Diversity and abundance of Butterflies in the different habitat types at Uganda Wildlife Conservation Education Center (UWEC), Entebbe

Abstract

Butterflies belong to one of the most important taxa of insects as they are environmental health indicators and help in pollination of flowering plants. As a result of habitat degradation due to anthropogenic activities and climate change, butterflies are fast disappearing and their survival is under threat. The study assessed the diversity and abundance of butterflies in the different habitat types at Uganda Wildlife Conservation Education Center (UWEC), Entebbe, Uganda. Line transects were used to survey the three habitat types, namely; forest, open and mixed habitats using a handheld sweep nets and banana-baited traps for 4 days in April, 2023. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics like graphs to demonstrate abundance and species richness, Shannon Weiner diversity index and Kruskal-Wallis statistical test. A total of 86 species belonging to five families were recorded across the three habitat types. Out of these, family Nymphalidae was the most common with 46 species and 188 individuals. The forest habitat was the most diverse and abundant in butterflies of all the habitats with 62 species and 184 individuals out of the total recorded butterflies. Diversity varied from habitat to habitat and it decreased from forest to open habitat. There was a statistically significant difference between median abundances of butterflies between the different habitat types (Kruskal-Wallis test H=21.69, P<0.0001). From the study, UWEC is rich in abundance and diversity of butterflies. It is recommended that management efforts towards conservation of the forest habitat and species be put in place to ensure sustenance of butterflies since it is their most preferred habitat and further research about butterflies in different seasons should be done to update this checklist.