caa a22 4500 605526524 CHVBK 20210128100803.0 cr unu---uuuuu 210128e20150601xx s 000 0 eng 10.1007/s10531-015-0870-3 doi (NATIONALLICENCE)springer-10.1007/s10531-015-0870-3 Tree community composition and vegetation structure predict butterfly community recovery in a restored Afrotropical rain forest [Elektronische Daten] [Margaret Nyafwono, Anu Valtonen, Philip Nyeko, Arthur Owiny, Heikki Roininen] Anthropogenic disturbances have led to a dramatic loss of biodiversity in the tropics. Habitat restoration can mitigate biodiversity loss but studies describing insect community recovery during tropical forest restoration are limited in Africa. Our aim was to compare the predictive power of tree community composition versus vegetation structure for butterfly community composition during tropical rain forest restoration. A fruit-feeding butterfly dataset from two primary and six restored forest areas of Kibale National Park (Uganda) was used. At the same sites, the tree community composition and six variables describing the vegetation structure, namely; (1) total stem density per hectare; (2) tree canopy cover; (3) elephant grass cover; (4) "other grass” cover; (5) shrub cover; and (6) herb cover, were sampled. Co-correspondence analysis and canonical correspondence analysis were used to predict butterfly community composition from tree community composition or vegetation structure, respectively. Both tree community composition and vegetation structure predicted butterfly community equally well. We also found a corresponding successional gradient of butterfly and tree communities, associated with the age of the forest since restoration started. Most butterfly species had their peak abundance (optima) in the late successional or primary forests, while most tree species had their optima in primary forests. Elephant grass cover and tree canopy cover were the most important predictors of the butterfly community composition. Our results demonstrate how tropical forest restoration can ignite successional changes in tree communities and vegetation structure, which in turn restructure the animal communities, according to resource availability and species-specific habitat requirements. Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht, 2015 Biodiversity nationallicence Forest clearing nationallicence Insect nationallicence Kibale nationallicence Lepidoptera nationallicence Reforestation nationallicence Nyafwono Margaret Department of Biology, University of Eastern Finland, P.O. Box 111, 80101, Joensuu, Finland aut Valtonen Anu Department of Biology, University of Eastern Finland, P.O. Box 111, 80101, Joensuu, Finland aut Nyeko Philip Department of Forestry, Biodiversity and Tourism, Makerere University, P.O. Box 7062, Kampala, Uganda aut Owiny Arthur Department of Biology, University of Eastern Finland, P.O. Box 111, 80101, Joensuu, Finland aut Roininen Heikki Department of Biology, University of Eastern Finland, P.O. Box 111, 80101, Joensuu, Finland aut Biodiversity and Conservation Springer Netherlands 24/6(2015-06-01), 1473-1485 0960-3115 24:6<1473 2015 24 10531 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-015-0870-3 text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI BK010053 XK010053 XK010000 Metadata rights reserved Springer special CC-BY-NC licence nationallicence 1 research-article jats NATIONALLICENCE NATIONALLICENCE NL-springer NATIONALLICENCE 856 40 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-015-0870-3 text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Nyafwono Margaret Department of Biology, University of Eastern Finland, P.O. Box 111, 80101, Joensuu, Finland aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Valtonen Anu Department of Biology, University of Eastern Finland, P.O. Box 111, 80101, Joensuu, Finland aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Nyeko Philip Department of Forestry, Biodiversity and Tourism, Makerere University, P.O. Box 7062, Kampala, Uganda aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Owiny Arthur Department of Biology, University of Eastern Finland, P.O. Box 111, 80101, Joensuu, Finland aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Roininen Heikki Department of Biology, University of Eastern Finland, P.O. Box 111, 80101, Joensuu, Finland aut NATIONALLICENCE 773 0- Biodiversity and Conservation Springer Netherlands 24/6(2015-06-01), 1473-1485 0960-3115 24:6<1473 2015 24 10531