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.

Conflict, Population Movement, and Microscale Social Networks in Northern Iroquoian Archaeology

2021 ◽  
Vol 86 (2) ◽  
pp. 350-367
Author(s):  
Jennifer Birch ◽  
John P. Hart
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Sixteenth Century ◽  
Lake Ontario ◽  
Population Movement ◽  
Network Ties ◽  
The West ◽  
Local Networks ◽  
North Shore ◽  
The North ◽  
Specific Sequences

We employ social network analysis of collar decoration on Iroquoian vessels to conduct a multiscalar analysis of signaling practices among ancestral Huron-Wendat communities on the north shore of Lake Ontario. Our analysis focuses on the microscale of the West Duffins Creek community relocation sequence as well as the mesoscale, incorporating several populations to the west. The data demonstrate that network ties were stronger among populations in adjacent drainages as opposed to within drainage-specific sequences, providing evidence for west-to-east population movement, especially as conflict between Wendat and Haudenosaunee populations escalated in the sixteenth century. These results suggest that although coalescence may have initially involved the incorporation of peoples from microscale (local) networks, populations originating among wider mesoscale (subregional) networks contributed to later coalescent communities. These findings challenge previous models of village relocation and settlement aggregation that oversimplified these processes.

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.

scholarly journals A poor substitute for the real thing: captive-reared monarch butterflies are weaker, paler and have less elongated wings than wild migrants

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 20190922 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew K. Davis ◽  
Farran M. Smith ◽  
Ashley M. Ballew
Keyword(s):  
Danaus Plexippus ◽  
Late Summer ◽  
Population Declines ◽  
Average Strength ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Monarch Butterflies ◽  
Real Thing ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Wild Group ◽  
Migration Propensity

For many animals and insects that are experiencing dramatic population declines, the only recourse for conservationists is captive rearing. To ensure success, reared individuals should be biologically indistinct from those in the wild. We tested if this is true with monarch butterflies, Danaus plexippus , which are increasingly being reared for release by citizens and commercial breeders. Since late-summer monarchs should be as migration capable as possible for surviving the arduous long-distance migration, we evaluated four migration-relevant traits across two groups of captive-reared monarchs ( n = 41 and 42) and one group of wild-caught migrants ( n = 41). Monarchs (descendants of wild individuals) were reared from eggs to adulthood either in a warm indoor room next to a window, or in an incubator that mimicked late-summer conditions. Using an apparatus consisting of a perch mounted to an electronic force gauge, we assessed ‘grip strength' of all groups, then used image analysis to measure forewing size, pigmentation and elongation. In three of the four traits, reared monarchs underperformed compared to wild ones, even those reared under conditions that should have produced migration-ready individuals. The average strength of reared monarchs combined was 56% less than the wild group, even when accounting for size. Their orange wing colour was paler (an indicator of poor condition and flight ability) and their forewings were less elongated (elongation is associated with migration propensity) than wild monarchs. The reason(s) behind these effects is unknown but could stem from the frequent disturbance and/or handling of reared monarchs, or the fact that rearing removes the element of natural selection from all stages. Regardless, these results explain prior tagging studies that showed reared monarchs have lower migratory success compared to wild.

scholarly journals Stimulus-dependent orientation strategies in monarch butterflies

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Myriam Franzke ◽  
Christian Kraus ◽  
Maria Gayler ◽  
David Dreyer ◽  
Keram Pfeiffer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Visual Cues ◽  
Danaus Plexippus ◽  
Monarch Butterfly ◽  
Central Complex ◽  
Orientation Behavior ◽  
Compass Orientation ◽  
Monarch Butterflies ◽  
Sun Compass ◽  
Bright Stripe ◽  
Flight Route

Insects are well-known for their ability to keep track of their heading direction based on a combination of skylight cues and visual landmarks. This allows them to navigate back to their nest, disperse throughout unfamiliar environments, as well as migrate over large distances between their breeding and non-breeding habitats. The monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) for instance is known for its annual southward migration from North America to certain trees in Central Mexico. To maintain a constant flight route, these butterflies use a time-compensated sun compass for orientation which is processed in a region in the brain, termed the central complex. However, to successfully complete their journey, the butterflies' brain must generate a multitude of orientation strategies, allowing them to dynamically switch from sun-compass orientation to a tactic behavior toward a certain target. To study if monarch butterflies exhibit different orientation modes and if they can switch between them, we observed the orientation behavior of tethered flying butterflies in a flight simulator while presenting different visual cues to them. We found that the butterflies' behavior depended on the presented visual stimulus. Thus, while a dark stripe was used for flight stabilization, a bright stripe was fixated by the butterflies in their frontal visual field. If we replaced a bright stripe by a simulated sun stimulus, the butterflies switched their orientation behavior and exhibited compass orientation. Taken together, our data show that monarch butterflies rely on and switch between different orientation modes, allowing them to adjust orientation to the actual behavioral demands of the animal.

scholarly journals Contemporary loss of migration in monarch butterflies

2019 ◽  
Vol 116 (29) ◽  
pp. 14671-14676 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ayşe Tenger-Trolander ◽  
Wei Lu ◽  
Michelle Noyes ◽  
Marcus R. Kronforst
Keyword(s):  
North American ◽  
Indoor Environment ◽  
Captive Breeding ◽  
Danaus Plexippus ◽  
Monarch Butterfly ◽  
Population Recovery ◽  
Monarch Butterflies ◽  
Commercial Population ◽  
Open Question ◽  
The Impact

The annual migration of the monarch butterfly Danaus plexippus is in peril. In an effort to aid population recovery, monarch enthusiasts across North America participate in a variety of conservation efforts, including captive rearing and release of monarch butterflies throughout the summer and autumn. However, the impact of captive breeding on monarchs remains an open question. Here, we show that captive breeding, both commercially and by summertime hobbyists, causes migratory behavior to be lost. Monarchs acquired commercially failed to orient south when reared outdoors in the autumn, unlike wild-caught North American monarchs, yet they did enter reproductive diapause. The commercial population was genetically highly divergent from wild-caught North American monarchs and had rounder forewings, similar to monarchs from nonmigratory populations. Furthermore, rearing wild-caught monarchs in an indoor environment mimicking natural migration-inducing conditions failed to elicit southward flight orientation. In fact, merely eclosing indoors after an otherwise complete lifecycle outdoors was enough to disrupt southern orientation. Our results provide a window into the complexity—and remarkable fragility—of migration.

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