The Effect of Environmental Disturbance on a Tropical Butterfly Population

摘要: Near Turrialba, Costa Rica, the only common host plant of black swallowtail butterfly Papilio polyxenes Fabr., Spananthe paniculata, is an early successional umbellifer that occurs in ephemeral patches vary age, size, and degree isolation from one another, support localized colonies P. polyxenes. Within patch, egg larval survival was highest shortly after plants began to flower. Eggs experimentally placed on leaves prior flowering suffered rates mortality nearly twice as great those flowers just 2 or 3 wk later. Beyond point decreased predation increased, local population densities infertility occurred. During this period, numbers kinds insects predominantly predaceous parasitic families increased significantly, did num- bers spiders. The overall importance three measured sources were: by large predators > small drowning due rain. Year-round breeding dispersal adults allows them colonize new they appear track spatial availability time. New provide a continual supply temporary refuges natural enemies areas high intraspecific popu- lation density. variety arthropods appears be adapted for colonizing asynchronous habitat produced disturbances where growing season continuous.