DOE PAGES title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Grassland disturbance increases monarch butterfly oviposition and decreases arthropod predator abundance

Abstract

Many species of conservation concern depend on disturbance to create or maintain suitable habitat. We evaluated effects of disturbance on the eastern migratory monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus L.), which has declined markedly in recent decades, primarily attributed to the loss of milkweed host plants from annual crop fields in the US Midwest. Currently, remaining milkweeds in this region primarily occur in perennial grasslands, where disturbance is infrequent, predatory arthropods are abundant, and seasonal patterns of plant phenology differ from crop fields. In a two-year study in Michigan, USA, we applied three treatments to 23 patches of common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca L.); one-third of each patch was left undisturbed, while the remaining thirds were mowed in either mid-June or mid-July, respectively, and allowed to regenerate. We subsequently measured effects on monarch oviposition, predator abundance, survival of sentinel eggs and larvae, and tested how milkweed phenology and aphid colonization—both of which are reset by disturbance—structure predation risk for immature monarchs. Monarchs laid more eggs on regenerating versus undisturbed stems under both mowing regimes. Predators were strongly suppressed by mowing treatments, requiring 2–4 weeks to recolonize milkweed after disturbance, and were more abundant on flowering or aphid-infested stems. We found no significant differencesmore » in monarch egg/larval survival, although it tended to be higher in mowed plots. Overall, monarchs laid more eggs on regenerating stems where their offspring may also experience enemy-free space. Future work should focus on testing grassland disturbance as a management tool to improve productivity of existing monarch breeding habitat.« less

Authors:
 [1];  [1]
  1. Michigan State Univ., East Lansing, MI (United States). Dept. of Entomology and Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States). Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER)
OSTI Identifier:
1546976
Alternate Identifier(s):
OSTI ID: 1547639
Grant/Contract Number:  
SC0018409
Resource Type:
Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Biological Conservation
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 233; Journal Issue: C; Journal ID: ISSN 0006-3207
Publisher:
Elsevier
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES; Butterfly conservation; Disturbance; Grasslands; Monarch butterfly; Predation

Citation Formats

Haan, Nathan L., and Landis, Douglas A. Grassland disturbance increases monarch butterfly oviposition and decreases arthropod predator abundance. United States: N. p., 2019. Web. doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2019.03.007.
Haan, Nathan L., & Landis, Douglas A. Grassland disturbance increases monarch butterfly oviposition and decreases arthropod predator abundance. United States. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2019.03.007
Haan, Nathan L., and Landis, Douglas A. Sat . "Grassland disturbance increases monarch butterfly oviposition and decreases arthropod predator abundance". United States. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2019.03.007. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1546976.
@article{osti_1546976,
title = {Grassland disturbance increases monarch butterfly oviposition and decreases arthropod predator abundance},
author = {Haan, Nathan L. and Landis, Douglas A.},
abstractNote = {Many species of conservation concern depend on disturbance to create or maintain suitable habitat. We evaluated effects of disturbance on the eastern migratory monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus L.), which has declined markedly in recent decades, primarily attributed to the loss of milkweed host plants from annual crop fields in the US Midwest. Currently, remaining milkweeds in this region primarily occur in perennial grasslands, where disturbance is infrequent, predatory arthropods are abundant, and seasonal patterns of plant phenology differ from crop fields. In a two-year study in Michigan, USA, we applied three treatments to 23 patches of common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca L.); one-third of each patch was left undisturbed, while the remaining thirds were mowed in either mid-June or mid-July, respectively, and allowed to regenerate. We subsequently measured effects on monarch oviposition, predator abundance, survival of sentinel eggs and larvae, and tested how milkweed phenology and aphid colonization—both of which are reset by disturbance—structure predation risk for immature monarchs. Monarchs laid more eggs on regenerating versus undisturbed stems under both mowing regimes. Predators were strongly suppressed by mowing treatments, requiring 2–4 weeks to recolonize milkweed after disturbance, and were more abundant on flowering or aphid-infested stems. We found no significant differences in monarch egg/larval survival, although it tended to be higher in mowed plots. Overall, monarchs laid more eggs on regenerating stems where their offspring may also experience enemy-free space. Future work should focus on testing grassland disturbance as a management tool to improve productivity of existing monarch breeding habitat.},
doi = {10.1016/j.biocon.2019.03.007},
journal = {Biological Conservation},
number = C,
volume = 233,
place = {United States},
year = {Sat Mar 09 00:00:00 EST 2019},
month = {Sat Mar 09 00:00:00 EST 2019}
}

Journal Article:

Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 25 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

Save / Share:

Works referenced in this record:

Effects of the Protozoan Parasite Ophryocystis elektroscirrha on the Fitness of Monarch Butterflies (Danaus plexippus)
journal, July 1999

  • Altizer, Sonia M.; Oberhauser, Karen S.
  • Journal of Invertebrate Pathology, Vol. 74, Issue 1
  • DOI: 10.1006/jipa.1999.4853

Fitting Linear Mixed-Effects Models Using lme4
journal, January 2015

  • Bates, Douglas; Mächler, Martin; Bolker, Ben
  • Journal of Statistical Software, Vol. 67, Issue 1
  • DOI: 10.18637/jss.v067.i01

Oviposition by butterflies on young leaves: Investigation of leaf volatiles
journal, September 1994

  • Bergstr�m, Gunnar; Rothschild, Miriam; Groth, Inga
  • Chemoecology, Vol. 5-6, Issue 3-4
  • DOI: 10.1007/BF01240599

THE BIOLOGY OF CANADIAN WEEDS: 19. Asclepias syriaca L.
journal, July 1976

  • Bhowmik, Prasanta C.; Bandeen, John D.
  • Canadian Journal of Plant Science, Vol. 56, Issue 3
  • DOI: 10.4141/cjps76-094

glmmTMB Balances Speed and Flexibility Among Packages for Zero-inflated Generalized Linear Mixed Modeling
journal, January 2017

  • Brooks, Mollie,E.; Kristensen, Kasper; Benthem, Koen,J. ,van
  • The R Journal, Vol. 9, Issue 2
  • DOI: 10.32614/RJ-2017-066

Decline of monarch butterflies overwintering in Mexico: is the migratory phenomenon at risk?: Decline of monarch butterflies in Mexico
journal, March 2011


Traditional forest management practices stop forest succession and bring back rare plant species
journal, October 2016

  • Douda, Jan; Boublík, Karel; Doudová, Jana
  • Journal of Applied Ecology, Vol. 54, Issue 3
  • DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.12801

Intertwined Fates: Opportunities and Challenges in the Linked Recovery of Two Rare Species
journal, April 2016

  • Dunwiddie, Peter W.; Haan, Nathan L.; Linders, Mary
  • Natural Areas Journal, Vol. 36, Issue 2
  • DOI: 10.3375/043.036.0214

Enhancing Monarch Butterfly Reproduction by Mowing Fields of Common Milkweed
journal, April 2015

  • Fischer, Sandra J.; Williams, Ernest H.; Brower, Lincoln P.
  • The American Midland Naturalist, Vol. 173, Issue 2
  • DOI: 10.1674/amid-173-02-229-240.1

Unravelling the annual cycle in a migratory animal: breeding-season habitat loss drives population declines of monarch butterflies
journal, June 2014

  • Flockhart, D. T. Tyler; Pichancourt, Jean-Baptiste; Norris, D. Ryan
  • Journal of Animal Ecology, Vol. 84, Issue 1
  • DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.12253

The Monarch Butterfly through Time and Space: The Social Construction of an Icon
journal, May 2015

  • Gustafsson, Karin M.; Agrawal, Anurag A.; Lewenstein, Bruce V.
  • BioScience, Vol. 65, Issue 6
  • DOI: 10.1093/biosci/biv045

Resurrection and resilience of the rarest butterflies
journal, February 2018


Reduction in common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) occurrence in Iowa cropland from 1999 to 2009
journal, December 2010


Host-Plant Quality Influences Diapause and Voltinism in a Polyphagous Insect Herbivore
journal, June 1997


Linking the continental migratory cycle of the monarch butterfly to understand its population decline
journal, April 2016

  • Inamine, Hidetoshi; Ellner, Stephen P.; Springer, James P.
  • Oikos, Vol. 125, Issue 8
  • DOI: 10.1111/oik.03196

Productive engagement with agriculture essential to monarch butterfly conservation
journal, October 2017


Biomass and biofuel crop effects on biodiversity and ecosystem services in the North Central US
journal, July 2018


Least-Squares Means: The R Package lsmeans
journal, January 2016


Density-dependence in the declining population of the monarch butterfly
journal, October 2017


SOME OBSERVATIONS MADE IN 1887 ON DANAIS ARCHIPPUS, Fabr
journal, March 1888


Promoting diverse communities of wild bees and hoverflies requires a landscape approach to managing meadows
journal, February 2017

  • Meyer, Sandro; Unternährer, Debora; Arlettaz, Raphaël
  • Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, Vol. 239
  • DOI: 10.1016/j.agee.2017.01.037

Temporal and spatial overlap between monarch larvae and corn pollen
journal, September 2001

  • Oberhauser, K. S.; Prysby, M. D.; Mattila, H. R.
  • Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Vol. 98, Issue 21
  • DOI: 10.1073/pnas.211234298

A trans-national monarch butterfly population model and implications for regional conservation priorities: Regional monarch conservation priorities
journal, October 2016

  • Oberhauser, Karen; Wiederholt, Ruscena; Diffendorfer, Jay E.
  • Ecological Entomology, Vol. 42, Issue 1
  • DOI: 10.1111/een.12351

Milkweed loss in agricultural fields because of herbicide use: effect on the monarch butterfly population
journal, March 2012


Interpreting surveys to estimate the size of the monarch butterfly population: Pitfalls and prospects
journal, July 2017


Milkweed Matters: Monarch Butterfly (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) Survival and Development on Nine Midwestern Milkweed Species
journal, September 2017

  • Pocius, V. M.; Debinski, D. M.; Pleasants, J. M.
  • Environmental Entomology, Vol. 46, Issue 5
  • DOI: 10.1093/ee/nvx137

Monarch butterflies do not place all of their eggs in one basket: oviposition on nine Midwestern milkweed species
journal, January 2018

  • Pocius, Victoria M.; Debinski, Diane M.; Pleasants, John M.
  • Ecosphere, Vol. 9, Issue 1
  • DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.2064

Interactions Among Three Trophic Levels: Influence of Plants on Interactions Between Insect Herbivores and Natural Enemies
journal, November 1980


Induced Responses to Herbivory and Jasmonate in Three Milkweed Species
journal, November 2009

  • Rasmann, Sergio; Johnson, M. Daisy; Agrawal, Anurag A.
  • Journal of Chemical Ecology, Vol. 35, Issue 11
  • DOI: 10.1007/s10886-009-9719-0

Burning Prairie to Restore Butterfly Habitat: A Modeling Approach to Management Tradeoffs for the Fender's Blue
journal, September 1998


Using ecological theory to develop recovery criteria for an endangered butterfly
journal, May 2015

  • Schultz, Cheryl B.; Crone, Elizabeth E.
  • Journal of Applied Ecology, Vol. 52, Issue 5
  • DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.12450

Conservation of Prairie-Oak Butterflies in Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia
journal, July 2011

  • Schultz, Cheryl B.; Henry, Erica; Carleton, Alexa
  • Northwest Science, Vol. 85, Issue 2
  • DOI: 10.3955/046.085.0221

Quasi-extinction risk and population targets for the Eastern, migratory population of monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus)
journal, March 2016

  • Semmens, Brice X.; Semmens, Darius J.; Thogmartin, Wayne E.
  • Scientific Reports, Vol. 6, Issue 1
  • DOI: 10.1038/srep23265

The Role of Disturbance in Natural Communities
journal, November 1984


Monarchs in decline: a collateral landscape-level effect of modern agriculture: Landscape-level effect of GM crops on monarchs
journal, December 2016

  • Stenoien, Carl; Nail, Kelly R.; Zalucki, Jacinta M.
  • Insect Science, Vol. 25, Issue 4
  • DOI: 10.1111/1744-7917.12404

Grazing vs. mowing: A meta-analysis of biodiversity benefits for grassland management
journal, April 2016


Restoring monarch butterfly habitat in the Midwestern US: ‘all hands on deck’
journal, June 2017

  • Thogmartin, Wayne E.; López-Hoffman, Laura; Rohweder, Jason
  • Environmental Research Letters, Vol. 12, Issue 7
  • DOI: 10.1088/1748-9326/aa7637

Monarch butterfly population decline in North America: identifying the threatening processes
journal, September 2017

  • Thogmartin, Wayne E.; Wiederholt, Ruscena; Oberhauser, Karen
  • Royal Society Open Science, Vol. 4, Issue 9
  • DOI: 10.1098/rsos.170760

Why Did the Large Blue Become Extinct in Britain?
journal, April 1980


Successful Conservation of a Threatened Maculinea Butterfly
journal, June 2009


Dynamics and trends of overwintering colonies of the monarch butterfly in Mexico
journal, December 2014


Natal origins of migratory monarch butterflies at wintering colonies in Mexico: New isotopic evidence
journal, December 1998

  • Wassenaar, L. I.; Hobson, K. A.
  • Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Vol. 95, Issue 26
  • DOI: 10.1073/pnas.95.26.15436

Biocontrol potential varies with changes in biofuel-crop plant communities and landscape perenniality: BIOCONTROL AND BIOMASS PRODUCTION SYSTEMS
journal, February 2011


Perennial grasslands enhance biodiversity and multiple ecosystem services in bioenergy landscapes
journal, January 2014

  • Werling, B. P.; Dickson, T. L.; Isaacs, R.
  • Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Vol. 111, Issue 4
  • DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1309492111

It’s the first bites that count: Survival of first-instar monarchs on milkweeds: EARLY STAGE PHYTOPHAGOUS INSECT SURVIVAL
journal, October 2001


Movement and egg laying in Monarchs: To move or not to move, that is the equation: Movement and Egg Laying
journal, July 2015

  • Zalucki, M. P.; Parry, H. R.; Zalucki, J. M.
  • Austral Ecology, Vol. 41, Issue 2
  • DOI: 10.1111/aec.12285

Long-Term Trends in Midwestern Milkweed Abundances and Their Relevance to Monarch Butterfly Declines
journal, March 2017


Works referencing / citing this record:

Interspecific variation and elevated CO 2 influence the relationship between plant chemical resistance and regrowth tolerance
journal, May 2020

  • Decker, Leslie E.; Hunter, Mark D.
  • Ecology and Evolution, Vol. 10, Issue 12
  • DOI: 10.1002/ece3.6284

Habitat Type Influences Danaus plexippus (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) Oviposition and Egg Survival on Asclepias syriaca (Gentianales: Apocynaceae)
journal, May 2019

  • Myers, Andrew; Bahlai, Christie A.; Landis, Douglas A.
  • Environmental Entomology, Vol. 48, Issue 3
  • DOI: 10.1093/ee/nvz046

Predators of monarch butterfly eggs and neonate larvae are more diverse than previously recognised
journal, October 2019


Rapid Assessment of Roadsides as Potential Habitat for Monarchs and Other Pollinators
journal, October 2019

  • Cariveau, Alison B.; Anderson, Erik; Baum, Kristen A.
  • Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, Vol. 7
  • DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2019.00386

Species‐specific, age‐varying plant traits affect herbivore growth and survival
journal, April 2020

  • Yang, Louie H.; Cenzer, Meredith L.; Morgan, Laura J.
  • Ecology, Vol. 101, Issue 7
  • DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3029

Predators of monarch butterfly eggs and neonate larvae are more diverse than previously recognised
journal, October 2019