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Environmental predictors of shrubby cinquefoil (Dasiphora fruticosa) habitat and quality as host for Maine’s endangered Clayton’s copper butterfly (Lycaena dorcas claytoni)

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Abstract

Population size of habitat-specialized butterflies is limited in part by host plant distribution and abundance. Effective conservation for host-specialist species requires knowledge of host-plant habitat conditions and relationships with the specialist species. Clayton’s copper butterfly (Lycaena dorcas claytoni) is a Maine state-endangered species that relies exclusively on shrubby cinquefoil (Dasiphora fruticosa) as its host. Dasiphora fruticosa occurs in 28 wetlands in Maine, ten of which are occupied by L. d. claytoni. Little is known about environmental conditions that support large, persistent stands of D. fruticosa in Maine. We evaluated the environment (hydrology, pore water and peat nutrients) associated with D. fruticosa distribution, age, and condition in Maine wetlands supporting robust stands of D. fruticosa to compare with L. d. claytoni occurrence. Although dominant water source in D. fruticosa—containing wetlands included both groundwater discharge and surface-flow, D. fruticosa coverage was greater in wetlands with consistent growing season water levels that dropped into or below the root zone by late season, and its distributions within wetlands reflected pore water hydrogen ion and conductivity gradients. Flooding magnitude and duration were greatest during the L.d. claytoni larval feeding period, whereas, mean depth to water table and upwelling increased and were most variable following the L. d. claytoni egg-laying period that precedes D. fruticosa senescence. Oldest sampled shrubs were 37 years, and older shrubs were larger and slower-growing. Encounter rates of L. d. claytoni were greater in wetlands with larger D. fruticosa plants of intermediate age and greater bloom density. Wetland management that combines conditions associated with D. fruticosa abundance (e.g., non-forested, seasonally consistent water levels with high conductivity) and L. d. claytoni occurrence (e.g., drawdown below the root zone following egg-laying, abundant blooms on intermediate-aged D. fruticosa, nearby D. fruticosa-containing wetlands) will aid L. d. claytoni conservation.

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Acknowledgments

Funding was provided by the Maine Agricultural and Forest Experiment Station (MAFES), U.S. Geological Survey, Maine Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (MDIFW), Maine Outdoor Heritage Fund, The Nature Conservancy (TNC), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), and the University of Maine Wildlife, Fisheries, and Conservation Biology Department. We are especially grateful to B. Swartz, N. Sferra, M. McCollough, W. Halteman, A. Reeves, F. Drummond, M. Day, L.B. Perkins, B. Libby, D. Anderson, A.T. Fessenden, and K. Chenard. We thank the landowners for their generosity in allowing access to their land. The manuscript was improved with a review provided by A. Calhoun and 2 anonymous reviewers. Mention of trade names and commercial parts does not constitute endorsement or recommendation for use by the U.S. Government. This is Maine Agricultural and Forest Experiment Station Publication Number H-6-00531-13.

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  1. Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Conservation Biology, University of Maine, 5755 Nutting Hall, Orono, ME, 04469, USA

    Sarah A. Drahovzal & Judith Rhymer

  2. U.S. Geological Survey, Maine Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, 5755 Nutting Hall, Orono, ME, 04469, USA

    Cynthia S. Loftin

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  1. Sarah A. Drahovzal
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Correspondence to Sarah A. Drahovzal.

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Judith Rhymer: Retired.

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Drahovzal, S.A., Loftin, C.S. & Rhymer, J. Environmental predictors of shrubby cinquefoil (Dasiphora fruticosa) habitat and quality as host for Maine’s endangered Clayton’s copper butterfly (Lycaena dorcas claytoni). Wetlands Ecol Manage 23, 891–908 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11273-015-9427-1

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