This study was carried out to clarify the response of butterfly communities on forest degradation in the Gwangneung Forest, Korea. We monitored butterfly communities with varying degrees of human activities by conducting line transect twice a month in 2011. A total of 70 species and 4,676 individuals butterflies were observed in four sites: natural forest, plantation forests, and Korean National Arboretum. Species richness increased with increasing open land. The result on niche breadth and habitat type of butterfly was consistent with our predictions; specialist species and forest interior species were abundant in natural forest, whereas generalist species and grassland species were abundant in Korea National Arboretum, the most modified area. Also, habitat breadth of butterflies clearly indicated the difference on the degree of forest degradation. Butterfly diversity associated with landscape patterns based on aerial photographs supported mosaic concept which indicates that species diversity increases as habitat heterogeneity and variability increase. Forest management plan that maintains various habitats and ensures grasslands is necessary to increase butterfly diversity in forest.

• Cheol Min Lee(Division of Forest Ecology, Korea Forest Research Institute)
• Tae-Sung Kwon(Division of Forest Ecology, Korea Forest Research Institu)
• Sung-Soo Kim(Research Institute for East Asian Environment and Biology)
• Jeong-Dal Shon(Korea National Arboretum)
• Bong-Woo Lee(Korea National Arboretum)