title: Combining Taxonomic and Functional Approaches to Unravel the Spatial Distribution of an Amazonian Butterfly Community.
abstract: This study investigated the spatial distribution of an Amazonian fruit-feeding butterfly assemblage by linking species taxonomic and functional approaches. We hypothesized that: 1) vegetation richness (i.e., resources) and abundance of insectivorous birds (i.e., predators) should drive changes in butterfly taxonomic composition, 2) larval diet breadth should decrease with increase of plant species richness, 3) small-sized adults should be favored by higher abundance of birds, and 4) communities with eyespot markings should be able to exploit areas with higher predation pressure. Fruit-feeding butterflies were sampled with bait traps and insect nets across 25 km(2) of an Amazonian ombrophilous forest in Brazil. We measured larval diet breadth, adult body size, and wing marking of all butterflies. Our results showed that plant species richness explained most of the variation in butterfly taxonomic turnover. Also, community average diet breadth decreased with increase of plant species richness, which supports our expectations. In contrast, community average body size increased with the abundance of birds, refuting our hypothesis. We detected no influence of environmental gradients on the occurrence of species with eyespot markings. The association between butterfly taxonomic and functional composition points to a mediator role of the functional traits in the environmental filtering of butterflies. The incorporation of the functional approach into the analyses allowed for the detection of relationships that were not observed using a strictly taxonomic perspective and provided an extra insight into comprehending the potential adaptive strategies of butterflies.
authors.affiliation: Biodiversity Coordination, National Institute for Amazonian Research, INPA, Manaus, Brazil (marlon_lgp@hotmail.com; morais@inpa.gov.br; beth@inpa.gov.br; pacolipe@gmail.com; souza.jorge@gmail.com; buenoas@gmail.com), Center for Integrated Studies of Amazonian Biodiversity, CENBAM, Manaus, Brazil, marlon_lgp@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Márlon B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Graça
authors.affiliation: Biodiversity Coordination, National Institute for Amazonian Research, INPA, Manaus, Brazil (marlon_lgp@hotmail.com; morais@inpa.gov.br; beth@inpa.gov.br; pacolipe@gmail.com; souza.jorge@gmail.com; buenoas@gmail.com).
authors.forename: José W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Morais
authors.affiliation: Biodiversity Coordination, National Institute for Amazonian Research, INPA, Manaus, Brazil (marlon_lgp@hotmail.com; morais@inpa.gov.br; beth@inpa.gov.br; pacolipe@gmail.com; souza.jorge@gmail.com; buenoas@gmail.com), Center for Integrated Studies of Amazonian Biodiversity, CENBAM, Manaus, Brazil.
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Franklin
authors.affiliation: Biodiversity Coordination, National Institute for Amazonian Research, INPA, Manaus, Brazil (marlon_lgp@hotmail.com; morais@inpa.gov.br; beth@inpa.gov.br; pacolipe@gmail.com; souza.jorge@gmail.com; buenoas@gmail.com), Center for Integrated Studies of Amazonian Biodiversity, CENBAM, Manaus, Brazil.
authors.forename: Pedro A C L
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Pequeno
authors.affiliation: Biodiversity Coordination, National Institute for Amazonian Research, INPA, Manaus, Brazil (marlon_lgp@hotmail.com; morais@inpa.gov.br; beth@inpa.gov.br; pacolipe@gmail.com; souza.jorge@gmail.com; buenoas@gmail.com), Center for Integrated Studies of Amazonian Biodiversity, CENBAM, Manaus, Brazil.
authors.forename: Jorge L P
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Souza
authors.affiliation: Biodiversity Coordination, National Institute for Amazonian Research, INPA, Manaus, Brazil (marlon_lgp@hotmail.com; morais@inpa.gov.br; beth@inpa.gov.br; pacolipe@gmail.com; souza.jorge@gmail.com; buenoas@gmail.com), Campus Júlio de Castilhos, Farroupilha Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology, Brazil (buenoas@gmail.com).
authors.forename: Anderson Saldanha
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Bueno
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D044822:Biodiversity; D001717:Birds / Q000502:physiology; D001938:Brazil; D002080:Butterflies / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D020387:Food Chain; D005638:Fruit / Q000254:growth & development; D007814:Larva / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology; D011157:Population Dynamics; D065947:Rainforest; D014197:Trees / Q000254:growth & development
keywords: body size; environmental filtering; larval diet breadth; plant species richness; predation pressure