Investigating the effects of environmental change on tropical montane butterflies and moths and their ecological interactions

Habitat degradation is a growing threat in tropical montane forests, and combined with climate change, is causing an unprecedented risk of extinction of montane species [1]. Given that montane forests in Peninsular Malaysia have been rapidly depleted due to agricultural expansion and urbanisation, assessing the impact of environmental change on montane biodiversity is imperative [2].
However, little research has attempted to assess how the insect communities respond to the degradation of Malaysian montane forests; and how these changes impact on their ecological interactions with other insect taxa, and plants, and the consequences for wider biodiversity. Studying these interactions and their indirect effects on other species could reveal an even greater impact of habitat degradation and climate change on montane biodiversity [3].
This project will combine well-established ecological research methods to assess Lepidopteran (butterfly and moth) diversity, distribution, and ecological interaction networks across multiple montane forest sites with varying levels of disturbance and fragmentation. These taxa are some of the best-known taxonomic groups, frequently used as indicator species in biodiversity surveys, and have multiple different interactions with other groups of species. The outcome of this project will provide the scientific basis to inform conservation management and mitigation in insect biodiversity hotspots.