Methods
Summary
A transect with 200-meter-long and 10-meter-wide box lines will be employed on each of the study sites, and for each site, a total of two transect lines will be established for the whole duration of the study. These lines will be marked with steel reinforcing rods at corners and along the lines (rods will be sprayed with orange paint for visibility). A total of 18 transect lines will be employed for the study in Negros Island. Transect sampling will be done in three time durations: (1) at 8:00 am to 9:00 am; (2) from 10:00 am to 11:00 am, since butterfly activity will usually peak at 10:00 am to 12:00 pm; (3) from 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm. Transect walks and observer counts are efficient in accumulating individuals and species numbers compared to using butterfly nets, but in this study we will do both. The observer will spend 1-hour on each transect line. This method was adapted from Fleishman, Austin, Brussard, and Murphy (1999) with slight modification. During the preliminary fieldwork, the field assistants will be tested on their performances based on how many species or individuals per species they can catch using the butterfly net and the time required to identify them. The two field assistants will be timed along the 200-meter-long and 10- meter-wide transect box lines, and the results will be compared with other field assistants sampling in different habitats; by doing it this way, we will be able to determine the standard time of sampling in a transect box line. For each transect in a study site, two field assistants/observers will sample each transect line for 2 days with alternate directions of sampling, such that the first day will be from east to west direction and then the second day will be from west to east direction. The data collection for one site will be done for 8 days (2 transect lines x 2 days each x 2 times each) per month from June 2016 to June 2017. The planned days of fieldwork depend on the weather. Most butterflies are very abundant on sunny and cloudy days (Salvato and Salvato 2007; Badon 2013). Intensive sampling will be done just before a typhoon hits the country and right after it leaves the affected islands. The study also aims to do repeated sampling as much as possible or if time permits to determine the periodicity and recovery of fauna in the study sites. In the event of rain during sampling, the field assistants will halt from sampling and wait for the rain to stop; occasional rains will usually last for a few minutes after which, the field assistants can continue. The field assistants will stay in the transect lines during the allotted time period of sampling. Data collection in all sites will be done synchronously such that all field assistants will be on their first transect lines altogether on the same day. Butterfly species in the families Papilionidae, Pieridae, and Nymphalidae are easier to identify compared to Lycaenidae and Hesperiidae. The butterflies belonging to the last two families will be identified to the genus or species level. Badon (2013) already documented the butterfly species in the southern region of Negros Island including some species of lycaenids and skippers. Weather forecasts will be promulgated by the PAGASA (Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration) and monitored daily by the research team. And since local weather conditions can also vary and sometimes they change unexpectedly, the observer/researcher will also record the weather conditions every 30 minutes during sampling whether the conditions are sunny, cloudy, drizzle, etc.
Protocols
This project has not yet shared any protocols.