Participating ResearcherS |
Each fall, one generation of Monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) migrate over up to 5,000 km from the Northern US and Canada to their overwintering habitats in the Mountain Ranges of Central Mexico. Although these butterflies have never been to Central Mexico before, they are able to successfully reach the site that their ancestors have used for overwintering.
Monarch butterflies use different celestial cues as orientation references during their migration. Apart from the sun, the sky offers a variety of additional orientation cues, such as the polarized skylight and the intensity and chromatic gradient that can be used by insects for orientation. Which of these cues are being used by Monarch butterflies is still unclear. Using skylight cues as references to keep a constant direction over the course of a day poses one major problem: while the migration destination of the butterflies is a stationary location, the celestial cues change their positions throughout the day. To successfully reach their final destination, the butterflies must therefore adjust their heading relative to the sun’s position in a time of day-dependent manner. How this is being achieved by Monarch butterflies remains unknown. In addition, to sunlight information, recent research revealed that the Earth's magnetic field can be perceived by Monarch butterflies and might be used as an additional orientational cue. However, which role it plays during the migration and how it is combined with other cues is completely unexplored. |
TECHNIQUES AND METHODS   klick on logos for more information
KEy CollaboratorsChristine Merlin (Texas A&M University, USA)
Eric Warrant (Lund University, Sweden) Emily Baird (University of Stockholm, Sweden) Gregor Belušič (University of Ljubljana, Slovenia) Stanley Heinze (Lund University, Sweden) Thomas Schmitt (University of Wuerzburg, Germany) James Foster (University of Konstanz, Germany) |
Further REAdingS
Beetz MJ, el Jundi B (2023) The neurobiology of the Monarch butterfly compass. Curr Opin Insect Sci 60:101109.
Merlin C, Liedvogel M (2019) The genetics and epigenetics of animal migration and orientation: birds, butterflies, and beyond. J Exp Biol 222:jeb191890.
Reppert S, de Roode JC (2018) Demystifying monarch butterfly migration. Curr Biol 28:R1009-R1022.
Merlin C, Liedvogel M (2019) The genetics and epigenetics of animal migration and orientation: birds, butterflies, and beyond. J Exp Biol 222:jeb191890.
Reppert S, de Roode JC (2018) Demystifying monarch butterfly migration. Curr Biol 28:R1009-R1022.