The monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) population in North America has sharply declined over the last two decades. Despite rising concern over the monarch butterfly's status, no comprehensive stu...

https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/pdf/10.1098/rsos.170760

Monarch butterfly population decline in North America: identifying the threatening processes.

1. The monarch has undergone considerable population declines over the past decade, and the governments of Mexico, Canada, and the United States have agreed to work together to conserve the species.

2. Given limited resources, understanding where to focus conservation action is key for widespread species like monarchs. To support planning for continental-scale monarch habitat restoration, we address the question of where restoration efforts are likely to have the largest impacts on monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus Linn.) population growth rates.

3. We present a spatially explicit demographic model simulating the multi-generational annual cycle of the eastern monarch population, and use the model to examine management scenarios, some of which focus on particular regions of North America.

4. Improving the monarch habitat in the north central or southern parts of the monarch range yields a slightly greater increase in the population growth rate than restoration in other regions. However, combining restoration efforts across multiple regions yields population growth rates above 1 with smaller simulated improvements in habitat per region than single-region strategies.

5. Synthesis and applications: These findings suggest that conservation investment in projects across the full monarch range will be more effective than focusing on one or a few regions, and will require international cooperation across many land use categories.

A trans‐national monarch butterfly population model and implications for regional conservation priorities

We review the postulated threatening processes that may have affected the decline in the eastern population of the monarch butterfly, Danaus plexippus L. (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae), in North America. Although there are likely multiple contributing factors, such as climate and resource-related effects on breeding, migrating, and overwintering populations, the key landscape-level change appears to be associated with the widespread use of genetically modified herbicide resistant crops that have rapidly come to dominate the extensive core summer breeding range. We dismiss misinterpretations of the apparent lack of population change in summer adult count data as logically flawed. Glyphosate-tolerant soybean and maize have enabled the extensive use of this herbicide, generating widespread losses of milkweed (Asclepias spp.), the only host plants for monarch larvae. Modeling studies that simulate lifetime realized fecundity at a landscape scale, direct counts of milkweeds, and extensive citizen science data across the breeding range suggest that a herbicide-induced, landscape-level reduction in milkweed has precipitated the decline in monarchs. A recovery will likely require a monumental effort for the re-establishment of milkweed resources at a commensurate landscape scale.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/1744-7917.12404

Monarchs in decline: a collateral landscape-level effect of modern agriculture.

Butterfly citizen scientists in the United States increase their engagement in conservation

Ecological niche models (ENM) have become a popular tool to define and predict the “ecological niche” of a species. An implicit assumption of the ENMs is that the predicted ecological niche of a species actually reflects the adaptive landscape of the species. Thus in sites predicted to be highly suitable, species would have maximum fitness compared to in sites predicted to be poorly suitable. As yet there are very few attempts to address this assumption. Here we evaluate this assumption. We used Bioclim (DIVA GIS version 7.3) and Maxent (version 3.3.2) to predict the habitat suitability of Myristica malabarica Lam., an economically important tree occurring in the Western Ghats, India. We located populations of the trees naturally occurring in different habitat suitability regimes (from highly suitable to poorly suitable) and evaluated them for their regeneration ability and genetic diversity. We also evaluated them for two plant functional traits, fluctuating asymmetry – an index of genetic homeostasis, and specific leaf weight – an index of primary productivity, often assumed to be good surrogates of fitness. We show a significant positive correlation between the predicted habitat quality and plant functional traits, regeneration index and genetic diversity of populations. Populations at sites predicted to be highly suitable had a higher regeneration and gene diversity compared to populations in sites predicted to be poor or unsuitable. Further, individuals in the highly suitable sites exhibited significantly less fluctuating asymmetry and significantly higher specific leaf weight compared to individuals in the poorly suitable habitats. These results for the first time provide an explicit test of the ENM with respect to the plant functional traits, regeneration ability and genetic diversity of populations along a habitat suitability gradient. We discuss the implication of these resultsfor designing viable species conservation and restoration programs.

/pdf/do-ecological-niche-model-predictions-reflect-the-adaptive-5atpfohk6y.pdf

Do ecological niche model predictions reflect the adaptive landscape of species?: a test using Myristica malabarica Lam., an endemic tree in the Western Ghats, India.

Monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) have a unique yearly life cycle, in which successive generations breed and move northward from the southern USA in spring to the northern US and southern Canada by late summer; they overwinter in extremely restricted areas in central Mexico and along the California coast. Mexican overwintering populations have experienced significant mortality events recently, which have been hypothesized as increasing in frequency owing to climate change. Here, we test the hypothesis of climate-change causation of these mortality events, at least in part, finding significant local weather trends toward conditions lethal for monarch survival. We use ecological niche estimates and future climate projections to estimate future overwintering distributions; results anticipate dramatic reductions in suitability of present overwintering areas, and serious implications for local human economies.

http://www.revista.ib.unam.mx/index.php/bio/article/download/1264/1109

Climate-change and mass mortality events in overwintering monarch butterflies

The social interactions, information and technology with which individuals come into contact on a daily basis shape their ideas about health and the behaviors they act upon (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2013). Advances in science and health have many people pursuing additional sources of health information to meet their needs and to fill information gaps (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, 2010). Many studies have shown that disparities in access to health information and technology can result in limited use of preventive services, increased trips to the emergency room and poorer overall health status (Berkman, 2011). One goal of Healthy People 2020 is to, “use health communication and health information technology to improve population health outcomes and health care quality, and to achieve health equity” (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2013). With the increase in online health information, it is important for health professionals to be aware of what health information their patients are accessing and how they are accessing that information.

Significant differences in access to health information on the Internet exist among minority racial/ethnic groups (Smylie, Williams, & Cooper, 2006; Weaver et al., 2009; Zanchetta & Poureslami, 2006). For instance, when looking at the likelihood of using the Internet to search for health information among racial/ethnic groups, substantial gaps were revealed between Hispanics and whites and African-Americans and whites (Lorence, Park, & Fox, 2006). A recent study reporting on racial/ethnic variation in Internet use among people living in rural areas found that 72.8% of whites, 51.5% of African-Americans, and 38.0% of Hispanics have used the Internet in the past six months (Wang, Bennett, & Probst, 2011). In addition, inequalities exist among racial/ethnic groups for online health information seeking behaviors (Geana et al., 2012; Weaver et al., 2009), with 58% of Hispanics using the Internet for health information searches compared to 69% of whites (Lorence et al., 2006).

Little research has been conducted among American Indians (AI) to determine Internet use and health information needs. It has been reported that AI populations in rural areas have less access to telephone lines than other racial/ethnic groups, and those living on reservations may lack access to basic and advanced technologies because of poor technological infrastructure (Bissell, 2004; Brescia & Daily, 2007; Morris & Meinrath, 2009). Projects are underway to improve technical infrastructure for telephone and Internet services on reservations and in rural areas serving AI populations (Wood et al., 2003). However, much work still exists (Morris & Meinrath, 2009; Office, 2006). This situation is pressing for AI trying to access information and also for tribes who want better communication with their sometimes dispersed members (Rodgers & Veil, 2008). In addition, much of the research ignores heterogeneous urban AI populations and does not address Internet access and online health information seeking behaviors among these groups. As access gaps decrease for the general population, primarily due to less expensive technology and greater availability, researchers have shifted their focus to look at “other dimensions of communication inequality,” (Kontos, Bennett, & Viswanath, 2007) e.g., improving Internet skills and website design for varying audiences (Kontos et al., 2007). Choices, styles, readability, and organization of websites are categories that need to be addressed because deficiencies in these elements may impede constructive navigation (Kontos et al., 2007; Viswanath, 2005). Health researchers will need to merge socially-based education initiatives and content-driven computer literacy to improve access, especially for AI and other underserved populations.

Although few studies have focused on barriers and facilitators to computer and Internet use among AI, our own self-administered survey, given to a diverse sample of AI in the Great Plains (N=998), revealed that generational differences existed with regards to Internet use for seeking health information (Geana et al., 2012). Additionally, participants expressed a perceived lack of culturally sensitive websites that provide health information. This manuscript focuses on the narratives of community members concerning their Internet use in relation to health information seeking behaviors. The qualitative data enhances our understanding of Internet use and Internet-based health information among this underserved population. This research is important because AI suffer from some of the worst health disparities of any other racial/ethnic group (Bissell, 2004; Robertson, Kattelmann, & Ren, 2007). Here we report needs and suggestions from AI for improvements in access and use of the Internet by heterogeneous AI populations.

/pdf/internet-use-for-health-information-among-american-indians-k9eqwzkivh.pdf

Internet Use for Health Information among American Indians: Facilitators and Inhibitors.

RQDUFKEXWWHUAL HV�� Danaus plexippus) have a unique yearly life cycle, in which successive generations breed and move northward from the southern USA in spring to the northern US and southern Canada by late summer; they overwinter in extremely restricted areas in central Mexico and along the California coast. Mexican overwintering SRSXODWLRQVKDYH

&OLPDWHFKDQJHD QGPDVVPRUWDOLW \HYHQWVLQRYHU ZLQWHULQJPRQDUF KEXWWHUÀLHV Eventos de mortandad masiva y cambio climático en poblaciones invernales de la mariposa monarca

Rebecca J. Crosthwait

Papers

Climate-change and mass mortality events in overwintering monarch butterflies

Internet Use for Health Information among American Indians: Facilitators and Inhibitors.

&OLPDWHFKDQJHD QGPDVVPRUWDOLW \HYHQWVLQRYHU ZLQWHULQJPRQDUF KEXWWHUÀLHV Eventos de mortandad masiva y cambio climático en poblaciones invernales de la mariposa monarca