DOI: 10.5061/dryad.8w9ghx3td
title: Factors shaping the abundance of two butterflies sharing resources and enemies across a biogeographic region

description: Aim: Intra-specific variation in species relative abundance is
 shaped by a complex interplay of abiotic and biotic factors, making it
 both necessary and challenging to assess their combined relative
 importance in explaining variations across space and time. We used two
 congeneric butterfly species for which extensive count data and a deep
 understanding of their natural history are available to test three
 hypotheses explaining intra-specific variation in their abundance: (H1)
 seasonal dispersal behaviour driven by climate, (H2) resource
 availability, and (H3) apparent competition mediated via shared
 parasitoids. Taxon: Gonepteryx rhamni (Brimstone) and G. cleopatra
 (Cleopatra). Location: NE Iberian Peninsula, where both species coexist,
 and a nearby archipelago (Balearic Islands), where only Cleopatra occurs.
 Methods: We analyzed spatial abundance variations for both species in the
 mainland and island-mainland differences in the abundance of Cleopatra.
 Abiotic and biotic factors, including temperature, host plant and
 overwintering habitat availability, larval parasitism and density
 dependence were tested to explain the observed variations. Results: H1 can
 explain variation in butterfly abundance between mainland regions since in
 warmer summers populations increased in cooler areas but decreased in
 warmer areas. H2 explains the variation within mainland climate regions
 with a strong positive relationship between resource availability and
 abundance but is unlikely to explain the island-mainland variation in the
 abundance of Cleopatra. H3 could neither explain biogeographical variation
 in abundance because although richer parasitoid communities were found on
 the mainland, larval mortality rates were similar or lower on the mainland
 than in the islands. Main conclusions: Climate and resource availability
 jointly account for variation in butterfly abundance across the mainland,
 but neither these factors nor parasitism can explain island-mailand
 differences. Both coexisting butterfly species and their larval
 parasitoids may have undergone evolutionary processes, resulting in
 spatial segregation that promotes the coexistence of the two butterfly
 species on the mainland.
description: # Factors shaping the abundance of two butterflies sharing resources and
 enemies across a biogeographic region
 This collection of
 datasets pertains to ecological research focused on butterfly species and
 various factors influencing their abundance and parasitism rates. The data
 covers multiple sites, years, and bioregions, providing a comprehensive
 view of the ecological dynamics at play. ## File Descriptions ### 1.
 `climdata_sites.csv` * **Description**: Maximum temperature data of the
 study sites. * **Columns**: * `SITE`: Identifier for the site. * `YEAR`:
 Year of data recording. * `MONTH`: Month of data recording. * `MAX_TEMP`:
 Maximum temperature recorded (degrees Celsius). ### 2.
 `data_annual_abundance.csv` * **Description**: Records the annual
 abundance and population growth of the two focal butterfly species. *
 **Columns**: * `SITE`: The site where the data was recorded. * `YEAR`:
 Year of data recording. * `RCLIM`: Regional climate identifier. *
 `ABUND_PIEGCL`: Abundance of *Gonepteryx cleopatra* * `ABUND_PIEGRH`:
 Abundance of *Gonepteryx rhamni* * `ABUND_PIEGSP`: Abundance of
 *Gonepteryx sp.* * `ABUND_PIEGCL_n_1`: Previous year's abundance of
 *Gonepteryx cleopatra* * `ABUND_PIEGRH_n_1`: Previous year's
 abundance of *Gonepteryx rhamni* * `ABUND_PIEGSP_n_1`: Previous
 year's abundance of species *Gonepteryx sp.* * `POPGRW_PIEGCL`:
 Population growth rate of *Gonepteryx cleopatra* * `POPGRW_PIEGRH`:
 Population growth rate of *Gonepteryx rhamni* *NA values signify that the
 abundance estimation for the specific combination of species, year, and
 climate region was not performed. ### 3. `data_parasitism.csv` *
 **Description**: Details on parasitism in butterfly larvae. * **Columns**:
 * `larval_stage`: The stage of the larva during data collection in the
 field. * `capture_date`: The date when the larva was captured in the
 field. * `year`: Year of data recording. * `site`: The site where the
 larva was captured. * `region`: The region where the site is located. *
 `larvae died`: Indicates if the larva died during rearing without being
 killed by a parasitoid. * `parasitized`: Indicates if the larva was
 parasitized. * `parasitoid_species`: Species of the parasitoid. *
 `butterfly_species`: Species of the butterfly. *NA values denote that the
 species could not be identified. ### 4. `forest_cover.csv` *
 **Description**: Provides information on forest cover in various study
 sites. * **Columns**: * `SITE`: Identifier for the study site. *
 `FOREST_COVER`: Percentage of forest cover at the site (%). *
 `FOREST_COVER_ONE`: Per one of forest cover at the site. ### 5.
 `hostplant_cover.csv` * **Description**: Data regarding the cover of host
 plants (*Rhamnus sp.*) for butterflies. * **Columns**: * `SITE`:
 Identifier for the study site. * `HP_COVER`: Total
 <sup>m2</sup> of host plant cover. * `DATE`: Date of
 observation. * `LONG_TRANSECT`: Transect longitude (m). *NA values
 indicate that forest cover was not measured. ### 6.
 `relation_site_rclim_bioregion.csv` * **Description**: Links study sites
 with regional climates and bioregions. * **Columns**: * `SITE_ID`:
 Identifier for the study site. * `RCLIM`: Regional climate identifier
 linked to the site. * `BIOREGION`: Bioregion identifier linked to the
 site. ### 7. `transect_cord.csv` * **Description**: Contains geographic
 coordinates for transects at study sites. * **Columns**: * `SITE`:
 Identifier for the study site. * `LON`: Longitude of the transect. *
 `LAT`: Latitude of the transect. ## Data Format All data files are in CSV
 format. Please ensure that appropriate software or tools capable of
 reading this format are used (e.g., Microsoft Excel, R, Python Pandas
 library). ## Additional Notes * The data has been collected and processed
 with the utmost care. However, users are advised to independently verify
 the data for their specific use cases. * We politely request that users
 cite this dataset and/or the associated publication in Journal of
 Biogeography. * If you have any queries or require further clarification,
 please contact Pau Colom (). ##
 Sharing/Access information All the information about the study sites and
 butterfly population numbers can be found in
 [www.catalanbms.org](http://www.catalanbms.org)