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(Danaus Gilippus) Butterflies in West Texas During the Fall of 2018

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(Danaus Gilippus) Butterflies in West Texas During the Fall of 2018 Brym et al. BMC Ecol (2020) 20:33 https://doi.org/10.1186/s12898-020-00301-x BMC Ecology RESEARCH ARTICLE Open Access Prevalence of monarch (Danaus plexippus) and queen (Danaus gilippus) butterfies in West Texas during the fall of 2018 Matthew Z. Brym1, Cassandra Henry1, Shannon P. Lukashow‑Moore1, Brett J. Henry1, Natasja van Gestel2 and Ronald J. Kendall1* Abstract Background: The monarch butterfy (Danaus plexippus) is a conspicuous insect that has experienced a drastic population decline over the past two decades. While there are several factors contributing to dwindling monarch populations, habitat loss is considered the most signifcant threat to monarchs. In the United States, loss of milkweed, particularly in the Midwest, has greatly reduced the available breeding habitat of monarchs. This has led to extensive eforts to conserve and restore milkweed resources throughout the Midwest. Recently, these research and conserva‑ tion eforts have been expanded to include other important areas along the monarch’s migratory path. Results: During the fall of 2018, we conducted surveys of monarch eggs and larvae through West Texas. We docu‑ mented monarch and queen butterfy (Danaus gilippus) reproduction throughout the region and used the proportion of monarch and queen larva to estimate the number of monarch eggs. Peak egg densities for monarchs were as high as 0.78 per milkweed ramet after correction for the presence of queens. Despite our observations encompassing only a limited sample across one season, the peak monarch egg densities we observed exceeded published reports from when monarch populations were higher. Conclusions: To our knowledge, this is the frst study to correct for the presence of queens when calculating the density of monarch eggs. This research also provides insight into monarch utilization of less well‑known regions, such as West Texas, and highlights the need to expand the scope of monarch monitoring and conservation initiatives. While the importance of monarch research and conservation in the Midwest is unquestionable, more comprehensive eforts may identify new priorities in monarch conservation and lead to a more robust and efective overall strategy, particularly given the dynamic and rapidly changing global environment. Keywords: Monarch butterfy, Danaus plexipuus, West Texas, Migration, Reproduction, Egg correction Background are best known, however, for the bi-annual migration of Monarch butterfies (Danaus plexippus) are perhaps the the eastern population between overwintering grounds most widely known and recognizable of all insects. Tese in central Mexico and summer breeding areas that span butterfies are a classic example of plant–insect interac- from northern Mexico to southern Canada [7, 54]. Mon- tions, mimicry, and aposematic coloration [1]. Monarchs archs are also well known in the western United States (US), as this area harbors a distinct population that *Correspondence: [email protected] exhibits a similar, albeit less extensive, migration within 1 The Wildlife Toxicology Laboratory, Texas Tech University, Box 43290, the region [16]. Unfortunately, the monarch migration is Lubbock, TX 79409‑3290, USA imperiled, both east and west of the Rocky Mountains, Full list of author information is available at the end of the article © The Author(s) 2020. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creat iveco mmons .org/licen ses/by/4.0/. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creat iveco mmons .org/publi cdoma in/ zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated in a credit line to the data. Brym et al. BMC Ecol (2020) 20:33 Page 2 of 13 due to steep declines in monarch abundance over the these may require diferent cultivation techniques and past several decades [9, 48]. growing conditions [27]. Milkweed may also be unavail- Since the 1990s, the eastern population of monarchs is able commercially, making large scale conservation and estimated to have decreased by ~ 80% [49], while its west- restoration initiatives difcult in areas where local plant ern counterpart has declined by over 99% since the 1980s ecotypes are scarce [5]. Determining what species of [36]. Te threats to monarchs are varied and range from milkweeds to select and how to distribute them also pre- extreme weather events [12] and parasites [2, 6] to preda- sents a challenge, as studies show that monarch utiliza- tion by invasive pests [13] and numerous insect taxa [23]. tion is afected by site and landscape characteristics [22, While many of these factors present substantial threats 38, 62], ovipositing females prefer some milkweed spe- to monarchs, habitat loss may be the most damaging to cies over others [3, 25, 42, 43], and larval success varies overall monarch numbers given the restricted distribu- with milkweed species as well [25, 41, 60]. tion of their overwintering habitat and specialized larval Ultimately, a signifcant barrier to more widespread diet [29]. Te loss of breeding habitat, in particular, is monarch conservation is an incomplete understanding well supported as a primary cause of monarch declines of the factors afecting monarch success and habitat uti- [52]. lization. Addressing this requires comprehensive moni- In the US, changing agricultural practices and toring, and while much efort has been focused on the increased herbicide use have led to widespread losses of Midwest [53], research into other areas along the mon- milkweeds (Asclepias spp.), which are an essential food arch’s migratory route is more limited. Te limitations source for monarch larva [39]. Milkweeds in the Mid- within the knowledge base are present even in areas con- western US are considered especially important, as this sidered to be highly signifcant to monarch conservation, area has been documented as the primary repopulation like Texas. Although Texas has several monarch monitor- zone for monarchs [55]. Because of the monarchs reli- ing programs such as Texas Monarch Watch [44], grow- ance on milkweed, safeguarding and restoring these ing coverage due to citizen science programs [24], and plants is a top priority for monarch conservation, and it surveys by Calvert and Wagner [14], there are still gaps is estimated that ~ 1.6 billion milkweeds must be added in our understanding of how monarchs utilize resources to the Midwest in order to reach conservation goals set within the state. Tis is especially true for the western by the Pollinator Health Task Force [40]. More recently, portion of the state, which is sparsely populated and researchers have also stressed the necessity to expand oftentimes overlooked in comparison to the rest of Texas monarch conservation initiatives beyond the Midwest, as [10]. However, recent surges in monarch abundance other regions, like the southern US, have been identifed through West Texas may ofer insight into the signif- as key natal areas for butterfies that go on to colonize cance of this region that warrants further investigation. summer breeding grounds [18]. In this study, we examine surveys of monarch egg and Considering the wide spatiotemporal distribution of larval abundance from West Texas during the fall of 2018. monarchs, broadening conservation eforts may allow If monarch abundance in West Texas is comparable to for greater protection of important habitat, ofer more that of more widely recognized and monitored regions, area for restoration initiatives, and increase resilience to it may be worthwhile to look more closely at the signif- localized calamities and stochastic variability. A broader cance of this area in terms of monarch conservation. focus could also help to distribute the costs associated with monarch conservation across a wider base, allow- Results ing for the mobilization of more resources towards milk- Proportion of eggs based on larva weed propagation and restoration, habitat conservation, Te proportion of monarch larva observed was consist- monarch monitoring, etc. Indeed, while the southern and ently higher than that of queen butterfy (Danaus gilip- north central portions of the monarchs breeding range pus) larva across the majority of our study sites and are regarded as a priority, there is also agreement that an survey sessions (Table 1). Tere were only 6 of the 48 investment in conservation eforts across the entirety of surveys where queen larva exceeded that of monarchs, the monarch’s migratory distribution would likely yield and these only occurred on 2 of the sites. During Sep- the most efective strategy to mitigate monarch declines tember 30th, an equal number of monarch and queen [19, 20, 34]. larva were observed at Stonewall 3, and this was also the However, despite the potential benefts of a compre- case at both Fisher 1 and Stonewall 2 on October 22nd. hensive
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