Mountains are among the most powerful natural gradients for testing ecological and evolutionary responses of biota to environmental influences because differences in climate and plant structure occur over short spatial scales. We describe the spatiotemporal distribution patterns and drives of fruit‐feeding butterfly diversity in the mountainous region of Serra do Cipó, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Seven elevations from 822 to 1,388 m a.s.l. were selected for evaluating the effects of abiotic factors and vegetation characteristics on butterfly diversity. A total of 44 fruit‐feeding butterfly species were recorded in a two‐year study. Species richness (local and regional) of fruit‐feeding butterflies decreased with increasing elevation. The interaction between temperature or humidity and precipitation influenced the abundance and β‐diversity of butterflies in the elevation gradient, whereas β‐diversity decreased with increasing plant richness. Butterfly richness (local and regional) and β‐diversity varied with the sampling period, with fewer species in July (2012 and 2013), the dry period, as expected for Neotropical insects. β‐Diversity in space and time was due to species replacement (turnover), indicating that butterfly composition differs throughout the mountain and over time. In summary, climate and plant richness largely influence butterfly diversity in the elevational gradient. Climatic changes in conjunction with increasing anthropic impacts on mountainous regions of southeast Brazil will likely influence the community of mountaintop butterflies in the Espinhaço Mountain Range.

中文翻译：

---

气候和植物结构决定了热带山区的时空蝴蝶分布

山脉是测试生物群对环境影响的生态和进化响应的最强大的自然梯度之一，因为气候和植物结构的差异发生在较短的空间尺度上。我们描述了巴西米纳斯吉拉斯州Serra doCipó山区的时空分布模式和以水果为食的蝴蝶多样性的驱动力。选择了822至1,388 m asl的七个海拔，以评估非生物因素和植被特征对蝴蝶多样性的影响。在为期两年的研究中，总共记录了44种以水果为食的蝴蝶种类。采食蝴蝶的物种丰富度（局部和区域性）随着海拔的升高而降低。温度或湿度与降水之间的相互作用影响海拔梯度上蝴蝶的丰度和β-多样性，而β-多样性随植物丰富度的增加而降低。蝴蝶的丰富度（局部和区域性）和β多样性随采样期的不同而变化，7月（2012年和2013年）（干旱期）的物种较少，这是新热带昆虫的预期。β-时空的多样性是由于物种替换（周转）造成的，这表明蝴蝶的组成在整个山区和时间上都不同。总之，气候和植物丰富度在海拔梯度上极大地影响着蝴蝶的多样性。