Journal of Economic Entomology: Assessing the Use of Butterflies as Indicators of Logging in Borneo at Three Taxonomic Levels.

Journal of Economic Entomology: Assessing the Use of Butterflies as Indicators of Logging in Borneo at Three Taxonomic Levels. Logging is an issue of major conservation concern. Less than 5% oftropical forests are currently protected, and many of these are inso-called "paper parks." Many species may therefore depend onexploited forests, and management decisions concerning these forestswill be a major determinant of their survival. An important aspect offorest management will entail the use of reliable, practical, andinexpensive indicator taxa taxa:see taxon. to monitor exploitation. Here, butterfliesare proposed as such indicators. Species, generic, and subfamily subfamily/sub��fam��i��ly/ (sub��fam-i-le) a taxonomic division between a family and a tribe. sub��fam��i��lyn.A taxonomic category ranking between a family and a genus. richness was significantly higher in logged than unlogged forest andcommunity composition differed significantly at all three taxonomic tax��o��nom��ic? also tax��o��nom��i��caladj.Of or relating to taxonomy: a taxonomic designation.tax levels (species, genus, and subfamily). Richness estimators were,furthermore, highly correlated among all three taxonomic levels.Significant individual indicator taxa were found at all three taxonomiclevels, but the best overall taxa (highest indicator values This term is ambiguous: Ellenberg's indicator values are simple ordinal classes of organisms (initially plants) with a similar realized ecological niche along a gradient. The latest edition of Ellenberg's indicator values contain values on a 9 point scale for soil acidity, ) were foundat the generic level and included the butterfly genera genera,in taxonomy: see classification. Ragadia andParalaxita as indicators of unlogged forest and the genera Ypthima,Allotinus, and Athyma as indicators of logged forest. The use of generainstead of species presents a number of practical advantages.Identification is faster, easier, and more reliable. Genera can,furthermore, usually be identified "on the wing," therebypreventing accidental mortality due to capture. 97(2):429-35.