%0 Journal Article
%T Butterfly Species Richness in Selected West Albertine Rift Forests
%A Patrice Kasangaki
%A Anne M. Akol
%A Gilbert Isabirye Basuta
%J International Journal of Zoology
%D 2012
%I Hindawi Publishing Corporation
%R 10.1155/2012/578706
%X The butterfly species richness of 17 forests located in the western arm of the Albertine Rift in Uganda was compared using cluster analysis and principal components analysis (PCA) to assess similarities among the forests. The objective was to compare the butterfly species richness of the forests. A total of 630 butterfly species were collected in 5 main families. The different species fell into 7 ecological groupings with the closed forest group having the most species and the swamp/wetland group with the fewest number of species. Three clusters were obtained. The first cluster had forests characterized by relatively high altitude and low species richness despite the big area in the case of Rwenzori and being close to the supposed Pleistocene refugium. The second cluster had forests far away from the supposed refugium except Kisangi and moderate species richness with small areas, whereas the third cluster had those forests that were more disturbed, high species richness, and low altitudinal levels with big areas. 1. Introduction Butterflies populate the entire land area of the earth except for the polar regions and the most arid deserts [1]. Each species occupies a definable geographical area, which is known as its area of distribution or, more simply, its range. Some species have ranges that cover very small areas while others have large ranges. Butterflies also occur as distinct communities, which may be specific not only to geographical subregions but also to disparate ecological conditions [2, 3]. Butterflies are known to respond to environmental changes and there have been considerable amounts of data collected on how particular species contend with alteration in land-use [3, 4]. Because of their sensitivity to environmental conditions, butterflies have also been classified into ecological/functional groups that correspond more accurately to specific habitat conditions. The explicit environmental requirements of many species mean that they can have considerable value as indicators of community or habitat health [3] and may also play a valuable role in ecological monitoring [5]. In Uganda, about 1245 butterfly species have been recorded [6] from a variety of habitats and it is thus feasible to evaluate the butterfly fauna of the region as well as deriving reasonably accurate comparisons of sites and subsequently identify conservation requirements. The forests of the western arm of the Albertine Rift within Uganda are remnants of a once widespread forest ecosystem that has since become highly fragmented. Inspite of the fragmentation, the forests are
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