Titre :	Butterfly diversity and a preliminary comparison with bird and mammal diversity
Type de document :	texte imprimé
Auteurs :	Robert K. Robbins, Auteur ; Paul A. Opler, Auteur
Année de publication :	1996
Importance :	p 69-82
Langues :	Anglais (eng)
Catégories :	SCIENCES DE LA VIE
Mots-clés :	BIODIVERSITE  PAPILLON  OISEAUX  DIVERSITE MAMMALE  DIVERSITE NEOTROPICALE
Résumé :	The best known insects are butterflies; an estimated 90% of the world’s species have scientific names. As a consequence, their biology has been investigated and they are the best group of insects for examining patterns of terrestrial biotic diversity and distribution. They also have a favorable image with the general public, hence they are an excellent group for communicating information on science and conservation issues such as diversity. Perhaps the aspect of butterfly diversity that has received the most attention over the last century is the striking difference in species richness between tropical and temperate regions. A general theory of diversity would have to predict not only this difference between temperate and tropical zones but also patterns within each region and how these vary among different animal and plant groups. However, for butterflies, variation of species richness, within temperate or tropical regions, rather than between them, is poorly understood. The first three sections of this chapter summarize general patterns of butterfly throughout the world, within the conterminous United States, and in the Neotropics respectively. The fourth sections points out, albeit how the distributions of butterflies and presumably other insects, paint a different biogeographical picture of the world than the distributions of birds and mammals. Finally, we briefly discuss the significance of the observed patterns for conservation and for the study of diversity.
Numéro du document :	A/BIO
Niveau Bibliographique :	2
Bull1 (Theme principale) :	BIOLOGIE
Bull2 (Theme secondaire) :	BIOLOGIE GENERALE

Butterfly diversity and a preliminary comparison with bird and mammal diversity [texte imprimé] / Robert K. Robbins, Auteur ; Paul A. Opler, Auteur . - 1996 . - p 69-82.
Langues : Anglais (eng)

Catégories :	SCIENCES DE LA VIE
Mots-clés :	BIODIVERSITE  PAPILLON  OISEAUX  DIVERSITE MAMMALE  DIVERSITE NEOTROPICALE
Résumé :	The best known insects are butterflies; an estimated 90% of the world’s species have scientific names. As a consequence, their biology has been investigated and they are the best group of insects for examining patterns of terrestrial biotic diversity and distribution. They also have a favorable image with the general public, hence they are an excellent group for communicating information on science and conservation issues such as diversity. Perhaps the aspect of butterfly diversity that has received the most attention over the last century is the striking difference in species richness between tropical and temperate regions. A general theory of diversity would have to predict not only this difference between temperate and tropical zones but also patterns within each region and how these vary among different animal and plant groups. However, for butterflies, variation of species richness, within temperate or tropical regions, rather than between them, is poorly understood. The first three sections of this chapter summarize general patterns of butterfly throughout the world, within the conterminous United States, and in the Neotropics respectively. The fourth sections points out, albeit how the distributions of butterflies and presumably other insects, paint a different biogeographical picture of the world than the distributions of birds and mammals. Finally, we briefly discuss the significance of the observed patterns for conservation and for the study of diversity.
Numéro du document :	A/BIO
Niveau Bibliographique :	2
Bull1 (Theme principale) :	BIOLOGIE
Bull2 (Theme secondaire) :	BIOLOGIE GENERALE