Underlying Mechanisms of Temperate Butterfly Diversity in Lawn and Old-field Habitats, 2015

Most people agree that biodiversity is important to the health of ecosystems. However, the underlying mechanisms that create and perpetuate biodiversity are less understood, largely owed to the complexity of studying a system where multiple ecological processes are being carried out simultaneously. This study aims to contribute to the dialogue about causal mechanisms of temperate butterfly diversity across multiple habitats altered by human activities.
This study quantifies temperate butterfly diversity across three anthropogenic habitats: native plant meadow, old field and lawn. Meandering pollard walks were conducted three times in each of 24 different plots for 25 minutes. Butterflies were identified to genus, and butterfly richness and abundance measurements were recorded.
Botanical data was also collected and analyzed to illuminate the interrelationships and relative importance of plant diversity, abundance of vegetative material and the apparency of flowers to butterfly diversity in these habitats. Plant species richness and above-ground biomass measurements were taken in 1 m2 and .25 m2 quadrats respectively nine times per plot utilizing a stratified random technique.
The study was conducted from June 24 – August 7, 2015 in Clarke and Warren Counties of Virginia as a part of NSF-funded Research Experience of Undergraduates.