Though it is generally accepted that agroforestry (AF) contributes to the conservation of fauna biodiversity, few studies have investigated butterfly diversity in AF systems. We studied butterfly diversity in a tea-based AF system in Mengsong village near Bulong Nature Reserve, Xishuangbanna, SW China. The study investigated the relationship between butterfly community composition and environmental factors in the tea-based AF system. We used general linear models and classification trees to test the effects of tea density, tea height and canopy openness on butterfly abundance and diversity. The results revealed that the tea based AF system maintained high butterfly biodiversity. In addition, butterfly biodiversity was positively associated with tea height and forest cover, and negatively associated with tea density. Further analysis revealed that dark coloured butterflies were more common in open conditions, and light coloured ones under the forest canopy.
Publication year
2022
Authors
Language
English
Keywords
ecology
Geographic
China
