The Orientation of Migrant and Non‐Migrant Monarch Butterflies,<i>Danaus Plexippus</i> (L.)

Kanz, James E.

doi:10.1155/1977/21437

Cited by 20 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…This finding is in agreement with the results of the first orientation experiments performed on monarch butterflies by Kanz (1977), whereas Hyatt's (1993) experiments suggested a timecompensated polarization compass. However, this study was based on very short flights (<1·min) during which the animals could see the observer, who scored the flights via direct visual observation.…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 89%

Do monarch butterflies use polarized skylight for migratory orientation?

Stalleicken

Mukhida

Labhart

et al. 2005

Journal of Experimental Biology

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SUMMARY To test if migratory monarch butterflies use polarized light patterns as part of their time-compensated sun compass, we recorded their virtual flight paths in a flight simulator while the butterflies were exposed to patches of naturally polarized blue sky, artificial polarizers or a sunny sky. In addition, we tested butterflies with and without the polarized light detectors of their compound eye being occluded. The monarchs' orientation responses suggested that the butterflies did not use the polarized light patterns as a compass cue, nor did they exhibit a specific alignment response towards the axis of polarized light. When given direct view of the sun, migratory monarchs with their polarized light detectors painted out were still able to use their time-compensated compass: non-clockshifted butterflies, with their dorsal rim area occluded, oriented in their typical south–southwesterly migratory direction. Furthermore, they shifted their flight course clockwise by the predicted ∼90° after being advance clockshifted 6 h. We conclude that in migratory monarch butterflies, polarized light cues are not necessary for a time-compensated celestial compass to work and that the azimuthal position of the sun disc and/or the associated light-intensity and spectral gradients seem to be the migrants' major compass cue.

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 89%

Do monarch butterflies use polarized skylight for migratory orientation?

Stalleicken

Mukhida

Labhart

et al. 2005

Journal of Experimental Biology

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“…These data show that the majority of individual mid- to late-summer butterflies exhibit non-directional flight behavior. Although the numbers were small, the data also suggest that as a group those butterflies that were directional were not significantly oriented, as previously suggested [ 9 , 10 ].…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 68%

“…Although it has been reported that 'summer' monarchs do not exhibit oriented flight [ 9 , 10 ], until now this has not been evaluated in a flight simulator in which both individual directionality and group orientation can be assessed (see below). We tested these parameters in wild-caught summer butterflies captured in western Massachusetts (latitude 42°59'N) between 20 July and 10 August 2008 and housed indoors in a light-dark cycle that was timed to coincide with the prevailing lighting conditions.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It is unclear whether the successive generations of spring and summer butterflies have oriented flight activity to the north and/or whether they are following the progressive northerly increase in milkweed abundance, while avoiding undue heat stress that would occur if they remained in the southern United States throughout the summer [ 7 ]. The late-July/early-August generations of summer butterflies, some of whose offspring become fall migrants, appear to be the best example of butterflies that do not exhibit oriented flight behavior [ 9 , 10 ]. However, the precise type of flight behavior that the summer monarchs actually manifest has not been rigorously examined.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Defining behavioral and molecular differences between summer and migratory monarch butterflies

et al. 2009

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Background: In the fall, Eastern North American monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) undergo a magnificent long-range migration. In contrast to spring and summer butterflies, fall migrants are juvenile hormone deficient, which leads to reproductive arrest and increased longevity. Migrants also use a time-compensated sun compass to help them navigate in the south/southwesterly direction en route for Mexico. Central issues in this area are defining the relationship between juvenile hormone status and oriented flight, critical features that differentiate summer monarchs from fall migrants, and identifying molecular correlates of behavioral state.

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“…In the autumn short days and low temperatures induce reproductive diapause (Barker & Herman, 1976), and individuals migrate from the northern breeding grounds to overwintering areas at high altitudes on the volcanic plateau of Cen- tral Mexico, where they congregate in trees in clusters of millions of individuals (Brower et al, 1977;Urquhart & Urquhart, 1978). They are aided in this southward movement by orientation to the sun's azimuth and a tendency to fly with the wind; non-migrants in the summer exhibit random directionality (Kanz, 1977). Wintering ends with mass matings in late January and February, apparently under the stimulus of increasing daylengths and temperatures, although some individuals may not mate until after departure (Brower et al, 1977).…”

Section: Tropical-temperate Migrationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Function of Migration in the Seasonal Synchronization of Insects

Dingle

1982

Entomologia Exp Applicata

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Seasonal migrations of insects can be roughly divided into those within the temperate zone, those within the tropics, and those between the tropics and temperate areas. Temperate migrations often involve movements to and form diapause sites with correlated seasonal cycles in reproductive physiology. Many temperate migrants have apterous or brachypterous generations whose adaptive significance is not always clear, diapause may also be involved in tropical migrations, but the cue is likely to be food or moisture limitation rather than photoperiod. Interestingly, the capacity to diapause may be a prerequisite for migration into the temperate zone by tropical species: the two behaviours occur together in several migrants. An interesting subclass of tropical‐temperate migrants are “pied‐piper” species which apparently have no return movement: the action of natural selection in these cases is unclear. In all cases migration and diapause are intimately involved with other aspects of life histories because they allow choices of where and when to breed. The elucidation of the contributions of genetic and environmental variance to insect migration strategies is an important problem for entomologists. RÉSUMÉ Rôle de la migrations dans la synchronisation saisonnière des insectes. Les migrations saisonnières des insectes peuvent être globalement divisées en celles à l'intérieur de la zone tempérée, celles à l'intérieur des tropiques et celles entre les tropiques et les zones tempérées. Les migrations tempérées impliquent souvent des mouvements vers et à partir des sites de diapause en relation avec les cycles saisonniers de la physiologie de la reproduction. De nonbreux migrateurs des régions tempérées ont des générations aptères ou brachyptères, dont la signification adaptative n'est pas toujours claire. La diapause peut aussi être impliquée dans les migrations tropicales, mais la cause doit vraisemblablement être l'insuffisance d'aliment ou d'humidité plutôt que la photopériode. Il est intéressant de noter que l'aptitude à la diapause peut être une condition pour les migrations des espèces tropicales vers la zone tempérée; les deux comportements ont lieu ensemble chez plusieurs migrateurs. Une sous‐classe intéressante de migrateurs des tropiques vers les région tempérées est constituée par les espèces “pied piper” qui ont apparemment un mouvement sans retour; dans ce cas, l'action de la sélection naturelle est peu claire. Dans tous les cas la migration et la diapause sont intimement imbriquées avec tous les autres aspects de la biologie, parce qu'elles entraînent des choix sur où et quand se reproduire. La compréhension des contributions des variances génétique et environnementale dans les stratégies migratrices des insectes est un problème important pour les entomologistes.

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The Orientation of Migrant and Non‐Migrant Monarch Butterflies,Danaus Plexippus (L.)

Cited by 20 publications

References 25 publications

Do monarch butterflies use polarized skylight for migratory orientation?

Do monarch butterflies use polarized skylight for migratory orientation?

Defining behavioral and molecular differences between summer and migratory monarch butterflies

Function of Migration in the Seasonal Synchronization of Insects

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