Citizen Scientist Tagging Reveals Destinations of Migrating Monarch Butterflies,<i>Danaus plexippus</i>(L.) from the Pacific Northwest

James, David G.; James, Tanya S.; Seymour, Lorraine; Kappen, Linda; Russell, Tamara; Harryman, Bill; Bly, Cathy

doi:10.18473/lepi.v72i2.a5

Cited by 21 publications

(44 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…Overall, sex ratios were male-biased, with males accounting for 63% of tagged monarchs in 2016 (n = 63), and 60% in 2017 (n = 113). No recoveries of our Idaho-tagged monarchs were reported (James et al, 2018). We sampled 170 adult monarchs from 6 WMAs for OE, of which 5 (3%) tested positive.…”

Section: Monarch Life Historymentioning

confidence: 99%

Monarch Butterfly Distribution and Breeding Ecology in Idaho and Washington

2019

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Studies of monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) and their milkweed (Asclepias spp.) host plants in North America have focused primarily on monarch populations ranging east of the Rocky Mountains. We report the first systematic assessment of monarch butterfly and milkweed populations in the western states of Idaho and Washington, states at the northern tier of western monarch breeding range. Results of our 2-year study (2016)(2017) offer new insights into monarch breeding habitat distribution, characteristics, and threat factors in our 2 states. We documented milkweeds and breeding monarchs in all 16 climate divisions in our study area. Milkweed and breeding monarch phenologies were examined with evidence supporting 2, and possibly 3 monarch generations produced in Idaho and Washington. Key monarch breeding habitats were moist-soil sites within matrices of grasslands, wetlands, deciduous forest, and shrub-steppe supporting large, contiguous, and high-density milkweed stands. Co-occurrence of showy milkweed (A. speciosa) and swamp milkweed (A. incarnata) was an important indicator of productive monarch breeding habitat in Idaho. Nectar plants were generally limited in quantity and richness across the study area, particularly in late summer, and included frequently-used non-native, invasive species. Primary threats at milkweed sites were invasive plant species, herbicide application, and mowing, followed by secondary threats of recreational disturbance, livestock grazing, insecticide application, loss of floodplain function, and wildfire. We provide management recommendations and research needs to address ongoing stressors and knowledge gaps in Idaho and Washington with the goal of conserving monarchs and their habitats in the West.

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Section: Monarch Life Historymentioning

confidence: 99%

Monarch Butterfly Distribution and Breeding Ecology in Idaho and Washington

2019

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“…The eastern North American population overwinters in the highlands of central Mexico and migrates to breeding areas in the midwestern and eastern United States and Canada over successive breeding generations before a final generation migrates back to Mexico (Brower 1995;Flockhart et al 2013). The western population overwinters in coastal areas of California and some individuals migrate north over multiple breeding generations to all western states and occasionally reaching very southern portions of Canada in British Columbia before a final generation migrates back to coastal California (Brower 1995;Dingle et al 2005;James et al 2018). Both migratory populations have declined over the last several decades because of multiple threats (Brower et al 2012;Schultz et al 2017), and monitoring their distribution and abundance is a necessary aspect of their ongoing management (Commission for Environmental Cooperation 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In some extreme cases, individuals observed early in the breeding season have likely migrated directly from their overwintering grounds in Mexico (Miller et al 2012). In contrast, monarchs that reach the extreme southern portions of British Columbia are likely from the western North American population, which overwinters in California (Environment and Climate Change Canada 2016;Yang et al 2016;James et al 2018). Introgression among the eastern and western populations (Lyons et al 2012) implies that climatic, physiologic, and geographic factors may consistently influence migration and hence colonization of (Oberhauser et al 2001), geographic limits of migration and recruitment (McKinnon et al 2010), or climatic thresholds for flight in insects.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Estimating the annual distribution of monarch butterflies in Canada over 16 years using citizen science data

Flockhart

Larrivée

Prudic

et al. 2019

FACETS

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Monarch butterflies ( Danaus plexippus, Linnaeus, 1758) are comprised of two migratory populations separated by the Rocky Mountains and are renowned for their long-distance movements among the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Both populations have declined over several decades across North America prompting all three countries to evaluate conservation efforts. Monitoring monarch distribution and abundance is a necessary aspect of ongoing management in Canada where they are a species at risk. We used presence-only data from two citizen science data sets to estimate the annual breeding distribution of monarch butterflies in Canada between 2000 and 2015. Monarch breeding distribution in Canada varied widely among years owing to natural variation, and when considering the upper 95% of the probability of occurrence, the annual mean breeding distribution in Canada was 484 943 km2 (min: 173 449 km2; max: 1 425 835 km2). The area of occurrence was approximately an order of magnitude larger in eastern Canada than in western Canada. Habitat restoration for monarch butterflies in Canada should prioritize productive habitats in southern Ontario where monarchs occur annually and, therefore, likely contribute most to the long-term viability of monarchs in eastern North America. Overall, our assessment sets the geographic context to develop successful management strategies for monarchs in Canada.

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“…A few species with documented declines include the american burying beetle (ABB), Nicrophorus amerianus (Olivier), bumble bees, Bombus spp., ladybird beetles, Coccinella novemnotata (Herbst) and Adalia bipunctata (Linnaeus), and the monarch butterfly, Danaus plexippus (Linnaeus). Members of the general public are promoting insect conservation by participating in citizen science: a form of collaboration among community members and scientists [1][2][3][4]. Positive outcomes from citizen science collaborations include community education and improved ecological literacy [1,5,6].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Other citizen science projects, including Monarch Watch (http://www.monarchwatch.org/) have contributed important monitoring data leading to a better understanding of rare or declining species. Citizen scientists have tagged or tracked migrating monarch butterflies, helping to monitor populations and document migration paths [4,13,14].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Coloring Exercises for Insect Identification and Conservation Awareness

Knowlton¹,

Andrew²,

Shufran³

et al. 2019

IJEEDU

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The Endangered Species Act in the United States of America currently protects more than 1,500 species, 74 of which are insects, including the american burying beetle (ABB) and the rusty patched bumble bee. Insects that are experiencing population declines, such as the monarch butterfly, are under consideration for protection. Awareness of biological diversity, the ability to recognize an endangered species, and understanding the conservation of beneficial insects can begin at an early age. We designed a coloring exercise to promote insect species awareness and introduced this activity to elementary and middle school students in Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA. We assessed students' insect identification abilities by presenting a quiz on species diversity and ABB identification before and after the coloring exercise. Inspired by the quiz results, we created coloring templates for additional insect species, including the monarch butterfly, ladybird beetles, and bumble bees. These exercises will promote awareness of endangered species and improve science literacy in the classroom.

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Citizen Scientist Tagging Reveals Destinations of Migrating Monarch Butterflies,Danaus plexippus(L.) from the Pacific Northwest

Cited by 21 publications

References 6 publications

Monarch Butterfly Distribution and Breeding Ecology in Idaho and Washington

Monarch Butterfly Distribution and Breeding Ecology in Idaho and Washington

Estimating the annual distribution of monarch butterflies in Canada over 16 years using citizen science data

Coloring Exercises for Insect Identification and Conservation Awareness

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