominated landscapes in enhancing butterfly
community diversity and stability. The adaptability of butterfly species
to agricultural landscapes is limited to a small number of species and
only up to a certain extent.