On the surrogate value of red-listed butterflies for butterflies and grasshoppers: a case study in Grammos site of Natura 2000, Greece

• DOI: 10.1007/s10841-008-9198-6
• Publication Date: 2008-12-08T00:08:07Z
• Authors: Konstantina Zografou; Spyros Sfenthourakis; Andrew Pullin; Vassiliki Kati
• Keywords: 0106 biological sciences; Southern Europe; Greece; Red List; species conservation; Mountain biodiversity; Papilionoidea; Conservation; Complementarity; 15. Life on land; Protected area; 01 natural sciences; Europe; Lepidoptera; butterfly; surrogate method; Eurasia; Orthoptera; grasshopper; Indicators; 14. Life underwater; species richness; biodiversity

We tested the surrogate value of butterflies, red-listed butterflies and grasshoppers for each other in terms of diversity patterns congruence and complementarity at a site in the NATURA 2000 network. Grammos Mountain is proposed as a new Prime Butterfly Area for Greece: it supports a total of 56 grasshopper species and 112 butterfly species, 24 of which are of European conservation concern (SPEC) and two of Prime Butterflies Area Project. We found a strong congruence in the species richness patterns of SPEC butterflies, butterflies and grasshoppers, because three common ecological factors influenced them: number of flower heads, altitude, and cover of low trees or bushes (Redundancy Analysis, CANOCO). Each complementarity network maintained quite well the species richness of the other two target groups (<18% average species loss). SPEC butterflies were the best surrogate group overall and therefore we propose that they should be monitored on a permanent basis.