Fine-scale butterfly community and trait diversity in a structurally complex urban green space in West London

Abstract

Urban and peri-urban landscapes represent increasingly important reservoirs for biodiversity conservation, yet our understanding of community structure and genetic variation maintenance in these fragmented environments remains limited. I investigated butterfly communities and wing pattern polymorphism across four structurally distinct habitats (grassland, hedgerow, woodland edge, and woodland) within a 10ha peri-urban site in West London. Over two summer months, standardized transect surveys recorded 2,786 individuals representing 23 species. Woodland edge and hedgerow habitats supported the highest diversity (21 species each), while grassland and woodland showed lower richness (17 and 13 species respectively). Five species dominated the community, with Maniola jurtina (Meadow Brown) and Aphantopus hyperantus (Ringlet) comprising 51% of total abundance. Mendelian analysis of wing spot polymorphism in these focal species revealed inheritance patterns consistent with dihybrid F2 expectations, independent of habitat context but showing significant sexual dimorphism in M. jurtina. These findings demonstrate that small, structurally complex peri-urban habitats can maintain both species-level and genetic diversity, highlighting their conservation value and the importance of preserving habitat heterogeneity in urban planning strategies.