Will refaunation by feral horse affect five checkerspot butterfly species (Melitaea Fabricius, 1807) coexisting at xeric grasslands of Podyji National Park, Czech Republic?

In connection with the broad refaunation/rewilding movement, free-range grazing by native ungulates is being increasingly used as a management option for diverse habitat types, including xeric grasslands of temperate Europe. Prior to the establishment of such grazing by Exmoor ponies, an analogue of the wild horse for European grasslands, we surveyed the demography, mobility and habitat use of five species of checkerspot butterflies (Melitaeini) co-occurring at two grasslands of the Podyjí National Park, Czech Republic: Melitaea athalia; M. aurelia; M. britomartis; M. cinxia; and, M. didyma. We combined mark-recapture, adults distribution models and larval nests surveys to describe co-occurrence patterns of the five butterflies and to predict impacts of the horses on their populations.