Butterflies
Surprisingly, urbanisation had no effect on the abundance, richness, or
diversity of butterfly species on Lipsi Island (Figure 2). Habitat
connectivity may be amplified due to the small spatial extent of the
island, enabling butterflies to utilise both rural and urban habitats.
The low building density and development of ecological corridors on
Lipsi may also increase movement between urban and rural areas (Hennig
and Ghazoul., 2011). Nonetheless, there was a significant change in
butterfly community composition between urban and rural habitats (Figure
5a), as found in several other locations (Numa et al., 2016, Stefanescu
et al., 2004, Tzortzakaki et al., 2019). Butterfly species respond
differently to the environmental constraints encountered along an
urbanisation gradient due to variation in tolerance levels associated
with life history and distribution (Pignataro et al., 2020). For
example, a study in Patras city, Greece, showed that specialist
butterfly species with specific feeding requirements were often absent
from urban environments, whereas generalists exhibited a greater
abundance in urban areas (Tzortzakaki et al. 2019). Habitat
fragmentation and reduced connectivity due to urbanisation may lead to a
decline in specialist species within these areas (Kuussaari et al.,
2021; Brückmann et al., 2010), however, the Geranium Bronze
(Cacyreus marshalli ) and Mallow Skipper (Carcharodus
alceae ) were more abundant in urban areas on Lipsi, despite being
specialists. Geranium Bronze is highly associated with cultivated
geranium plants (Pelargonium ) found in gardens and parks, whilst
the Mallow Skipper caterpillar feeds on mallow plants (Malvaceae) which
are weeds found in urban waste ground, roadsides, and gardens
(Tzortzakaki et al., 2019). Therefore, the presence of cultivated plants
within urban locations could mitigate the loss of natural vegetation and
support certain specialist species (Chong et al., 2014), whilst
generalist or opportunistic butterflies may be able to exploit the
resources found in both urban and rural locations (Pignataro et al.,
2020).