Restoring monarch butterfly habitat in the Midwestern US: ‘all hands on deck’

Thogmartin, Wayne E.; López‐Hoffman, Laura; Rohweder, Jason J.; Diffendorfer, James E.; Drum, Ryan G.; Semmens, Darius J.; Black, Scott; Caldwell, Iris; Cotter, D.C.; Drobney, Pauline; Jackson, Laura L.; Gale, Michael; Helmers, Doug; Hilburger, Steven B.; Howard, Elizabeth; Oberhauser, Karen S.; Pleasants, John M.; Semmens, Brice X.; Taylor, Orley R.; Ward, Patrick; Weltzin, Jake F.; Wiederholt, Ruscena

doi:10.1088/1748-9326/aa7637

Cited by 140 publications

(195 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…Such efforts are already underway in the East (MAFWA ) and being planned by many groups, including energy and transportation sectors and western state fish and wildlife agencies (WAFWA ), but much greater engagement is probably needed raise the likelihood of restoring monarch butterfly populations (Thogmartin et al. ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Why are monarch butterflies declining in the West? Understanding the importance of multiple correlated drivers

Crone

Pelton

Brown

et al. 2019

Ecological Applications

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Understanding the factors associated with declines of at‐risk species is an important first step in setting management and recovery targets. This step can be challenging when multiple aspects of climate and land use are changing simultaneously, and any or all could be contributing to population declines. We analyzed population trends of monarch butterflies in western North America in relation to likely environmental drivers. Unlike the larger eastern monarch population, past analyses of western monarchs have only evaluated the importance of climate (i.e., not land use) factors as drivers of abundance. We used partial least squares regression (PLSR) to evaluate the potential importance of changes in land use and climate variables. Trends in western monarch abundance were more strongly associated with land use variables than climate variables. Conclusions about importance of climate and land use variables were robust to changes in PLSR model structure. However, individual variables were too collinear to unambiguously separate their effects. We compared these conclusions to the more widely used technique of multiple regression, followed by multi‐model inference (MRMI). Naïve interpretation of MRMI results could be misleading, if collinearity were not taken into account. MRMI was also highly sensitive to variation in model construction. Our results suggest a two‐pronged approach to monarch conservation, specifically, starting efforts now to restore habitat, while also using experiments to more clearly delineate separate effects of climate and land use factors. They also demonstrate the utility of PLSR, a technique that is growing in use but is still relatively under‐appreciated in conservation biology.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Why are monarch butterflies declining in the West? Understanding the importance of multiple correlated drivers

Crone

Pelton

Brown

et al. 2019

Ecological Applications

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“…Second row, left to right: ruby-tailed wasp (Chrysis sp. Severe reductions in monarch populations overwintering in Mexico and California have been documented over the last few decades, primarily attributed to changes in land use (Agrawal, 2019;Thogmartin et al, 2017). Although there has been some criticism of specific studies (Thomas, Jones, & Hartley, 2019), the overall trend is clear and the broad geographic reach is perhaps the most dire feature of the current crisis, as assessments from all continents except Antarctica reveal declines.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Declines in insect abundance and diversity: We know enough to act now

Forister

Pelton

Black

2019

Conservat Sci and Prac

229

172

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Recent regional reports and trends in biomonitoring suggest that insects are experiencing a multicontinental crisis that is apparent as reductions in abundance, diversity, and biomass. Given the centrality of insects to terrestrial ecosystems and the food chain that supports humans, the importance of addressing these declines cannot be overstated. The scientific community has understandably been focused on establishing the breadth and depth of the phenomenon and on documenting factors causing insect declines. In parallel with ongoing research, it is now time for the development of a policy consensus that will allow for a swift societal response. We point out that this response need not wait for full resolution of the many physiological, behavioral, and demographic aspects of declining insect populations. To these ends, we suggest primary policy goals summarized at scales from nations to farms to homes.

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“…Approximately 40 to 50% of the monarchs overwintering in Mexico originate in the north central United States (Flockhart et al 2017), and it is vital to improve summer breeding success in this region (Oberhauser et al 2017). To maintain a resilient monarch population, an estimated 1.3 to 1.6 billion additional milkweed stems need to be added to the north central US landscape (Thogmartin et al 2017). Milkweed species ( Asclepias spp.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing Field‐Scale Risks of Foliar Insecticide Applications to Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus) Larvae

Krishnan

Zhang

Bidne³

et al. 2020

Enviro Toxic and Chemistry

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Establishment and maintenance of milkweed plants (Asclepias spp.) in agricultural landscapes of the north central United States are needed to reverse the decline of North America's eastern monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) population. Because of a lack of toxicity data, it is unclear how insecticide use may reduce monarch productivity when milkweed habitat is placed near maize and soybean fields. To assess the potential effects of foliar insecticides, acute cuticular and dietary toxicity of 5 representative active ingredients were determined: beta‐cyfluthrin (pyrethroid), chlorantraniliprole (anthranilic diamide), chlorpyrifos (organophosphate), and imidacloprid and thiamethoxam (neonicotinoids). Cuticular median lethal dose values for first instars ranged from 9.2 × 10–3 to 79 μg/g larvae for beta‐cyfluthrin and chlorpyrifos, respectively. Dietary median lethal concentration values for second instars ranged from 8.3 × 10–3 to 8.4 μg/g milkweed leaf for chlorantraniliprole and chlorpyrifos, respectively. To estimate larval mortality rates downwind from treated fields, modeled insecticide exposures to larvae and milkweed leaves were compared to dose–response curves obtained from bioassays with first‐, second‐, third‐, and fifth‐instar larvae. For aerial applications to manage soybean aphids, mortality rates at 60 m downwind were highest for beta‐cyfluthrin and chlorantraniliprole following cuticular and dietary exposure, respectively, and lowest for thiamethoxam. To estimate landscape‐scale risks, field‐scale mortality rates must be considered in the context of spatial and temporal patterns of insecticide use. Environ Toxicol Chem 2020;39:923–941. © 2020 SETAC

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Restoring monarch butterfly habitat in the Midwestern US: ‘all hands on deck’

Cited by 140 publications

References 36 publications

Why are monarch butterflies declining in the West? Understanding the importance of multiple correlated drivers

Why are monarch butterflies declining in the West? Understanding the importance of multiple correlated drivers

Declines in insect abundance and diversity: We know enough to act now

Assessing Field‐Scale Risks of Foliar Insecticide Applications to Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus) Larvae

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