Reconstructing Seasonal Range Expansion of the Tropical Butterfly, Heliconius charithonia, into Texas Using Historical Records

While butterfly responses to climate change are well studied, detailed analyses of the seasonal dynamics of range expansion are few. Therefore, the seasonal range expansion of the butterfly Heliconius charithonia L. (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) was analyzed using a database of sightings and collection records dating from 1884 to 1992 from Texas. First and last sightings for each year were noted, and residency time calculated, for each collection locality. To test whether sighting dates were a consequence of distance from source (defined as the southernmost location of permanent residence), the distance between source and other locations was calculated. Additionally, consistent directional change over time of arrival dates was tested in a well-sampled area (San Antonio). Also, correlations between temperature, rainfall, and butterfly distribution were tested to determine whether butterfly sightings were influenced by climate. Both arrival date and residency interval were influenced by distance from source: butterflies arrived later and residency time was shorter at more distant locations. Butterfly occurrence was correlated with temperature but not rainfall. Residency time was also correlated with temperature but not rainfall. Since temperature follows a north-south gradient this may explain the inverse relationship between residency and distance from entry point. No long-term directional change in arrival dates was found in San Antonio. The biological meaning of these findings is discussed suggesting that naturalist notes can be a useful tool in reconstructing spatial dynamics

Bioma Mata Atlântica no estado do Rio Grande Do Norte: Qual a real situação?

Although the systematic mapping of the Atlantic Forest has been done since the late 80's, this has not come to the center of endemism Pernambuco, leaving a gap in knowledge about the current state of fragmentation of the Atlantic forest in its north distribution. This study aimed to map forest fragments of Atlantic Forest and associated ecosystems (sandbank and mangrove) in state of Rio Grande do Norte based on orthorectified aerial photographs of high spatial resolution and conduct a landscape level analysis. The result shows that the biome is highly fragmented, where 72% of mapped fragments are smaller than 10 ha and only 3% of the fragments are larger than 100 ha. The average distance between fragments was 72m and 62% of the fragments are at most 10m of each other. Given the degree of degradation the landscape conservation approaches are not sufficient and the prospect of ecological restoration should be considered.Pages: 2891-289