Non-native plants provide nectar and host plant resources to native butterflies

• Main Authors: Sze Huei Yek, Zhi hoong wong, Pei wen hon
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Universiti Malaysia Sabah 2024
• Subjects: QA1-939 Mathematics; QL461-599.82 Insects
• Online Access: https://eprints.ums.edu.my/id/eprint/42338/1/FULL%20TEXT.pdf; https://eprints.ums.edu.my/id/eprint/42338/; https://doi.org/10.51200/jtbc.v21i.5590

Urban restoration projects often aim to completely remove non-native plant species from the restored landscape and replace them with native plant species. However, this is unrealistic as early successional plants in urban settings comprise predominantly of non-native plant species. In this study, we investigate whether native butterfly species showed a preference on using native versus non-native plant species in their nectar sourcing and caterpillar host plant choice in two urban gardens at Monash University Malaysia. Native butterflies significantly preferred non-native plant species as nectar food plants, suggesting butterflies are generalists in nectar sourcing. Native butterflies showed no preference towards non-native plants as caterpillar host plants. However, six native butterfly species in our study (Zizula hylax, Hypolycaena erylus, Chliaria othona, Junonia orithya, Yppthima spp., and Eurema hecabe) can use non-native plants as their caterpillar host plants. This demonstrates the usefulness of these non-native plant species in an urban garden by maintaining native butterfly biodiversity. This study indicates a paradigm shift is required among urban ecologists to recognize that not all non-native plants have negative impacts on biodiversity. For more effective urban restoration planning and management, further research emphasising how native insects use non-native plant species is required to maximise biodiversity and ecosystem services restoration.