Consequences of the spatial configuration of resources for the distribution and dynamics of the endangered Parnassius apollo butterfly

Based on several years of data from two populations of the endangered Apollo butterfly (Parnassius apollo, L. 1758), we study how the amount and spatial location of patches of larval (host-plant) and adult (nectar plant) resources affects the distribution of females and their larval offspring in the following year. In the coastal population (nectar-plant and host-plant patches spatially segregated), females moved frequently between patches to aggregate on larger host-plant patches close to nectar-plant patches. In the archipelago population (where nectar-plants and host-plants co-occur), the abundance of females increased with higher proximity to other host-plant patches and with more nectar-plants on the patch. Next year’s larval abundance correlated with the abundance of females in the previous season in both populations. A model of the population dynamics in the two populations in relation to the spatial configuration of nectar and host-plant patches showed that the spatial configuration of larval and adult resources had population-dynamical consequences. In many organisms, different life-history stages use different resources. Incorporation of information on the location and abundance of adult resources can provide additional insight for the suitability of a particular landscape in harbouring a population.