Dispersal in the Glanville fritillary butterfly in fragmented versus continuous landscapes: comparison between three methods

2. Dispersal and movement rates in Glanville fritillary butterflies (Melitaea cinxia) originating from a continuous landscape in China and from a highly fragmented landscape in Finland were compared using three different methods. 3. The methods included replicated mark-release-recapture (MRR) experiments conducted in the natural environments in China and Finland, tracking with harmonic radar of captive-reared but free-flying butterflies in a common environment in the field, and replicated common garden experiments in a large outdoor population cage. 4. The results were largely consistent, showing that butterflies from the more continuous landscape in China had a lower movement rate than butterflies originating from the fragmented landscape in Finland. Butterflies originating from newly-established populations in Finland moved significantly longer distances than butterflies originating from old populations in Finland or from China, demonstrating significant intra-specific variation in dispersal rate in Finland. These results are consistent with model predictions for the Glanville fritillary. 5. The tracking experiment revealed a result that would have been impossible to obtain with MRR experiments: movement rate was influenced by a significant interaction between population origin (China vs. Finland) and ambient air temperature.EntomologySCI(E)0ARTICLE2251-2603