scholarly journals Better Understanding the Potential Importance of Florida Roadside Breeding Habitat for the Monarch

Insects ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 137 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jaret Daniels ◽  
Chase Kimmel ◽  
Simon McClung ◽  
Samm Epstein ◽  
Jonathan Bremer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Restoration ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Danaus Plexippus ◽  
Monarch Butterfly ◽  
Breeding Habitat ◽  
Deep South ◽  
Early Season ◽  
The North ◽  
Asclepias Humistrata ◽  
Roadside Verges

The North American monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) population has declined significantly over the past two decades. Among the many other factors, loss of breeding habitat has been implicated as a potential leading driver. In response, wildlife agencies and conservation practitioners have made a strong push to restore and conserve milkweeds on both wild and managed landscapes including agricultural lands as well as transportation and utility rights-of-way. Roadsides in particular have been emphasized as a targeted landscape for monarch habitat restoration. While much attention has been focused on habitat in California, along the I-35 corridor from Texas to Minnesota, and more broadly across the agricultural Midwest, research on the occurrence of roadside breeding habitat and the development of best vegetative management practices conducted in the Deep South has been limited. We sampled roadside verges in north-central Florida for the presence of two early season milkweed species, that are particularly important for early season monarch recolonization, Asclepias tuberosa and Asclepias humistrata. Our findings suggest that roadsides harbor extensive populations of the target milkweeds with the vast majority of plants occurring on the back slope of the verge. Alterations to current roadside mowing frequency and scope are needed to effectively conserve these populations and ensure that they are available for use by the monarch.

scholarly journals Growth and Survival of Two Western Milkweed Species: Effects of Container Volume and Fertilizer Rate

2017 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 482-489
Author(s):  
Nikki Hanson ◽  
Amy L. Ross-Davis ◽  
Anthony S. Davis
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Restoration ◽  
Danaus Plexippus ◽  
Monarch Butterfly ◽  
Fertilizer Application ◽  
Application Rate ◽  
Breeding Habitat ◽  
High Rate ◽  
Fertilizer Rate ◽  
Growth And Survival ◽  
Fertilizer Application Rate

Diminishing milkweed (Asclepias sp.) populations are contributing to the conspicuous decline of the iconic monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus). This research sought to improve milkweed propagation success, a core component of summer habitat restoration projects. Specifically, this research assessed the effects of container volume and fertilizer application rate on growth and first year field survival of two species of milkweed common to western North America, namely showy milkweed (A. speciosa) and narrowleaf milkweed (A. fascicularis). Generally, larger roots and shoots developed when plants were given the high rate of fertilizer (6.5 g·L−1) and when reared in the largest containers (2600 mL). For narrowleaf milkweed, nearly all plants developed a firm plug (i.e., one in which the root system remained intact when removed from the container) after 22 weeks. Most narrowleaf milkweed plants flowered 15 weeks after sowing when grown in the largest container with either the low (2.7 g·L−1) or high fertilizer rate or the midsized container (444 mL) with a high rate of fertilizer. For showy milkweed, a firm plug developed for nearly all individuals by the end of the growing season only when given the high fertilizer rate. None of the showy milkweed plants developed an inflorescence by 15 weeks. Results of this research improve our understanding of milkweed propagation and will aid in the efforts to restore the monarch butterfly’s summer breeding habitat by providing propagation protocols across a range of stocktypes.

scholarly journals No broad decline of breeding monarch butterflies in North America: implications for conservation efforts

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew K Davis ◽  
Michael S Crossley ◽  
Matthew K Moran ◽  
Jeffrey Glassberg ◽  
William E Snyder
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Habitat Restoration ◽  
Danaus Plexippus ◽  
Geographic Range ◽  
Breeding Habitat ◽  
Flagship Species ◽  
Monarch Butterflies ◽  
Breeding Populations ◽  
First Time

Many insects are in clear decline, with monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) drawing particular attention as a flagship species. Falling numbers of overwintering monarchs are well documented, but there has been debate regarding population trends of summer breeding populations. Here, we compile a series of long-term monarch monitoring datasets, some which are analyzed here for the first time, that reveal highly variable responses across the migratory geographic range, but no broad net decline in numbers of breeding monarchs. We also did not find evidence that sampling biased towards natural sites was masking declines at disturbed sites. Overall, our results suggest a robust resiliency in summer populations that thus far has allowed recovery from losses during the winter. Thus, monarchs may not require as much breeding habitat restoration as once thought, and focus should be on conserving the fall and spring migration.

scholarly journals Five years of conserving the ‘world's rarest snake’, the Antiguan racer Alsophis antiguae

Oryx ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 119-127 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jenny C. Daltry ◽  
Quentin Bloxam ◽  
Gillian Cooper ◽  
Mark L. Day ◽  
John Hartley ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Restoration ◽  
Distribution Range ◽  
Breeding Habitat ◽  
Eradication Programme ◽  
Extrinsic Factors ◽  
North East ◽  
The North ◽  
Invasive Predators ◽  
Historical Distribution ◽  
Conservation Breeding

AbstractAbstract The Critically Endangered Antiguan racer Alsophis antiguae is confined to Great Bird Island, a 9.9 ha (24.5-acre) islet off the north-east coast of Antigua in the Lesser Antilles. This island represents well under 0.1 per cent of the species's historical distribution range. During the past 5 years, the total number of racers aged 1 year or more has fluctuated between 51 and 114, and currently stands at approximately 80. Since 1995, the Antiguan Racer Conservation Project (ARCP) has en-deavoured to save this harmless snake from extinction by using a combination of education, conservation breeding, habitat restoration, local capacity building and applied research. The Antiguan racer's ecology and population dynamics have become well understood after 5 years of intensive study, and the species has evidently benefited from the project's rat eradication programme. The snakes are still seriously threatened by other intrinsic and extrinsic factors, however, including inbreeding depression, frequent hurricanes, invasive predators and deliberate killing by tourists, as well as the problem that Great Bird Island is too small to support more than about 100 individuals. This paper describes the activities and impact of this project to date, and outlines a series of conservation activities to safeguard the long-term future of the species, which include reintroduction of the Antiguan racer to restored islands within its former distribution range.

A PROPOSED METHOD FOR MARKING MIGRANT BUTTERFLIES

1941 ◽  
Vol 73 (2) ◽  
pp. 21-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. A. Urquhart
Keyword(s):  
Danaus Plexippus ◽  
Late Summer ◽  
Lake Ontario ◽  
Monarch Butterfly ◽  
Species Trees ◽  
Monarch Butterflies ◽  
Royal Ontario Museum ◽  
North Shore ◽  
The North

In the late summer of 1940, there was a decided peak in the abundance of the monarch butterfly, Danaus plexippus L. Numerous reports were received by the Royal Ontario Museum of Zoology, and a personal investigation proved the abundance of the species; trees bordering the north shore of Lake Ontario in the vicinity of Toronto were literally covered with monarch butterflies.

scholarly journals Monarch butterfly and milkweed declines substantially predate the use of genetically modified crops

2019 ◽  
Vol 116 (8) ◽  
pp. 3006-3011 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. H. Boyle ◽  
H. J. Dalgleish ◽  
J. R. Puzey
Keyword(s):  
Genetically Modified ◽  
Danaus Plexippus ◽  
Genetically Modified Crops ◽  
Monarch Butterfly ◽  
The United States ◽  
Gm Crops ◽  
Herbicide Resistant ◽  
The Past ◽  
Scientific Attention ◽  
Herbicide Use

Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) decline over the past 25 years has received considerable public and scientific attention, in large part because its decline, and that of its milkweed (Asclepias spp.) host plant, have been linked to genetically modified (GM) crops and associated herbicide use. Here, we use museum and herbaria specimens to extend our knowledge of the dynamics of both monarchs and milkweeds in the United States to more than a century, from 1900 to 2016. We show that both monarchs and milkweeds increased during the early 20th century and that recent declines are actually part of a much longer-term decline in both monarchs and milkweed beginning around 1950. Herbicide-resistant crops, therefore, are clearly not the only culprit and, likely, not even the primary culprit: Not only did monarch and milkweed declines begin decades before GM crops were introduced, but other variables, particularly a decline in the number of farms, predict common milkweed trends more strongly over the period studied here.

scholarly journals High Survivorship of First-Generation Monarch Butterfly Eggs to Third Instar Associated with a Diverse Arthropod Community

Insects ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 567
Author(s):  
Misty Stevenson ◽  
Kalynn L. Hudman ◽  
Alyx Scott ◽  
Kelsey Contreras ◽  
Jeffrey G. Kopachena
Keyword(s):  
Host Plants ◽  
First Generation ◽  
Danaus Plexippus ◽  
Monarch Butterfly ◽  
Conservation Strategies ◽  
North Texas ◽  
Ecological Processes ◽  
Area Of Occupancy ◽  
Predator Abundance ◽  
A Site

Based on surveys of winter roost sites, the eastern migratory population of the monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) in North America appears to have declined in the last 20 years and this has prompted the implementation of numerous conservation strategies. However, there is little information on the survivorship of first-generation monarchs in the core area of occupancy in Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana where overwinter population recovery begins. The purpose of this study was to determine the survivorship of first-generation eggs to third instars at a site in north Texas and to evaluate host plant arthropods for their effect on survivorship. Survivorship to third instar averaged 13.4% and varied from 11.7% to 15.6% over three years. The host plants harbored 77 arthropod taxa, including 27 predatory taxa. Despite their abundance, neither predator abundance nor predator richness predicted monarch survival. However, host plants upon which monarchs survived often harbored higher numbers of non-predatory arthropod taxa and more individuals of non-predatory taxa. These results suggest that ecological processes may have buffered the effects of predators and improved monarch survival in our study. The creation of diverse functional arthropod communities should be considered for effective monarch conservation, particularly in southern latitudes.

scholarly journals Establishment of Regional Phytoremediation Buffer Systems for Ecological Restoration in the Great Lakes Basin, USA. I. Genotype × Environment Interactions

Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 430 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ronald S. Zalesny ◽  
Andrej Pilipović ◽  
Elizabeth R. Rogers ◽  
Joel G. Burken ◽  
Richard A. Hallett ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Great Lakes ◽  
Best Management Practices ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Recurrent Selection ◽  
Lake Michigan ◽  
Great Lakes Basin ◽  
Annual Increment ◽  
Climate Conditions ◽  
The North ◽  
Local Soil

Poplar remediation systems are ideal for reducing runoff, cleaning groundwater, and delivering ecosystem services to the North American Great Lakes and globally. We used phyto-recurrent selection (PRS) to establish sixteen phytoremediation buffer systems (phyto buffers) (buffer groups: 2017 × 6; 2018 × 5; 2019 × 5) throughout the Lake Superior and Lake Michigan watersheds comprised of twelve PRS-selected clones each year. We tested for differences in genotypes, environments, and their interactions for health, height, diameter, and volume from ages one to four years. All trees had optimal health. Mean first-, second-, and third-year volume ranged from 71 ± 26 to 132 ± 39 cm3; 1440 ± 575 to 5765 ± 1132 cm3; and 8826 ± 2646 to 10,530 ± 2110 cm3, respectively. Fourth-year mean annual increment of 2017 buffer group trees ranged from 1.1 ± 0.7 to 7.8 ± 0.5 Mg ha−1 yr−1. We identified generalist varieties with superior establishment across a broad range of buffers (‘DM114’, ‘NC14106’, ‘99038022’, ‘99059016’) and specialist clones uniquely adapted to local soil and climate conditions (‘7300502’, ‘DN5’, ‘DN34’, ‘DN177’, ‘NM2’, ‘NM5’, ‘NM6’). Using generalists and specialists enhances the potential for phytoremediation best management practices that are geographically robust, being regionally designed yet globally relevant.

scholarly journals Tracking multi-generational colonization of the breeding grounds by monarch butterflies in eastern North America

2013 ◽  
Vol 280 (1768) ◽  
pp. 20131087 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. T. Tyler Flockhart ◽  
Leonard I. Wassenaar ◽  
Tara G. Martin ◽  
Keith A. Hobson ◽  
Michael B. Wunder ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Danaus Plexippus ◽  
Late Summer ◽  
Breeding Habitat ◽  
Eastern North America ◽  
Distribution Models ◽  
Monarch Butterflies ◽  
Breeding Distribution ◽  
Breeding Grounds ◽  
Isotope Measurements

Insect migration may involve movements over multiple breeding generations at continental scales, resulting in formidable challenges to their conservation and management. Using distribution models generated from citizen scientist occurrence data and stable-carbon and -hydrogen isotope measurements, we tracked multi-generational colonization of the breeding grounds of monarch butterflies ( Danaus plexippus ) in eastern North America. We found that monarch breeding occurrence was best modelled with geographical and climatic variables resulting in an annual breeding distribution of greater than 12 million km 2 that encompassed 99% occurrence probability. Combining occurrence models with stable isotope measurements to estimate natal origin, we show that butterflies which overwintered in Mexico came from a wide breeding distribution, including southern portions of the range. There was a clear northward progression of monarchs over successive generations from May until August when reproductive butterflies began to change direction and moved south. Fifth-generation individuals breeding in Texas in the late summer/autumn tended to originate from northern breeding areas rather than regions further south. Although the Midwest was the most productive area during the breeding season, monarchs that re-colonized the Midwest were produced largely in Texas, suggesting that conserving breeding habitat in the Midwest alone is insufficient to ensure long-term persistence of the monarch butterfly population in eastern North America.

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