Biodiversity Data Journal :
Data Paper (Biosciences)
|
Corresponding author: Mário Boieiro (mrboieiro@fc.ul.pt)
Academic editor: Pedro Cardoso
Received: 03 Jan 2023 | Accepted: 23 Feb 2023 | Published: 15 Mar 2023
© 2023 Mário Boieiro, Sandra Antunes, Hugo Figueiredo, Albano Soares, Ana Lopes, Eva Monteiro, Patrícia Garcia-Pereira, Carla Rego, José Conde, Paulo Borges, Artur Serrano
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Citation:
Boieiro M, Antunes S, Figueiredo H, Soares A, Lopes A, Monteiro E, Garcia-Pereira P, Rego C, Conde J, Borges PA.V, Serrano AR.M (2023) Standardised inventories of lepidopterans and odonates from Serra da Estrela Natural Park (Portugal) - setting the scene for mountain biodiversity monitoring. Biodiversity Data Journal 11: e99558. https://doi.org/10.3897/BDJ.11.e99558
|
|
Mountain insect biodiversity is unique, but is menaced by different drivers, particularly climate and land-use changes. In mainland Portugal, the highest mountain - Serra da Estrela - is one of the most important biodiversity hotspots, being classified as Natural Park since 1976. Many lepidopteran and odonate species, including rare and protected species, are known to occur in Serra da Estrela, but basic knowledge on their abundance, distribution and ecology is still lacking. Standardised sampling of these communities is crucial to provide valuable biological information to support short-term decision-making for conservation management, setting simultaneously the standards for mountain biodiversity monitoring aiming to tackle the effects of environmental change in the long-term.
This study reports novel information on lepidopteran and odonate species diversity, distribution and abundance from Serra da Estrela Natural Park (Portugal). Seventy-two lepidopteran and 26 odonate species were sampled in this protected area, including the first findings of Apatura ilia (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775), Macromia splendens (Pictet, 1843) and Vanessa virginiensis (Drury, 1773). New populations of Euphydrias aurinia (Rottemburg, 1775) and Oxygastra curtisii (Dale, 1834), protected species under the Habitats Directive, were found in this Natural Park and novel distribution and ecological data were collected for most species, including several rare species and subspecies [e.g. Aeshna juncea (Linnaeus, 1758), Coenonympha glycerion iphioides Staudinger, 1870, Cyaniris semiargus (Rottemburg, 1775) and Sympetrum flaveolum (Linnaeus, 1758)]. All data were collected using standardised sampling allowing its use as a baseline for biodiversity monitoring in Serra da Estrela.
butterflies, Lepidoptera, damselflies, dragonflies, Odonata, elevation gradient, mountain lakes, protected areas, Habitats Directive
Mountain ecosystems are crucial for global biodiversity conservation since they host high numbers of plant and animal species, including many rare, endemic and those of conservation concern (
We present new taxonomic, distribution and abundance data on the lepidopterans and odonates of Serra da Estrela Natural Park following an extensive survey of adult forms using standardised sampling. The data encompass the elevation gradient of Serra da Estrela, the highest mountain in mainland Portugal and includes information from a variety of habitat types (mountain streams, mountain lakes and montane vegetation) during two consecutive years (2013 and 2014).
Biodiversity, endemic and protected species associated with mountain lakes and streams of Serra da Estrela
Mário Boieiro, José Conde and Artur Serrano planned the project and designed the sampling strategy; Sandra Antunes, Albano Soares, Hugo Figueiredo, Ana Lopes, Eva Monteiro, Patrícia Garcia-Pereira, Carla Rego, José Conde and Mário Boieiro participated in fieldwork. Mário Boieiro and Paulo Borges performed the biodiversity data curation in Darwin Core format.
The study took place in Serra da Estrela, the highest mountain in continental Portugal (with 1993 m). Serra da Estrela includes the western extreme of the Iberian Central System which is considered one of the main mountain systems in the Iberian Peninsula. Serra da Estrela is classified as Natural Park since 1976, is part of the Natura 2000 network and its upper areas are included in the Ramsar Convention (
Sampling of lepidopterans and odonates took place in three main habitat types, namely mountain streams, mountain lakes and montane vegetation (Fig.
List of the study sites with an indication of their location (in decimal degrees WGS84) and habitat-type.
Site |
Habitat-type |
Latitude |
Longitude |
Conchos |
Montane vegetation |
|
|
Corgo das Mós |
Montane vegetation |
|
|
Erva da Fome |
Montane vegetation |
|
|
Fonte dos Perús |
Montane vegetation |
|
|
Lagoacho |
Montane vegetation |
|
|
Penha do Gato |
Montane vegetation |
|
|
Redonda |
Montane vegetation |
|
|
Rodeio Grande |
Montane vegetation |
|
|
Seca |
Montane vegetation |
|
|
Torre |
Montane vegetation |
|
|
Vale das Éguas |
Montane vegetation |
|
|
Vale de Perdiz |
Montane vegetation |
|
|
Covão do Curral |
Mountain lake |
|
|
Covão do Forno |
Mountain lake |
|
|
Covão do Meio |
Mountain lake |
|
|
Covão do Quelhas |
Mountain lake |
|
|
Covão dos Conchos |
Mountain lake |
|
|
Lagoa Comprida 1 |
Mountain lake |
|
|
Lagoa Comprida 2 |
Mountain lake |
|
|
Lagoa da Francelha |
Mountain lake |
|
|
Lagoa do Ângelo |
Mountain lake |
|
|
Lagoa Escura |
Mountain lake |
|
|
Lagoa Redonda |
Mountain lake |
|
|
Lagoa Seca |
Mountain lake |
|
|
Lagoa Serrano |
Mountain lake |
|
|
Lagoacho das Favas |
Mountain lake |
|
|
Lagoacho SE |
Mountain lake |
|
|
Lagoacho W |
Mountain lake |
|
|
Vale do Rossim NE |
Mountain lake |
|
|
Vale do Rossim SW |
Mountain lake |
|
|
Cabeça |
Mountain stream |
|
|
Loriga |
Mountain stream |
|
|
Ponte de Jugais-Ribeira da Caniça |
Mountain stream |
|
|
Ponte de Jugais-Rio Alva |
Mountain stream |
|
|
Porto do Boi |
Mountain stream |
|
|
Ribeira da Fervença |
Mountain stream |
|
|
Ribeira da Nave |
Mountain stream |
|
|
Ribeira da Pragueira |
Mountain stream |
|
|
Sabugueiro |
Mountain stream |
|
|
The three main habitat types sampled in this study.
This work was financed by the Energias de Portugal (EDP) Fund for Biodiversity 2011 through project "Biodiversidade, endemismos e espécies protegidas associadas às lagoas e cursos de água da Serra da Estrela: valorização de um século de aproveitamento hidroeléctrico". Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia funded APC through project UIDB/00329/2020–2024 and supported MB by contract DL57/2016/CP1375/CT0001.
The study was carried out in Serra da Estrela Natural Park encompassing the elevation gradient and the diversity of habitats of this protected area.
Lepidopterans and odonates were sampled using a standardised methodology to ensure the possibility of biodiversity data comparison between study sites and to set a reference for mountain biodiversity monitoring in Serra da Estrela Natural Park. Insect sampling followed the Pollard and Yates methodology (
Lepidopterans and odonates were identified by trained taxonomists (Albano Soares, Hugo Figueiredo and Sandra Antunes) during fieldwork.
Serra da Estrela Natural Park, Portugal
Latitude; Longitude: -7.886433ºW to -7.200313.
Rank | Scientific Name | Common Name |
---|---|---|
order | Odonata | odonates; dragonflies and damselflies |
order | Lepidoptera | lepidopterans; butterflies |
The data were collected during the seasonal peak of activity of adult lepidopterans and odonates in Serra da Estrela, which lasts from late spring to late summer. Data were collected during two consecutive years: from June to September 2013 and from July to September 2014.
The dataset was published in the Global Biodiversity Information Facility platform, GBIF (
Column label | Column description |
---|---|
id | Unique identification code for sampling event data. |
eventID | Identifier of the events, unique for the dataset. |
samplingProtocol | The sampling protocol used to capture the species. |
sampleSizeValue | The numeric amount of time spent in each sampling. |
sampleSizeUnit | The unit of the sample size value. |
samplingEffort | The amount of effort expended during an Event. |
eventDate | Date or date range the record was collected. |
year | The four-digit year in which the Event occurred, according to the Common Era Calendar. |
month | The integer month in which the Event occurred. |
day | The integer day of the month on which the Event occurred. |
habitat | The habitat from which the sample was obtained. |
locationID | Identifier of the location. |
country | Country of the sampling site (in this case, Portugal). |
countryCode | ISO code of the country of the sampling site (PT - Portugal). |
municipality | Municipality of the sampling site. |
locality | Name of the locality. |
minimumElevationInMetres | The lower limit of the range of elevation (altitude, usually above sea level), in metres. |
decimalLatitude | Approximate centre point decimal latitude of the field site in GPS coordinates. |
decimalLongitude | Approximate centre point decimal longitude of the field site in GPS coordinates. |
geodeticDatum | The ellipsoid, geodetic datum or spatial reference system (SRS) upon which the geographic coordinates given in decimalLatitude and decimalLongitude are based. |
coordinateUncertaintyInMetres | Uncertainty of the coordinates of the centre of the sampling plot, in metres. |
coordinatePrecision | Precision of the coordinates. |
georeferenceSources | A list (concatenated and separated) of maps, gazetteers or other resources used to georeference the Location, described specifically enough to allow anyone in the future to use the same resources. |
verbatimLatitude | The verbatim original latitude of the Location. |
verbatimLongitude | The verbatim original longitude of the Location. |
verbatimSRS | The ellipsoid, geodetic datum or spatial reference system (SRS) upon which coordinates given in verbatimLatitude and verbatimLongitude or verbatimCoordinates are based. |
The dataset was published in the Global Biodiversity Information Facility platform, GBIF (
Column label | Column description |
---|---|
id | Unique identification code for species abundance data. Equivalent here to eventID. |
type | The nature or genre of the resource, as defined by the Darwin Core standard. |
licence | Reference to the licence under which the record is published (CC-BY) 4.0. |
institutionID | The identity of the institution publishing the data. |
institutionCode | The identity of the collection publishing the data. |
basisOfRecord | The nature of the data record. |
occurrenceID | Identifier of the record, coded as a global unique identifier. |
recordedBy | A list (concatenated and separated) of names of people, groups or organisations who performed the sampling in the field. |
organismQuantity | A number or enumeration value for the quantity of organisms. |
organismQuantityType | The type of quantification system used for the quantity of organisms. |
lifeStage | The life stage of the organisms captured. |
establishmentMeans | The process of establishment of the species in the location, using a controlled vocabulary: 'native', 'introduced', 'endemic', "unknown". |
eventID | Identifier of the events, unique for the dataset. |
identifiedBy | A list (concatenated and separated) of names of people, groups or organisations who assigned the Taxon to the subject. |
dateIdentified | The date on which the subject was determined as representing the Taxon. |
scientificName | Complete scientific name including author and year. |
kingdom | Kingdom name. |
phylum | Phylum name. |
class | Class name. |
order | Order name. |
family | Family name. |
genus | Genus name. |
specificEpithet | Specific epithet. |
infraspecificEpithet | Subspecies epithet. |
taxonRank | Lowest taxonomic rank of the record. |
scientificNameAuthorship | Name of the author of the lowest taxon rank included in the record. |
The dataset was published in the Global Biodiversity Information Facility platform, GBIF (
Column label | Column description |
---|---|
id | Unique identification code for sampling event data. |
eventID | Identifier of the events, unique for the dataset. |
samplingProtocol | The sampling protocol used to capture the species. |
sampleSizeValue | The numeric amount of time spent in each sampling. |
sampleSizeUnit | The unit of the sample size value. |
samplingEffort | The amount of effort expended during an Event. |
eventDate | Date or date range the record was collected. |
year | The four-digit year in which the Event occurred, according to the Common Era Calendar. |
month | The integer month in which the Event occurred. |
day | The integer day of the month on which the Event occurred. |
habitat | The habitat from which the sample was obtained. |
locationID | Identifier of the location. |
country | Country of the sampling site (in this case Portugal). |
countryCode | ISO code of the country of the sampling site. |
municipality | Municipality of the sampling site. |
locality | Name of the locality. |
minimumElevationInMetres | The lower limit of the range of elevation (altitude, usually above sea level), in metres. |
decimalLatitude | Approximate centre point decimal latitude of the field site in GPS coordinates. |
decimalLongitude | Approximate centre point decimal longitude of the field site in GPS coordinates. |
geodeticDatum | The ellipsoid, geodetic datum or spatial reference system (SRS) upon which the geographic coordinates given in decimalLatitude and decimalLongitude are based. |
coordinateUncertaintyInMeters | Uncertainty of the coordinates of the centre of the sampling plot, in metres. |
coordinatePrecision | Precision of the coordinates. |
georeferenceSources | A list (concatenated and separated) of maps, gazetteers or other resources used to georeference the Location, described specifically enough to allow anyone in the future to use the same resources. |
verbatimLatitude | The verbatim original latitude of the Location. |
verbatimLongitude | The verbatim original longitude of the Location. |
verbatimSRS | The ellipsoid, geodetic datum or spatial reference system (SRS) upon which coordinates given in verbatimLatitude and verbatimLongitude or verbatimCoordinates are based. |
The dataset was published in the Global Biodiversity Information Facility platform, GBIF (
Column label | Column description |
---|---|
id | Unique identification code for species abundance data. Equivalent here to eventID. |
type | The nature or genre of the resource, as defined by the Darwin Core standard. |
licence | Reference to the licence under which the record is published (CC-BY) 4.0. |
institutionID | The identity of the institution publishing the data. |
institutionCode | The identity of the collection publishing the data. |
basisOfRecord | The nature of the data record. |
occurrenceID | Identifier of the record, coded as a global unique identifier. |
recordedBy | A list (concatenated and separated) of names of people, groups or organisations who performed the sampling in the field. |
organismQuantity | A number or enumeration value for the quantity of organisms. |
organismQuantityType | The type of quantification system used for the quantity of organisms. |
lifeStage | The life stage of the organisms captured. |
establishmentMeans | The process of establishment of the species in the location, using a controlled vocabulary: 'native', 'introduced', 'endemic', "unknown". |
eventID | Identifier of the events, unique for the dataset. |
identifiedBy | A list (concatenated and separated) of names of people, groups or organisations who assigned the Taxon to the subject. |
dateIdentified | The date on which the subject was determined as representing the Taxon. |
scientificName | Complete scientific name including author and year. |
kingdom | Kingdom name. |
phylum | Phylum name. |
class | Class name. |
order | Order name. |
family | Family name. |
genus | Genus name. |
specificEpithet | Specific epithet. |
taxonRank | Lowest taxonomic rank of the record. |
scientificNameAuthorship | Name of the author of the lowest taxon rank included in the record. |
During the two-year study, we observed 7339 adult insects from 98 species of the two target groups (Lepidoptera and Odonata) in Serra da Estrela Natural Park. Overall, we identified 72 lepidopteran species (3971 observed individuals) from five different families (Table
Species abundance and occupancy of lepidopterans from the study sites in Serra da Estrela.
Family | Species/Subspecies | Abundance | Occupancy |
Hesperiidae | Hesperia comma (Linnaeus, 1758) | 132 | 29 |
Hesperiidae | Ochlodes sylvanus (Esper, 1777) | 4 | 3 |
Hesperiidae | Pyrgus malvoides (Elwes & Edwards, 1897) | 15 | 10 |
Hesperiidae | Thymelicus acteon (Rottemburg, 1775) | 3 | 2 |
Hesperiidae | Thymelicus lineola (Ochsenheimer, 1808) | 11 | 4 |
Hesperiidae | Thymelicus sylvestris (Poda, 1761) | 44 | 14 |
Papilionidae | Iphiclides feisthamelii (Duponchel, 1832) | 11 | 7 |
Pieridae | Anthocharis cardamines (Linnaeus, 1758) | 5 | 1 |
Pieridae | Colias croceus (Geoffroy, 1785) | 256 | 38 |
Pieridae | Gonepteryx rhamni (Linnaeus, 1758) | 61 | 23 |
Pieridae | Leptidea sinapis (Linnaeus, 1758) | 69 | 18 |
Pieridae | Pieris brassicae (Linnaeus, 1758) | 14 | 9 |
Pieridae | Pieris napi (Linnaeus, 1758) | 58 | 12 |
Pieridae | Pieris rapae (Linnaeus, 1758) | 270 | 36 |
Pieridae | Pontia daplidice (Linnaeus, 1758) | 71 | 20 |
Lycaenidae | Aricia cramera Eschscholtz, 1821 | 59 | 20 |
Lycaenidae | Callophrys rubi (Linnaeus, 1758) | 2 | 2 |
Lycaenidae | Celastrina argiolus (Linnaeus, 1758) | 107 | 32 |
Lycaenidae | Cyaniris semiargus (Rottemburg, 1775) | 63 | 9 |
Lycaenidae | Glaucopsyche melanops (Boisduval, 1828) | 2 | 1 |
Lycaenidae | Laeosopis roboris (Esper, 1789) | 9 | 3 |
Lycaenidae | Lampides boeticus (Linnaeus, 1767) | 18 | 9 |
Lycaenidae | Leptotes pirithous (Linnaeus, 1767) | 93 | 25 |
Lycaenidae | Lycaena alciphron (Rottemburg, 1775) | 22 | 16 |
Lycaenidae | Lycaena bleusei Oberthur, 1884 | 6 | 2 |
Lycaenidae | Lycaena phlaeas (Linnaeus, 1761) | 81 | 26 |
Lycaenidae | Lycaena tityrus (Poda, 1761) | 3 | 2 |
Lycaenidae | Plebejus argus (Linnaeus, 1758) | 336 | 31 |
Lycaenidae | Polyommatus icarus (Rottemburg, 1775) | 73 | 20 |
Lycaenidae | Satyrium esculi (Hübner, 1804) | 2 | 1 |
Lycaenidae | Satyrium spini (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775) | 25 | 5 |
Nymphalidae | Aglais io (Linnaeus, 1758) | 12 | 9 |
Nymphalidae | Aglais urticae (Linnaeus, 1758) | 24 | 8 |
Nymphalidae | Apatura ilia (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775) | 1 | 1 |
Nymphalidae | Argynnis adippe (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775) | 61 | 16 |
Nymphalidae | Argynnis aglaja (Linnaeus, 1758) | 6 | 4 |
Nymphalidae | Argynnis pandora (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775) | 179 | 34 |
Nymphalidae | Argynnis paphia (Linnaeus, 1758) | 9 | 6 |
Nymphalidae | Brintesia circe (Fabricius, 1775) | 115 | 31 |
Nymphalidae | Charaxes jasius (Linnaeus, 1767) | 1 | 1 |
Nymphalidae | Coenonympha dorus (Esper, 1782) | 10 | 1 |
Nymphalidae | Coenonympha glycerion iphioides Staudinger, 1870 | 16 | 7 |
Nymphalidae | Coenonympha pamphilus (Linnaeus, 1758) | 8 | 7 |
Nymphalidae | Euphydryas aurinia (Rottemburg, 1775) | 6 | 1 |
Nymphalidae | Hipparchia fidia (Linnaeus, 1767) | 27 | 5 |
Nymphalidae | Hipparchia hermione (Linnaeus, 1764) | 149 | 32 |
Nymphalidae | Hipparchia semele (Linnaeus, 1758) | 89 | 25 |
Nymphalidae | Hipparchia statilinus (Hufnagel, 1766) | 62 | 15 |
Nymphalidae | Hyponephele lycaon (Rottemburg, 1775) | 71 | 21 |
Nymphalidae | Issoria lathonia (Linnaeus, 1758) | 106 | 28 |
Nymphalidae | Lasiommata maera (Linnaeus, 1758) | 15 | 2 |
Nymphalidae | Lasiommata megera (Linnaeus, 1767) | 63 | 24 |
Nymphalidae | Limenitis reducta Staudinger, 1901 | 9 | 4 |
Nymphalidae | Maniola jurtina (Linnaeus, 1758) | 25 | 7 |
Nymphalidae | Melanargia lachesis (Hübner, 1790) | 312 | 26 |
Nymphalidae | Melanargia occitanica (Esper, 1793) | 3 | 1 |
Nymphalidae | Melanargia russiae (Esper, 1783) | 11 | 3 |
Nymphalidae | Melitaea deione (Geyer, 1832) | 21 | 8 |
Nymphalidae | Melitaea nevadensis Oberthür, 1904 | 42 | 12 |
Nymphalidae | Melitaea parthenoides Keferstein, 1851 | 7 | 3 |
Nymphalidae | Melitaea phoebe (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775) | 7 | 2 |
Nymphalidae | Melitaea trivia (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775) | 8 | 2 |
Nymphalidae | Nymphalis antiopa (Linnaeus, 1758) | 13 | 12 |
Nymphalidae | Nymphalis polychloros (Linnaeus, 1758) | 1 | 1 |
Nymphalidae | Pararge aegeria (Linnaeus, 1758) | 90 | 16 |
Nymphalidae | Polygonia c-album (Linnaeus, 1758) | 19 | 3 |
Nymphalidae | Pyronia cecilia (Vallantin, 1894) | 2 | 2 |
Nymphalidae | Pyronia tithonus (Linnaeus, 1767) | 103 | 15 |
Nymphalidae | Satyrus actaea (Esper, 1781) | 268 | 30 |
Nymphalidae | Vanessa atalanta (Linnaeus, 1758) | 4 | 3 |
Nymphalidae | Vanessa cardui (Linnaeus, 1758) | 70 | 19 |
Nymphalidae | Vanessa virginiensis (Drury, 1773) | 1 | 1 |
Species abundance and occupancy of odonates from the study sites in Serra da Estrela.
Family | Species | Abundance | Occupancy |
Calopterygidae | Calopteryx haemorrhoidalis (Vander Linden, 1825) | 5 | 1 |
Calopterygidae | Calopteryx virgo (Linnaeus, 1758) | 203 | 12 |
Calopterygidae | Calopteryx xanthostoma (Charpentier, 1825) | 12 | 1 |
Lestidae | Lestes dryas Kirby, 1890 | 374 | 19 |
Lestidae | Lestes virens (Charpentier, 1825) | 335 | 15 |
Lestidae | Lestes viridis (Vander Linden, 1825) | 5 | 2 |
Coenagrionidae | Ceriagrion tenellum (de Villers, 1789) | 1 | 1 |
Coenagrionidae | Enallagma cyathigerum (Charpentier, 1840) | 579 | 16 |
Coenagrionidae | Ischnura graellsii (Rambur, 1842) | 10 | 5 |
Coenagrionidae | Pyrrosoma nymphula (Sulzer, 1776) | 71 | 13 |
Platycnemididae | Platycnemis latipes Rambur, 1842 | 12 | 3 |
Aeshnidae | Aeshna cyanea (Müller, 1764) | 26 | 12 |
Aeshnidae | Aeshna juncea (Linnaeus, 1758) | 183 | 19 |
Aeshnidae | Anax imperator Leach, 1815 | 28 | 12 |
Aeshnidae | Boyeria irene McLachlan, 1896 | 104 | 7 |
Gomphidae | Onychogomphus uncatus (Charpentier, 1840) | 54 | 7 |
Cordulegastridae | Cordulegaster boltonii (Donovan, 1807) | 182 | 16 |
Corduliidae | Oxygastra curtisii (Dale, 1834) | 2 | 1 |
Macromiidae | Macromia splendens (Pictet, 1843) | 4 | 1 |
Libellulidae | Libellula depressa Linnaeus, 1758 | 1 | 1 |
Libellulidae | Libellula quadrimaculata Linnaeus, 1758 | 825 | 22 |
Libellulidae | Orthetrum coerulescens (Fabricius, 1798) | 7 | 3 |
Libellulidae | Sympetrum flaveolum (Linnaeus, 1758) | 190 | 12 |
Libellulidae | Sympetrum fonscolombii (Selys, 1840) | 13 | 7 |
Libellulidae | Sympetrum sanguineum (Müller, 1764) | 140 | 12 |
Libellulidae | Sympetrum striolatum (Charpentier, 1840) | 2 | 2 |
Some interesting findings from this study in Serra da Estrela.
Coenonympha glycerion iphioides and Cyaniris semiargus, both considered threatened by extinction in Portugal (
The species abundance distributions of the two study groups show a bimodal pattern with high number of species in moderately low and moderately high abundance classes; fewer species were found to be low- or high-abundant (Fig.
Species abundance distributions (SADs) and occupancy frequency distributions (OFDs) of lepidopterans and odonates from the study sites in Serra da Estrela.
Average values of lepidopteran and odonate species richness were higher in mountain streams and lakes (Fig.
The diversity of lepidopteran and odonate species in Serra da Estrela is one of the highest in Portugal since the elevation gradient of this mountain determines marked differences in abiotic and biotic conditions at relatively short distances, thus driving habitat diversity, species distributions and spatial patterns of biodiversity (
During the two-year study, we sampled the lepidopteran and odonate communities from 39 sites in Serra da Estrela Natural Park, improving the species inventory by recording three new species to this protected area and collecting novel data on species abundance, distribution and ecology for nearly one hundred species, including two protected under the Habitats Directive. Interestingly, a number of lepidopteran and odonate species were found in low abundance in a few number of sites (Tables
Our study presents baseline information on species abundance and distribution following standardised sampling in representative habitats of Serra da Estrela, aiming to set a reference for long-term monitoring of biodiversity in this mountain. The biodiversity of Serra da Estrela faces several threats, particularly due to climate change, wildfires, the spread of invasive species and excessive water extraction, all of which are crucial for assessing their impact on montane plant and animal communities. Both odonates and lepidopterans are important bioindicators and many studies showed that they may provide valuable information as global change sentinels since their populations respond quickly to environmental change and at very fine scales (
We thank Centro de Interpretação da Serra da Estrela (CISE) for providing logistic support to team members and to the Instituto da Conservação da Natureza e das Florestas (ICNF) for allowing insect sampling in Serra da Estrela Natural Park. Open Access was funded by the project FCT-UIDB/00329/2020-2024 (Thematic Line 1 – integrated ecological assessment of environmental change on biodiversity).
Conceptualization, M.B., J.C. and A.R.M.S.; investigation, S.A., A.S., H.F., A.L., E.M., P.G.P., C.R., J.C. and M.B.; resources, M.B., J.C. and A.R.M.S.; data curation, M.B. and P.A.V.B.; writing - original draft preparation, M.B.; writing - review and editing, M.B., J.C., C.R., A.S., S.A., H.F., A.L., E.M., P.G.P., P.A.V.B. and A.R.M.S.; supervision, M.B., J.C. and A.R.M.S.; project administration, M.B., J.C. and A.R.M.S.; funding acquisition, M.B., J.C. and A.R.M.S. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.