DOI: 10.5061/dryad.dv41ns25c
title: Butterfly community composition within a tropical urban landscape is influenced by habitat type and temperature

description: The specific factors that influence spatial community or population
 dynamics are often elusive, and even less known is the impact of tropical
 urban landscapes on diverse species community assemblages. To address this
 knowledge gap, we used a survey data set with 510 fruit‐feeding
 butterflies comprising 20 species across two heterogeneous habitats within
 a city in Nigeria. Next, we constructed generalised linear mixed models to
 understand the differential responses of the butterfly community to
 changes in environmental conditions across habitats. Butterfly species
 community assemblages significantly differed between the two urban
 habitats, with butterfly species significantly higher in the savannah
 woodland compared with the gallery forest due to the optimal daily
 temperatures of the savannah woodland. However, butterfly richness was
 lower in the gallery forest due to extreme environmental conditions. This
 study highlights that butterfly community changes in tropical urban
 landscapes are possibly responding to local microclimates and spatial
 heterogeneity across habitats. For evidence‐based conservation management
 of tropical butterfly biodiversity, there would be a need for a long‐term,
 extensive and systematic insect monitoring programme for butterflies
 across disturbed and undisturbed fragmented habitats harbouring diverse
 insect species.
description: we used a survey dataset with 510 fruit-feeding
 butterflies comprising 20 species across two heterogeneous habitats within
 a city in Nigeria. Next, we constructed generalised linear mixed models to
 understand the differential responses of the butterfly community to
 changes in environmental conditions across habitats.
description: # Butterfly community composition within a tropical urban landscape is
 influenced by habitat type and temperature
 The dataset ***data***
 consists of raw occurrence records of butterflies, and other variables
 collected to evaluate factors influencing the community of butterflies in
 urban areas in Nigeria. This includes over 500 butterfly species
 observations from different two habitats. ## Description of the data and
 file structure ***Week*****:** Consists of raw data of the week
 butterflies were collected from different locations. **Date:** The
 variables represent the date butterflies were collected from different
 locations. **Poin_ID:** Are the exact occurrence points where butterflies
 were collected from habitats.   **Lon:** Longitudinal coordinates (°E or
 °W) of the source locations where butterflies were samples **Lat:**
 Latitudinal coordinates (°N or °S) of the source locations where
 butterflies were samples **habitat:** Classification of the habitats where
 butterflies were found during sampling **habitat_area:** Computed size of
 habitats where butterflies were found during sampling \**Species:
 **Species of butterflies collected and identified in the laboratory
 \**Flower: ** Number of plants with flowers found to be utilized by
 butterflies during sampling \**Fruits: ** Number of plants with fruits
 found to be utilized by butterflies during sampling \**Family: **Family of
 species of butterflies collected and identified in the laboratory
 \**Subfamily: **Subfamilies of species of butterflies collected and
 identified in the laboratory **Count:** Number of butterflies counted at
 each occurrence points during sampling.   \**Weather: **Categories of
 weather condition during sampling for statistical analyses **temp:** Daily
 mean temperature (°C) of the source locations where butterflies were
 samples **maxtemp:** Daily maximum temperature (°C) of the source
 locations where butterflies were samples **mintemp:** Daily minimum
 temperature (°C) of the source locations where butterflies were samples
 **humidity:** Mean humid value (g/kg) of the source locations where
 butterflies were samples **ws:** Mean wind speed value (m/s) of the source
 locations where butterflies were samples **maxws:** Maximum wind speed
 value (m/s) of the source locations where butterflies were samples
 **minws:** Minimum wind speed value (m/s) of the source locations where
 butterflies were samples