Vol. 54, 2015

Diversity and density of butterfly communities in urban green areas: an analytical approach using GIS

Cheol Min Lee^1,*, Jin Wook Park², Tae-Sung Kwon³, Sung-Soo Kim⁴, Jae Won Ryu⁵, Seung Jae Jung⁶, and Sun Kyung Lee⁷

¹Division of Forest Ecology, Korea Forest Research Institute, 57 Hoegi-ro, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul 130-712, Republic of Korea
²Department of Landscape Architecture, Catholic University of Daegu, 13-13 Hayang-ro, Hayang-eup, Gyeongsan-si, Daegu 712-702, Republic of Korea
³Division of Forest Insect Pests and Diseases, Korea Forest Research Institute, 57 Hoegi-ro, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul 130-712, Republic of Korea
⁴Research Institute for East Asian Environment and Biology, 293-27 Amsa 3 dong, Gangdong-gu, Seoul 143-203, Republic of Korea
⁵Ewha Womans University Natural History Museum, 52 Ewhayeodae-gil, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 120-750, Republic of Korea
⁶Department of Biology, Kyung Hee University, 26 Kyungheedae-ro, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul 130-701, Republic of Korea
⁷Entomology program, Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea

Abstract
Background: Urbanization is one of the leading causes of habitat loss, habitat degradation, and fragmentation. Urban development negatively affects biodiversity. We clarified changes in butterfly communities due to urbanization in urban green areas.
Results: In total, 59 species and 1,465 individuals of butterflies were observed in the four urban green areas – Namsan Park (NS), Ewha Womans University (EW), Bukseoul Dream Forest (BD), and Hongneung Forest (HF) – and a natural forest, Gwangneung Forest (GF). The categories of land use around the study sites were determined based on GIS data. Species richness and density of niche breadth and habitat type in the four urban green areas differed mostly from those in GF. Estimated species richness and species diversity (H’) in the four urban green areas were significantly lower than those in GF. Species richness and density of forest interior species and specialist species were positively correlated with paddy, field, and forest, whereas those of forest interior species and specialists were negatively correlated with urban area and road. Species composition and community structure of butterflies in the four urban were differed from those in GF.
Conclusions: These results suggest that decreases in paddy, field, and forest associated with the increased urban area and road negatively influenced species composition and changed butterfly communities. 

Key words: Butterfly; Urbanization; Urban green area; GIS.

*Correspondence: E-mail: leecheolmin77@gmail.com