Comparison of Common Milkweed and Honeyvine Milkweed (Asclepiadaceae) as Host Plants for Monarch Larvae (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae)

Yeargan, Kenneth V.; Allard, Cora M.

doi:10.2317/0407.40.1

Cited by 15 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…Despite its widespread occurrence, this species is mentioned infrequently in entomological literature. Although its suitability as a host for monarch caterpillars has been investigated (Bartholomew and Yeargan 2001, Yeargan andAllard 2005), no previous research has focused on the relationship between C. laeve and A. nerii. Aphis nerii frequently colonizes this species in the Þeld and the suitability of C. laeve for A. nerii colonization was demonstrated in our study.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Thinking Outside the Asclepias Box: Oleander Aphids and Honeyvine Milkweed

Colvin

Snyder

Thacker

et al. 2013

Annals of the Entomological Society of America

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The oleander aphid, Aphis nerii Boyer de Fonscolombe, feeds on milkweeds in the Apocynaceae family. In Kentucky, A.nerii colonizes several common Asclepias species and honeyvine milkweed, Cynanchum laeve (Michaux). Previous studies investigating whether and how host plant characteristics influence A.nerii fitness have produced conflicting results. Our observations suggested that A.nerii more readily colonized C.laeve than Asclepias species. We hypothesized that aphid fitness differed among host plant species having different characteristics, and specifically, that A.nerii performance would be greatest on host plants having low cardenolide concentrations and few physical defenses. Physical and chemical characteristics were measured on C.laeve and three Asclepias species. Laboratory and field experiments were conducted to compare A.nerii performance among these four milkweed species in the absence of natural enemies. Changes in aphid densities over time were examined in the presence of natural enemies. Plant characteristics and aphid performance were found to differ among milkweed species. In the absence of natural enemies, A.nerii performance was best on C.laeve. When exposed to natural enemies, A.nerii densities remained higher on A.incarnata and C. laeve than on A.syriaca and A.tuberosa. Physical differences between C.laeve, a vining milkweed, and tested Asclepias species may increase suitability of honeyvine milkweed for A.nerii colonization. Our results suggest that C.laeve may rely more on tolerance and less on nonpreference or antibiosis resistance to herbivores.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Thinking Outside the Asclepias Box: Oleander Aphids and Honeyvine Milkweed

Colvin

Snyder

Thacker

et al. 2013

Annals of the Entomological Society of America

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“…Monarchs rely on milkweed as their host plant, but larval diet still contributes adaptive capacity through variation in species of milkweed consumed. Within North America, there are 108 milkweed species in the genus Asclepias, of which at least 33 are known to be used as larval host plants, as well as at least three species of milkweed vines in the genera Cynanchum and Funastrum (Woodson, 1954;Lynch and Martin, 1993;Yeargan and Allard, 2005). Outside of the eastern and western North American populations, monarchs use Asclepias spp.…”

Section: Larval Dietmentioning

confidence: 99%

Butterflies Across the Globe: A Synthesis of the Current Status and Characteristics of Monarch (Danaus plexippus) Populations Worldwide

2019

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Recent declines in the migratory North American populations of monarchs (Danaus plexippus) have necessitated efforts to evaluate the current status of the species, including worldwide populations. While monarchs originate from North America and may be ancestrally migratory, they have expanded throughout many parts of the world over the past 200 years. Most of these newer populations no longer migrate and face a variety of threats across a wide range of habitats, but we lack a comprehensive review of locations and characteristics of these worldwide populations. We thus delineated the current range of monarchs and their status throughout the world, recording over 90 countries, islands, and island groups where monarchs occur (74 with recent documented sightings) and known features of these populations. We discuss the major differences between these populations, focusing on morphology, migration, overwintering, natural enemies, larval diet, and genetics. The differences documented here provide the species with adaptive capacity, thus better allowing the species to adapt to novel changes in its environment. We end with a discussion of current gaps in our understanding of monarchs worldwide and directions for future research.

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“…The literature on optimal breeding habitat for monarch butterflies is dominated by studies on the potential declines in survival on different host plants (35% of total studies on breeding habitat loss) and the declines in common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) in agricultural fields (47% of total studies on breeding habitat loss). Controlled laboratory experiments investigated the oviposition tendencies on different host plants and the effect on larval growth (DiTommaso and Losey, 2003;Mattila and Otis, 2003;Yeargan and Allard, 2005;Casagrande and Dacey, 2007;Pocius et al, 2017a,b), except for two studies that found higher oviposition on common and swamp milkweed (A. incarnata, Pocius et al, 2018) and greater numbers of immature larvae on tropical milkweed (A. curassavica; Malcolm and Brower, 1986) relative to other milkweed species. The effect of the loss of milkweed, principally on agricultural plots, was limited principally to field studies (40% of total studies on milkweed loss, Hartzler, 2010;Pleasants and Oberhauser, 2013;Inamine et al, 2016;Kasten et al, 2016;Zaya et al, 2017) and modeling experiments (60% of total studies on milkweed loss) relating overwintering population abundance to milkweed availability (Zalucki and Lammers, 2010;Flockhart et al, 2015;Zalucki et al, 2016;Hunt and Tongen, 2017;Oberhauser et al, 2017;Pleasants, 2017;Thogmartin et al, 2017a,c).…”

Section: Loss Of Breeding Habitatmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…resulted in changes in oviposition tendencies (DiTommaso and Losey, 2003;Mattila and Otis, 2003;Casagrande and Dacey, 2007), and larval survival (Mattila and Otis, 2003). Larval survival also varied across milkweed species and was generally higher on common milkweed (Yeargan and Allard, 2005;Pocius et al, 2017a,b). Tropical milkweed posed a more substantial threat as a greater number of larvae are found on this species relative to common milkweed (Malcolm and Brower, 1986) and year-round availability may alter migration patterns (Satterfield et al, 2015.…”

Section: Loss Of Breeding Habitatmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Evaluation of Studies on the Potential Threats Contributing to the Decline of Eastern Migratory North American Monarch Butterflies (Danaus plexippus)

et al. 2019

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The migratory monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) of eastern North America have undergone large-scale declines, which may be attributable to a variety of underlying causes. The uncertainty about the primary cause of declines and whether individual threats are likely to increase in the future presents challenges for developing effective conservation management and policy initiatives that aim to improve population viability. This paper identifies five potential threats and classifies these threats according to the types of studies (observational, experimental, simulation/models) and their current impact and anticipated risk. Broadly, the threats can be classified into five categories: (1) change in suitable abiotic environmental conditions; (2) deforestation in the overwintering range;(3) exposure to contaminants including the bacteria Bacillus thuringiensis, herbicides, and insecticides; (4) loss of breeding habitat; and (5) predation, parasitism, and species-specific pathogens. The vast distribution of the monarch butterfly makes it likely that population declines are attributed to a suite of interacting factors that vary spatially and temporally in their contribution. Nonetheless, the published papers we reviewed suggest the decline in suitable environmental conditions in addition to overwintering (i.e., deforestation) and breeding habitat loss are the most likely threats to continue to affect the population viability of monarch butterflies.

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Comparison of Common Milkweed and Honeyvine Milkweed (Asclepiadaceae) as Host Plants for Monarch Larvae (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae)

Cited by 15 publications

References 8 publications

Thinking Outside the Asclepias Box: Oleander Aphids and Honeyvine Milkweed

Thinking Outside the Asclepias Box: Oleander Aphids and Honeyvine Milkweed

Butterflies Across the Globe: A Synthesis of the Current Status and Characteristics of Monarch (Danaus plexippus) Populations Worldwide

An Evaluation of Studies on the Potential Threats Contributing to the Decline of Eastern Migratory North American Monarch Butterflies (Danaus plexippus)

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