Monarch butterflies as a model for understanding the spatiotemporal dynamics of migratory species and their response to environmental change
Principal Investigators:
Sonia Altizer, Karen S. Oberhauser, and Leslie Ries
Each year, North American monarch butterflies undergo a spectacular two-way migration from breeding locations in Canada and the US to overwintering sites in Mexico. Throughout their annual cycle, monarchs utilize habitats in three different countries and require strikingly different resources and habitats at each life stage. Like other migratory animals, this shifting spatial distribution poses
challenges for identifying key determinants of monarch population dynamics and assessing their conservation status. Monarchs are an incredibly popular... more
Each year, North American monarch butterflies undergo a spectacular two-way migration from breeding locations in Canada and the US to overwintering sites in Mexico. Throughout their annual cycle, monarchs utilize habitats in three different countries and require strikingly different resources and habitats at each life stage. Like other migratory animals, this shifting spatial distribution poses
challenges for identifying key determinants of monarch population dynamics and assessing their conservation status. Monarchs are an incredibly popular insect that has been exceptionally well studied; multiple long-term monitoring programs exist within North America that span timescales of 3 to over 30 years. This virtually unprecedented wealth of data on a single animal species represents a rare scientific resource for understanding how natural and anthropogenic factors affect the population dynamics and movement patterns of migratory species. At the same time, a great need exists to integrate existing data sets for analysis and interpretation of both within-season and longerterm population trends. Our proposed working group includes a team of experts in monarch ecology, migration biology, statistical model building, climate modeling and geography to answer the most fundamental questions of monarch biology throughout their range in North America. We will explore data from throughout the monarchs’ annual life cycle to identify major ecological mechanisms that shape large-scale patterns of abundance and movement, and to predict the consequences of human activities, including shifting agricultural practices, deforestation and climate change, for long-term dynamics. We will also work directly with NCEAS informatics staff to develop a web-based portal that allows public access to and use of monarch butterfly observational data, much of which has been collected by volunteer observers. Although our efforts focus primarily on a single species, our questions, approaches and findings will have great relevance to understanding the dynamics of other pollinator species and neotropical migrants across North America.
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Participants and Meetings

Working Group Participants
Activity | Dates | Further Information |
---|---|---|
Working Group | 9th—13th April 2010 | Participant List |
Working Group | 18th—22nd October 2010 | Participant List |
Working Group | 17th—22nd May 2011 | Participant List |
Participant Contact Information
Sonia Altizer | saltizer@uga.edu | University of Georgia |
Becky Bartel | becky.bartel@gmail.com | North Carolina State University |
Rebecca V. Batalden | smit2007@umn.edu | University of Minnesota, Twin Cities |
James Battin | battinjames@gmail.com | Unknown |
Lincoln Brower | brower@sbc.edu | Sweet Briar College |
Andrew Davis | akdavis@uga.edu | University of Georgia |
Erica Fleishman | efleishman@ucdavis.edu | University of California, Santa Barbara |
Dennis Frey | dfrey@calpoly.edu | California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo |
Elizabeth Howard | ehoward@journeynorth.org | Journey North |
Nathan P. Nibbelink | nate@warnell.uga.edu | University of Georgia |
Karen S. Oberhauser | oberh001@umn.edu | University of Minnesota, Twin Cities |
A. Townsend Peterson | town@ku.edu | University of Kansas |
Eduardo Rendon | erendon@wwfmex.org | World Wildlife Fund Mexico |
Leslie Ries | lries@umd.edu | University of Maryland, College Park |
Monte P. Sanford | monte.sanford@gmail.com | EchoHawk Law Offices |
Orley R. Taylor | chip@ku.edu | University of Kansas |
Elise Zipkin | ezipkin@usgs.gov | US Geological Survey (USGS) |
Kelly Nail | nailx005@umn.edu | University of Minnesota |
Louie H. Yang | lhyang@ucdavis.edu | University of California, Davis |
Products: Publications, Reports, Datasets, Presentations, Visualizations
Type | Products of NCEAS Research |
---|---|
Journal Article | Altizer, Sonia; Bartel, Becky; Han, Barbara A. 2011. Animal migration and infectious disease risk. Science. Vol: 331(6015). Pages 296-302. (Online version) |
Journal Article | Diamond, Sarah E.; Cayton, Heather; Wepprich, Tyson; Jenkins, Clinton; Dunn, Robert; Haddad, Nick; Ries, Leslie. 2014. Unexpected phenological responses of butterflies to the interaction of urbanization and geographic temperature. Ecology. Vol: 95(9). Pages 2613-2621. (Online version) |
Book Chapter | Howard, Elizabeth; Davis, Andrew. 2015. Tracking the fall migration of eastern monarchs with Journey North roost sightings: New findings about the pace of fall migration. Edited by Karen S. Oberhauser, Kelly R. Nail, Sonia Altizer Monarchs in a changing world: Biology and Conservation of an Iconic butterfly. Comstock Publishing Associates. Ithaca, NY. Pages 207-214. (Online version) |
Journal Article | John, Pleasants M.; Oberhauser, Karen S. 2012. Milkweed loss in agricultural fields because of herbicide use: effect on the monarch butterfly population. Insect Conservation and Diversity. Vol: 6. Pages 135-144. (Online version) |
Book Chapter | Oberhauser, Karen S.; Ries, Leslie; Altizer, Sonia; Batalden, Rebecca V.; Kudell-Ekstrum, Janet; Garland, Mark; Howard, Elizabeth; Jepsen, Sarina; Lovett, Jim; Monroe, Mia; Morris, Gail; Rendón-Salinas, Eduardo; RuBino, Richard G.; Ryan, Ann; Taylor, Orley R.; Treviño, Rocio; Villablanca, Francis X.; Walton, Dick. 2015. Contributions to Monarch Biology and Conservation through Citizen Science: 70 Years and Counting. Edited by Karen S. Oberhauser, Kelly R. Nail, Sonia Altizer Monarchs in a changing world: Biology and Conservation of an Iconic butterfly. Comstock Publishing Associates. Ithaca, NY. Pages 13-30. (Online version) |
Book Chapter | Ries, Leslie; Taron, Douglas J.; Rendón-Salinas, Eduardo; Oberhauser, Karen S. 2015. Connecting Eastern Monarch Population Dynamics Across their Migratory Cycle. Edited by Karen S. Oberhauser, Kelly R. Nail, Sonia Altizer Monarchs in a Changing World: Biology and Conservation of an Iconic Butterfly. Comstock Publishing Associates. Ithaca, NY. Pages 268-282. (Online version) |
Journal Article | Zipkin, Elise; Ries, Leslie; Reeves, Rick; Regetz, James; Oberhauser, Karen S. 2012. Tracking climate impacts on the migratory monarch butterfly. Global Change Biology. (Online version) |
"Monarch butterflies as a model for understanding the spatiotemporal dynamics of migratory species and their response to environmental change" is project ID: 12502