Multitrophic metacommunity dataset, with metapopulation level butterfly data, in addition to predation pressure and floral abundance
Data files
Oct 26, 2023 version files 175.46 KB
Abstract
This dataset includes metapopulation level butterfly data within a butterfly metacommunity sampled across 15 sites at Burnt Lands Provincial Park in Ontario, Canada, during the summer of 2019. It includes floral abundance at each site for each sampling round. It also includes information on the number of predator attacks on experimental clay butterfly models at each site. It contains data on site size and connectivity for the 15 sites, as well as the length of butterfly survey transects sampled in each site.
README: Multitrophic metacommunity dataset, with metapopulation level butterfly data, in addition to predation pressure and floral abundance.
Site: indicates the number given to each of the 15 sites, from 1 to 15.
Round: indicates the sampling round, i.e. the number of times each site has been surveyed, from 1-5.
Sampling Day: the day number on which the butterfly and flowering plant data was collected. The first day of sampling is day 1, and other day numbers indicate the number of days that have passed since day 1. Some larger sites (site 7 and 15) occasionally had to be sampled over more than one day. In this case, the first of these sampling days was used for the day number.
Common Name: the common name of the observed butterfly.
Scientific Name: the scientific name of the observed butterfly.
Butterfly Abundance: the number of butterflies of a species observed at a site in a given sampling round. Most butterfly species do not have flight seasons throughout the entire summer, having one or more short generations during the season when they can be deemed ‘active’. Based on the data we collected, we determined whether each species was active during each of the five rounds of transect surveys. If at least one individual of a species was identified during a round, the species was determined to be active, and any negative observations were assigned a value of 0. If no individuals of a species were observed during a round, that species was deemed to be inactive during that period of time, and was assigned a value of NA for all sites.
Transect Length: the length of transect in metres that was sampled at each site following the Pollard Walk method.
Mobility Score: the mobility score of the butterfly species, sourced from Burke, R., J. Fitzsimmons, and J. T. Kerr. 2011. A mobility index for Canadian butterfly species based on experts' knowledge. Biodiversity & Conservation 20: 2273-2295.
Predator Attack Rate: the number of clay butterfly models that were attacked at each site, divided by the total number of models placed at that site.
Floral Density: the number of open flowers per site per sampling round, divided by the transect length at that site.
Site Area: the area of each site, measured in hectares.
Site Isolation: the isolation of each site within the network of sites. This was calulculated as the least cost path from each site to all other sites, and measured in units of movement costs.