Article
Entomology
Alexander N. Mullins, Steven P. Bradbury, Thomas W. Sappington, James S. Adelman
Summary: Monarch butterfly populations have declined, requiring habitat restoration efforts in marginal croplands. Research shows that female monarchs do not exhibit significant oviposition behavior differences towards milkweed plants exposed to the neonicotinoid insecticide imidacloprid.
ENVIRONMENTAL ENTOMOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Yicheng Wang, Peng Qin, Shimei Li, Hayri Onal
Summary: Establishing wildlife corridors to connect detached habitat patches is advocated to mitigate the negative impacts of habitat fragmentation. This study proposes a two-stage approach to design an efficient corridor system, which involves determining the best-quality corridor between each pair of habitat patches and selecting a subset of those corridors to assemble a least-cost corridor system using a linear programming model.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jay E. Diffendorfer, Ryan G. Drum, Greg W. Mitchell, Eduardo Rendon-Salinas, Victor Sanchez-Cordero, Darius J. Semmens, Wayne E. Thogmartin, Ignacio J. March
Summary: This paper discusses the elements and successful practices of interdisciplinary teams in addressing complex conservation issues caused by various social and environmental factors, with a focus on the conservation science of the monarch butterfly in North America.
FRONTIERS IN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Thorsten E. Hansen, Laramy S. Enders
Summary: Plants produce defensive chemicals to protect themselves from insect herbivores, and these chemicals may also affect the microbial communities associated with plants and insects. This study investigates the impact of different milkweed species, which produce varying levels of toxic cardiac glycosides, on the diversity and composition of monarch butterfly and milkweed bacterial communities. The results show that each milkweed species has distinct microbial communities, but monarch feeding has little effect. Furthermore, host plant species may influence the microbiomes of monarch caterpillars.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Biodiversity Conservation
Katie M. Harris, Damon M. Hall, Deborah L. Finke
Summary: In July 2022, the North American monarch butterflies were declared Endangered due to a significant decline in population. Despite this, there are no national laws protecting monarchs in the United States. State wildlife agencies have a crucial role in monarch conservation through their conservation plans, but these plans often lack coordination and fail to prioritize critical areas of monarch flyways.
CONSERVATION LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Bernadette M. Mach, William Long, Jaret C. Daniels, Adam G. Dale
Summary: Anthropogenic disturbance is causing global biodiversity loss, affecting the monarch butterfly which relies on milkweed. Planting ornamental milkweed in urban landscapes seems beneficial for the conservation of monarch butterflies. However, sap-feeding insect herbivores, such as the oleander aphid, can negatively impact monarch conservation efforts by reducing plant quality and triggering plant defenses.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Christopher A. Halsch, Sarah M. Hoyle, Aimee Code, James A. Fordyce, Matthew L. Forister
Summary: This study found widespread pesticide contamination in milkweed plants sold in nurseries across the US, with some pesticides known to have sub-lethal effects on monarch butterflies. There was only modest predictive ability of retailer size and milkweed species in determining pesticide levels.
BIOLOGICAL CONSERVATION
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
John H. Boyle, Susan Strickler, Alex D. Twyford, Angela Ricono, Adrian Powell, Jing Zhang, Hongxing Xu, Ronald Smith, Harmony J. Dalgleish, Georg Jander, Anurag A. Agrawal, Joshua R. Puzey
Summary: This study examines the demographic history of the monarch butterfly and its host plant, the common milkweed. The research shows that both species have experienced population expansion and no evidence of population decline. The decline in monarch butterfly abundance observed in recent years may be due to a mismatch between the overwintering census population and the effective population size.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Bernadette M. Mach, William Long, Jaret C. Daniels, Adam G. Dale
Summary: Anthropogenic disturbance is causing global biodiversity loss, including the specialized monarch butterfly. In response, ornamental milkweed plantings are becoming more common in urban landscapes and have been shown to have conservation value for monarch butterflies. However, sap-feeding insect herbivores, such as the oleander aphid, often reach high densities on these plants. Aphid-infested milkweed may hinder monarch conservation efforts by reducing host plant quality and inducing plant defenses.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Jerod A. A. Merkle, Blake Lowrey, Cody F. F. Wallace, L. Embere Hall, Luke Wilde, Matthew J. J. Kauffman, Hall Sawyer
Summary: Conserving migratory ungulates requires analyzing GPS collar data and associated maps to inform management actions. Current methods lack accuracy and produce inconsistent migration corridors. To address this, we propose a line buffer approach that simplifies delineating individual migration corridors with consistent widths. Our approach improves transparency and facilitates discussions on functional corridor widths, aiding conservation efforts.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biology
Tyler J. Grant, Kelsey E. Fisher, Niranjana Krishnan, Alexander N. Mullins, Richard L. Hellmich, Thomas W. Sappington, James S. Adelman, Joel R. Coats, Robert G. Hartzler, John M. Pleasants, Steven P. Bradbury
Summary: This study integrated spatially explicit modeling, empirical movement ecology, and pesticide toxicology studies to simulate population outcomes for different habitat establishment scenarios of the North American monarch butterfly. The research suggests that breeding monarchs in the North Central states are resilient to pesticide use and habitat fragmentation, and establishing new habitat can enhance adult monarch recruitment.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Matthew Z. Brym, Natasja van Gestel, Cassandra Henry, Brett J. Henry, Shannon P. Lukashow-Moore, Ronald J. Kendall
Summary: The monarch butterfly population has declined due to the loss of milkweed plants, prompting efforts to restore milkweed, particularly in areas like the Midwestern US. This study evaluated the feasibility of milkweed restoration in the Rolling Plains ecoregion of West Texas and found successful establishment and growth of milkweed colonies across the area. Factors such as plant age, species, and location were significant predictors of establishment and growth, highlighting the importance of regionally adapted milkweed restoration strategies.
JOURNAL FOR NATURE CONSERVATION
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Mackenzie Hoogshagen, Amy P. Hastings, Joselyne Chavez, Marissa Duckett, Rayshaun Pettit, Andrew P. Pahnke, Anurag A. Agrawal, Jacobus C. de Roode
Summary: Plants have developed defensive chemicals to protect against insect herbivores, and herbivores not only face plant chemicals but also pressure from natural enemies. Monarch butterflies use milkweed chemicals as protection against predators, and recent studies show that high concentrations of these chemicals can also provide protection against parasites. It is unclear whether individual milkweed chemicals are directly responsible for these effects, and whether mixtures of these chemicals are needed for resistance.
JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jingyi Ding, David J. Eldridge
Summary: This study compares the ecological functions of roadside verges and adjacent agricultural land, showing that roadside verges have greater impact on carbon stocks, vegetation coverage, plant diversity, and habitat complexity. The study also identifies management practices and roadside verge width as major regulators of roadside functions, and highlights the negative effects of site modification on tree recruitment and soil organic carbon pools.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Annie J. Krueger, Leslie C. Rault, Emily A. Robinson, Thomas J. Weissling, Ana M. Velez, Troy D. Anderson
Summary: The effects of high and low cardenolide milkweed species on the physiology of monarch caterpillars were investigated. It was found that different milkweed species can affect detoxification enzyme activity and gene expression.
PESTICIDE BIOCHEMISTRY AND PHYSIOLOGY
(2022)