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Diffendorfer JE, Botello F, Drummond MA, Ancona ZH, Corro LM, Thogmartin WE, Ibsen PC, Moreno-Sanchez R, Lukens L, Sánchez-Cordero V. Changes in landscape and climate in Mexico and Texas reveal small effects on migratory habitat of monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus). Sci Rep 2024; 14:6703. [PMID: 38509089 PMCID: PMC10954652 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-56693-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2023] [Accepted: 03/09/2024] [Indexed: 03/22/2024] Open
Abstract
The decline of the iconic monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) in North America has motivated research on the impacts of land use and land cover (LULC) change and climate variability on monarch habitat and population dynamics. We investigated spring and fall trends in LULC, milkweed and nectar resources over a 20-year period, and ~ 30 years of climate variables in Mexico and Texas, U.S. This region supports spring breeding, and spring and fall migration during the annual life cycle of the monarch. We estimated a - 2.9% decline in milkweed in Texas, but little to no change in Mexico. Fall and spring nectar resources declined < 1% in both study extents. Vegetation greenness increased in the fall and spring in Mexico while the other climate variables did not change in both Mexico and Texas. Monarch habitat in Mexico and Texas appears relatively more intact than in the midwestern, agricultural landscapes of the U.S. Given the relatively modest observed changes in nectar and milkweed, the relatively stable climate conditions, and increased vegetation greenness in Mexico, it seems unlikely that habitat loss (quantity or quality) in Mexico and Texas has caused large declines in population size or survival during migration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jay E Diffendorfer
- U.S. Geological Survey, Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center, Lakewood, CO, USA.
| | - Francisco Botello
- Departamento de Zoología, Instituto de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
- Departamento de Monitoreo Biológico y Planeación de Conservación, Conservación Biológica y Desarrollo Social, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Mark A Drummond
- U.S. Geological Survey, Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center, Lakewood, CO, USA
| | - Zach H Ancona
- U.S. Geological Survey, Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center, Lakewood, CO, USA
| | - Lucila M Corro
- U.S. Geological Survey, Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center, Lakewood, CO, USA
| | - Wayne E Thogmartin
- U.S. Geological Survey, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, La Crosse, WI, USA
| | - Peter C Ibsen
- U.S. Geological Survey, Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center, Lakewood, CO, USA
| | - Rafael Moreno-Sanchez
- Department of Geography and Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado Denver, 1200 Larimer St, NC 3016-C, Denver, CO, 80204, USA
| | - Laura Lukens
- Monarch Joint Venture, 2233 University Ave W., Suite 426, St. Paul, MN, USA
- Department of Forestry & Rangeland Science, Colorado State University, 1472 Campus Delivery, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Victor Sánchez-Cordero
- Departamento de Zoología, Instituto de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
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