Long-term Nymphalidae butterfly community data from Yasuní National Park, Ecuador (2002–2023)

Description

This data collection contains two complementary datasets of butterfly observations from long-term monitoring in Yasuní National Park, Ecuador: (1) a carrion-bait dataset and (2) a fruit-bait dataset. The datasets are provided as separate files because they were collected using different bait types and were analyzed independently. Together, they contain long-term data on carrion- and fruit-attracted Nymphalidae butterflies collected between 2002 and 2023 and were compiled to investigate temporal changes in butterfly abundance, species richness, and community composition in a highly diverse lowland Amazonian protected forest. The primary hypothesis underlying these datasets is that Nymphalidae butterfly communities have changed over time, with declines in abundance and species richness. The datasets combine historical sampling conducted in 2002–2003 with subsequent monitoring between 2014 and 2023, allowing comparisons across a 22-year period. Sampling was conducted using baited Van Someren-Rydon traps placed at different vertical strata of the forest. Carrion-based baits included fermented shrimp and fish, depending on the sampling period, whereas the fruit-based dataset used fermented banana. Each record represents a butterfly observation associated with a specific sampling event and includes taxonomic identification, sampling location, trap characteristics, bait type, date and time of collection, and information on sampling effort. Taxonomic fields include family, subfamily, species identification, the corrected species name used for analysis, identification status, verifier, and identification date. Additional fields document identification uncertainty, original database identifications, photographs, and related image files. The datasets were used to evaluate temporal trends in abundance and community diversity, including Hill numbers, as well as changes in community composition. Butterfly abundance from 2014–2017 was comparable to the 2002–2003 baseline but declined thereafter. Across 2014–2023, abundance declined significantly, averaging approximately 11.2% per year in the carrion-bait dataset and approximately 5% per year in the fruit-bait dataset. Species richness and diversity also declined relative to historical baselines, accompanied by changes in community composition indicating substantial reorganization of the butterfly community. Temporal patterns varied among Nymphalidae subfamilies. These data can be used to investigate long-term changes in tropical butterfly communities, evaluate temporal variation in abundance and diversity, and examine changes in community composition in Amazonian forests. Users should consider differences in sampling design, bait type, sampling effort, spatial coverage, and temporal coverage when making comparisons between datasets.

Institutions

• University of Florida

  Florida, Gainesville
• Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador

  Pichincha, Quito

Categories

Licence