Danaid Eggfly.

Understanding how resources shape animal populations forms the main focus of my proposal. Recent studies highlight the importance of spatial distribution of resources and landscape composition on animal populations but key questions remain poorly understood, such as how the distribution of resources in a landscape affects individual habitat-use and movement, which in turn influence population-level processes, such as population density patterns in a landscape, migration between populations, and long-term persistence of populations. Such an understanding of how landscape-level factors influence population density patterns of species is crucial for designing appropriate conservation measures. Butterflies are suited for such population studies and have received much attention in temperate areas. However, despite being ecologically important taxa, little is known about butterfly ecology and behaviour in tropical areas. I

Propose to examine the influence of resource distribution at local habitat patch-level and landscape-level scales on butterfly behaviour, habitat use and population density patterns. I plan to focus on tropical grassland habitats, because these habitats are understudied and usually considered wastelands but are of conservation importance. Land-use changes and overgrazing threaten these habitats in the Indian sub-continent. My preliminary work in laterite-plateau grasslands indicates that these are important butterfly habitats and require conservation attention.