Impact of urban landscape patterns on butterfly diversity in Fuzhou City parks

Butterflies are crucial bioindicators of urban environmental changes. Utilizing urban green spaces to create ecological corridors and habitats is essential for maintaining biodiversity. Therefore, understanding the factors that influence landscape patterns in urban green spaces and their impact on butterfly diversity is crucial. This study investigated how landscape patterns in urban green spaces affect butterfly diversity through a year-long survey across 24 urban parks in Fuzhou. The main findings were as follows: (1) A total of 7786 butterflies from 59 species were recorded, with the highest species diversity and richness observed in Fushan Country Park. Seasonal abundance peaked in summer, while richness was highest in autumn. Species composition varied significantly across park types. (2) Monophagous butterfly diversity was positively correlated with woodland proportion and negatively to waterbody largest patch index. Polyphagous and oligophagous butterfly diversity showed positive correlations with woodland aggregation index and grassland proportion within 500 m buffers, but negative with construction land proportion. Factors such as the waterbody proportion and landscape division index influenced butterfly diversity in different activity spaces. (3) Butterfly communities with different feeding types and vertical activity space ranges responded differently to landscape pattern indices. Seasonal variations indicated that polyphagous butterflies and those occupying the middle activity space exhibited similar responses to environmental factors. [Display omitted] •Butterfly species distribution differs among the three urban park types.•Monophagous butterflies thrive with more woodland and less waterbody area.•Polyphagous and oligophagous butterflies benefit from grassland and woodland.•Landscape pattern indices reveal key factors influencing butterfly diversity.•Butterfly diversity varies with landscape pattern indices across seasons.