Avian Predation on the Monarch Butterfly and Its Implications for Mimicry Theory

1988 ◽  
Vol 131 ◽  
pp. S4-S6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lincoln P. Brower
Keyword(s):  
Monarch Butterfly ◽  
Avian Predation

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 A case study of a conservation flagship species: the monarch butterfly

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie D. Preston ◽  
Julia D. Liao ◽  
Theodore P. Toombs ◽  
Rainer Romero-Canyas ◽  
Julia Speiser ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Empirical Study ◽  
Positive Emotions ◽  
Monarch Butterfly ◽  
Mixed Methods Study ◽  
Flagship Species ◽  
Mass Migration ◽  
Tests Of Association ◽  
And Migration

AbstractWhat makes a flagship species effective in engaging conservation donors? Large, charismatic mammals are typically selected as ambassadors, but a few studies suggest butterflies—and monarchs in particular—may be even more appealing. To gather more information about people’s responses to monarchs, we conducted an empirical study of member submissions to a successful conservation campaign, the Monarch Story Campaign, conducted by the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF). The set of 691 stories along with their associated demographic and donation data was analyzed in a mixed-methods study using qualitative analysis and tests of association. The results showed that people often described encounters with monarchs in childhood and as adults. They expressed strong, positive emotions, and lauded the monarch’s beauty and other “awe-inspiring” qualities and expressed wonder at their lifecycle (i.e., metamorphosis and migration). They also raised conservation themes of distress at monarch loss, calls for action, and caretaking, such as being “fragile” and “in need.” Sharing personal encounters was associated with current efforts to save the species and more past financial donations, while a second pattern tied more donations to awe at the monarch’s mass migration. These results imply that conservation campaigns built around species people encounter may build lifelong awareness, concern, and actions towards conservation.

Changes in climate drive recent monarch butterfly dynamics

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erin R. Zylstra ◽  
Leslie Ries ◽  
Naresh Neupane ◽  
Sarah P. Saunders ◽  
M. Isabel Ramírez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Monarch Butterfly

Experimental Measurements of the Wing Deformation and Force Production of Real and Bioinspired Artificial Monarch Butterfly Wings

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy D. Morris ◽  
Madhu Sridhar ◽  
Thomas Clark ◽  
Frederick Schulze ◽  
Chang-Kwon Kang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Force Production ◽  
Monarch Butterfly ◽  
Experimental Measurements ◽  
Butterfly Wings ◽  
Wing Deformation

Grupo México: Epítome de la deshumanización y la barbarie del extractivismo

2020 ◽  
pp. 24-32
Author(s):  
Sol Pérez Jiménez
Keyword(s):  
Biosphere Reserve ◽  
Monarch Butterfly ◽  
Power Elite ◽  
Development Discourse ◽  
Considerable Evidence ◽  
The North ◽  
Mexican State ◽  
Sea Of Cortes ◽  
Mining Projects ◽  
The Power Elite

The hegemonic development discourse continues to promote mining as an activity that generates progress despite the considerable evidence to the contrary. The article analyzes Grupo Mexico’s history, the largest mining consortium in the country, as part of the power elite. It shows how it achieved a monopoly of the leading copper deposits in the north of the country thanks to its alliances with the Mexican State. Later on, we present the cartography of the expansion of its operations in the north of the country, including the opening of controversial mining projects in strategic areas for biodiversity conservation such as the Sea of Cortés, the Baja California peninsula and, the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve in Michoacán. Therefore, it is argued that it is important to consider companies’ environmental and social records when evaluating mining concessions’ renewal or revocation.

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