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¶ … Gitig, D. (2017). A farewell to kings? New ideas on the vanishing monarch butterflies. Ars Technica. April 30, 2017. Retrieved online: https://arstechnica.com/science/2017/04/a-migrating-butterfly-a-poisonous-plant-and-their-remarkable-coevolution/
In this article, Gitig (2017) provides an overview of recent research on monarch butterflies, focusing on the causes of their diminishing populations. Monarch butterflies feed almost exclusively on a plant called milkweed. Milkweed is disappearing rapidly due to urban development and other human activities. Therefore, the monarch butterflies have less to eat and this may be the direct cause for their dwindling numbers. In fact, adult monarch butterflies do not just feed on milkweed but also lay the next generation of eggs on the plant. The milkweed plant actually perceives the monarch as a parasite and emits latex to trap and kill the monarch caterpillars. Only about 10% of monarch eggs make it to become fully formed butterflies, according to the author. The most remarkable aspect of the monarch-milkweed relationship is that the surviving monarch caterpillars assimilate the toxic cardenolides from the milkweed latex by transforming those chemicals into color patterns in their butterfly wings. The chemical process is called aposematic coloration. The aposematic coloration gives the butterflies...
Therefore, the monarchs benefit from the milkweed's defensive device. Gitig (2017) also discusses the potential causes for disappearing monarchs throughout their habitats in North America. Possible causes include habitat loss and drought conditions, but there is no one absolute cause for the dwindling numbers of monarchs.
There are several issues in this course that apply directly to this article. One issue is general ecology, as the article highlights the way different species interact with their environments. The relationship between the milkweed and the butterfly is not symbiotic, but rather parasitic in that the butterfly gains more from the milkweed than the other way around. The monarch butterfly is not a pollinator, though, and its role in the ecosystem is not directly addressed in this article. Another issue Gitig (2017) addresses is the evolution of defense systems in both plants and animals. The milkweed evolved the toxic latex to ward off the butterfly and other parasitic organisms, while the butterfly uses that same toxin to ward off birds and other predators. Finally, the article addresses conservation issues because the dwindling numbers of monarchs may be due to a number of human activities resulting either in the loss of milkweed or…
References
Doyle, A. (2017). Milkweed plantings lure monarch butterflies to county. Ventura County Star, April 30, 2017. Retrieved online: http://www.vcstar.com/story/news/local/communities/ventura/2017/04/30/milkweed-plantings-lure-monarch-butterflies-county/100673724/
Gitig, D. (2017). A farewell to kings? New ideas on the vanishing monarch butterflies. Ars Technica. April 30, 2017. Retrieved online: https://arstechnica.com/science/2017/04/a-migrating-butterfly-a-poisonous-plant-and-their-remarkable-coevolution/
The authors explain that "Large-scale habitat loss and fragmentation…" that results from urban sprawl is a major cause of the lack of biodiversity within the insect species (Acharya, 1999, 27). Even the building of a new road, or street lights, in places where previously there were no roads or lights, what the authors call "undisturbed areas," has an impact on insect biodiversity, Acharya explains. Meanwhile, moths, which are known
1997). The basis of all plants' alternating generations and complex life cycles could be found in a common ancestor shared with fern species, even though ferns are no better reproducing sexually than moss are fully dependent on a saturated enough environment to perform a task that flowers have developed innumerable methods of getting done (Munster et al. 1997; Mehltreter et al. 2010). Conclusion The life cycles of moss and ferns are
Previous to Darwin, it has been considered that animals had nothing in connection with humans, since their brutish behavior had been very different from the sociable and civilized one displayed by people. French philosopher Rene Descartes apparently thought of animals to be nothing but machines that acted in conformity to the same laws to which inanimate matter had functioned. Quite the reverse happened when concerning humans, as, in spite
As one would expect, those with children and teens tended to increase visits in the summer. While the older demographic groups dominated during the winter months. Seasonal fluctuations in Cornwall follow typical patterns found in non-tropical regions. The tourism trade in Cornwall depends on the influx of seasonal visitors during the warm summer months. According to statistics from the Cornwall Tourism Board (2007), the largest percentage of visitors were from
Clinical Psychology Dissertation - Dream Content as a Therapeutic Approach: Ego Gratification vs. Repressed Feelings An Abstract of a Dissertation Dream Content as a Therapeutic Approach: Ego Gratification vs. Repressed Feelings This study sets out to determine how dreams can be used in a therapeutic environment to discuss feelings from a dream, and how the therapist should engage the patient to discuss them to reveal the relevance of those feelings, in their present,
Sustainable Tourism Development The aim of the essay is to gain an understanding of the rational and different approaches to tourism planning and development, sustainable tourism, current issues and impacts of tourism. The aim is to increase awareness of the need to plan and manage tourism destinations within an international, national, regional, and local framework. Investigate current trends in planning for tourism development in a range of destinations. The stages in the