scholarly journals The Monarch Butterfly as a Model for Understanding the Role of Environmental Sensory Cues in Long-Distance Migratory Phenomena

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick A. Guerra
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Animal Movement ◽  
Danaus Plexippus ◽  
Monarch Butterfly ◽  
Review Article ◽  
Sensory Cues ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Environmental Challenges ◽  
Key Aspects

The awe-inspiring annual migration of monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) is an iconic example of long-distance migratory phenomena in which environmental sensory cues help drive successful migration. In this mini-review article, I begin by describing how studies on monarch migration can provide us with generalizable information on how sensory cues can mediate key aspects of animal movement. I describe how environmental sensory cues can trigger the development and progression of the monarch migration, as well as inform sensory-based movement mechanisms in order to travel to and reach their goal destination, despite monarchs being on their maiden voyage. I also describe how sensory cues can trigger season-appropriate changes in migratory direction during the annual cycle. I conclude this mini-review article by discussing how contemporary environmental challenges threaten the persistence of the monarch migration. Environmental challenges such as climate change and shifting land use can significantly alter the sensory environments that monarchs migrate through, as well as degrade or eliminate the sources of sensory cues that are necessary for successful migration.

scholarly journals Characterizing New Wintering Sites for Monarch Butterfly Colonies in Sierra Nevada, Mexico

Insects ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 384
Author(s):  
Ramiro Pérez-Miranda ◽  
Víctor Javier Arriola-Padilla ◽  
Martín Enrique Romero-Sanchez
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Protected Areas ◽  
Sierra Nevada ◽  
Danaus Plexippus ◽  
Monarch Butterfly ◽  
Field Trips ◽  
Conservation Strategies ◽  
National Commission ◽  
Butterfly Population

Every year, Danaus plexippus (Linnaeus, 1758) travels to hibernate in oyamel fir forests located between the limits of the states of Michoacán and Mexico in Mexico. Climate change and anthropogenic actions are diminishing oyamel fir forests in Mexico, putting pressure on the habitats of monarch butterflies. In the last decade, new colonies outside their usual range have been predicted through modeling and reported by the National Commission on Protected Areas of Mexico. The objectives of the study were to recover information on the historical and new hibernation sites, reported or modeled, from different literature sources. We also aimed to perform a bioclimatic and forest biometric characterization of new monarch butterfly colonies located in Sierra Nevada in Mexico to provide information to aid in conservation strategies for the monarch butterfly population. We conducted field trips to georeference the colonies at sites located in the Atlautla municipality in Mexico State. Climatic, topographic, and forest biometric variables were used to characterize the sites physically. It was found that the butterfly’s roosts occurred at a higher elevation than those recorded by other sources. The locations where the monarch’s colonies were established, in the east of Mexico State, provide information relevant to defining and developing policies for their conservation.

scholarly journals Effects of early-life exposure to sublethal levels of a common neonicotinoid insecticide on the orientation and migration of monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus)

2020 ◽  
Vol 224 (4) ◽  
pp. jeb230870
Author(s):  
Alana A. E. Wilcox ◽  
Amy E. M. Newman ◽  
Nigel E. Raine ◽  
Greg W. Mitchell ◽  
D. Ryan Norris
Keyword(s):  
Danaus Plexippus ◽  
Monarch Butterfly ◽  
Flight Simulator ◽  
Testing Time ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Monarch Butterflies ◽  
Early Life Exposure ◽  
Neonicotinoid Insecticide ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
And Migration

ABSTRACTMigratory insects use a variety of innate mechanisms to determine their orientation and maintain correct bearing. For long-distance migrants, such as the monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus), these journeys could be affected by exposure to environmental contaminants. Neonicotinoids are synthetic insecticides that work by affecting the nervous system of insects, resulting in impairment of their mobility, cognitive performance, and other physiological and behavioural functions. To examine how neonicotinoids might affect the ability of monarch butterflies to maintain a proper directional orientation on their ∼4000 km migration, we grew swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) in soil that was either untreated (0 ng g−1: control) or mixed with low (15 ng g−1 of soil) or high (25 ng g−1 of soil) levels of the neonicotinoid clothianidin. Monarch caterpillars were raised on control or clothianidin-treated milkweed and, after pupation, either tested for orientation in a static flight simulator or radio-tracked in the wild during the autumn migration period. Despite clothianidin being detectable in milkweed tissue consumed by caterpillars, there was no evidence that clothianidin influenced the orientation, vector strength (i.e. concentration of direction data around the mean) or rate of travel of adult butterflies, nor was there evidence that morphological traits (i.e. mass and forewing length), testing time, wind speed or temperature impacted directionality. Although sample sizes for both flight simulator and radio-tracking tests were limited, our preliminary results suggest that clothianidin exposure during early caterpillar development does not affect the directed flight of adult migratory monarch butterflies or influence their orientation at the beginning of migration.

scholarly journals Soil carbon research and global environmental challenges

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alfred E Hartemink ◽  
Rattan Lal ◽  
Martin H. Gerzabek ◽  
Bashir Jama ◽  
Alex McBratney ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Energy Production ◽  
Research Priorities ◽  
Soil Conditions ◽  
Research Projects ◽  
Environmental Challenges ◽  
Soil C ◽  
Production Water ◽  
Global Environmental

The role of soil organic carbon (SOC) in maintaining soil conditions and its resulting services is well established. Currently, over 1,000 articles per year are being published in peer-reviewed journals, and increasing at about 10% per year. It was not until the 1980s when the relation between soils and climate change was noted, and it was realized that soils play a key role as a sink and source of greenhouse gases (GHGs) ( Bouwman 1990, Scharpenseel, Ayoub and Schomaker 1990, Jenny 1980). A large number of research projects have been initiated globally in which soil C is a key component, and there have been some excellent reviews ( Lal 2004, Stockmann et al. 2013, Melillo et al. 2011). Yet, there is a lack of focus in soil C research in relation to current environmental challenges. Here we recommend research priorities to advance the knowledge base and use of soil C in relation to global human and environmental challenges: food and fiber production, water scarcity and purification, energy production, climate change, biodiversity, recycling waste, and environmental degradation. We have listed the priorities under three themes: (i) Soil C in space and time, (ii) Soil C properties and processes, and (ii) Soil C depletion and management.

scholarly journals Changes in the geomagnetic field has little effect on the overwintering range of Eastern North American fall migratory monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus), indicating a lack of an innate magnetic map sense for navigation

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick Anthony Guerra ◽  
Stephen Matter
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Field ◽  
North American ◽  
Geomagnetic Field ◽  
Danaus Plexippus ◽  
Monarch Butterfly ◽  
Central Mexico ◽  
Earth’S Magnetic Field ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Monarch Butterflies ◽  
Earth's Magnetic Field

Abstract BackgroundIndividuals of many species that perform annual long-distance migrations are capable of stopping at specific overwintering destinations, despite having not been there before. The iconic monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) and its annual long-distance fall migration is a famous example of this phenomenon. During the fall, Eastern North American monarch butterflies use various compass mechanisms to properly orient their flight southwards, in order to leave their summer breeding grounds in Southern Canada and the Northern United States, and reach their overwintering sites in Central Mexico. It remains a mystery, however, how monarchs locate and stop at these specific, consistent overwintering sites, especially since these individuals are on their maiden voyage. MethodsWe test the hypothesis that fall migrant monarchs locate these overwintering sites by using an innate, inherited map sense based on sensing and responding to specific geomagnetic signatures that are correlated with the overwintering sites. Using a natural displacement approach, we examined if the locations of overwintering sites and the abundance of monarchs at them, changes with the natural shift of the Earth’s magnetic field over time (2004-2018).ResultsWe found that despite the natural displacement of the geomagnetic field over the years, the locations of the overwintering sites and monarch abundance were unaffected. For example, fall monarchs continued to overwinter at the most southern sites in Mexico, even when the geomagnetic coordinates associated with these sites would have shifted north due to the natural shift of the Earth’s magnetic field, placing these sites significantly outside the range of the overwintering area.ConclusionsOur results suggest that monarchs do not employ a map sense based on geomagnetic cues for finding their overwintering sites, and might instead use other mechanisms or strategies for locating them (potentially using localized sensory cues) once they are near or have arrived in Central Mexico. We suggest that future work should now focus on understanding what these cue parameters are, in order to inform conservation efforts that are aimed at protecting the threatened monarch butterfly and preserving its annual long-distance migration.

Modelling climate change: the role of unresolved processes

2005 ◽  
Vol 363 (1837) ◽  
pp. 2931-2946 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul D Williams
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Climate Models ◽  
Random Noise ◽  
Climate System ◽  
Personal Perspective ◽  
Physical Processes ◽  
Current State ◽  
Explicit Consideration ◽  
Key Aspects

Our understanding of the climate system has been revolutionized recently, by the development of sophisticated computer models. The predictions of such models are used to formulate international protocols, intended to mitigate the severity of global warming and its impacts. Yet, these models are not perfect representations of reality, because they remove from explicit consideration many physical processes which are known to be key aspects of the climate system, but which are too small or fast to be modelled. The purpose of this paper is to give a personal perspective of the current state of knowledge regarding the problem of unresolved scales in climate models. A recent novel solution to the problem is discussed, in which it is proposed, somewhat counter-intuitively, that the performance of models may be improved by adding random noise to represent the unresolved processes.

scholarly journals Soil carbon research and global environmental challenges

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alfred E Hartemink ◽  
Rattan Lal ◽  
Martin H. Gerzabek ◽  
Bashir Jama ◽  
Alex McBratney ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Energy Production ◽  
Research Priorities ◽  
Soil Conditions ◽  
Research Projects ◽  
Environmental Challenges ◽  
Soil C ◽  
Production Water ◽  
Global Environmental

The role of soil organic carbon (SOC) in maintaining soil conditions and its resulting services is well established. Currently, over 1,000 articles per year are being published in peer-reviewed journals, and increasing at about 10% per year. It was not until the 1980s when the relation between soils and climate change was noted, and it was realized that soils play a key role as a sink and source of greenhouse gases (GHGs) ( Bouwman 1990, Scharpenseel, Ayoub and Schomaker 1990, Jenny 1980). A large number of research projects have been initiated globally in which soil C is a key component, and there have been some excellent reviews ( Lal 2004, Stockmann et al. 2013, Melillo et al. 2011). Yet, there is a lack of focus in soil C research in relation to current environmental challenges. Here we recommend research priorities to advance the knowledge base and use of soil C in relation to global human and environmental challenges: food and fiber production, water scarcity and purification, energy production, climate change, biodiversity, recycling waste, and environmental degradation. We have listed the priorities under three themes: (i) Soil C in space and time, (ii) Soil C properties and processes, and (ii) Soil C depletion and management.

scholarly journals Fatwas on Boosting Environmental Conservation in Indonesia

Religions ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 570
Author(s):  
Fachruddin Majeri Mangunjaya ◽  
Gugah Praharawati
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Boarding School ◽  
Environmental Conservation ◽  
Muslim Community ◽  
Environmental Challenges ◽  
Conservation Movement ◽  
Special Unit ◽  
Agricultural Restoration ◽  
Muslim Communities

Concern about the importance of getting Muslims involved in the movement for a better environment in Indonesia has existed since the 1980s, since the involvement of the Islamic boarding school leaders in triggering their community and the involvement of NGOs in empowering the community, particularly in environmental and agricultural restoration. After the Bogor Declaration on Muslim Action on Climate Change 2010, in 2011, The Indonesia Council of Ulama (MUI) established the Institute for Environmental and Natural Resources (PLHSDA) in the MUI’s Clerical Conference. The role of this unit within the MUI is very important because the MUI has a special unit in tackling various important issues in the environment, where Muslims can find authoritative answers to environmental challenges. So far, there have been seven MUI fatāwa (edicts) released by MUI related to the environment and the conservation movement. This paper will highlight environmental movements by the Muslim community in Indonesia, and describe how the implementation of the MUI fatāwa can contribute to addressing the massive increase in environmental challenges and increase the involvement and understanding of the Muslim communities in tackling biodiversity conservation as well as climate change.

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