The world around us is changing. In terms of environmentally, it is changing for the better because of the global pandemic that is occurring. Since there have been lockdowns in most of the major industrial countries, pollution levels and CO2 levels have been down significantly as pollution from cars and major industrial complex processes have decreased. Through this chaos that is going on in the world, we can not lose sight of the things that were being greatly affected by climate change and that will continue to be affected by climate change in the future if we don’t change our habits after the pandemic is over. One of the species that is greatly affected by climate change that could be negatively affected in the future is the Monarch Butterfly.
One of the most remarkable things about the Monarch Butterfly is their migration. They have a 3,000-mile journey every year from their summer homes in the northern U.S. and Canada to their winter homes in California and Mexico. Sadly, the numbers of these beautiful monarchs are rapidly declining. The 2018 Western Monarch Thanksgiving count found that Monarch’s living in California for the winter declined to only 20,456, a 86% reduction from the previous year (Murawski). The eastern Monarchs in Mexico also declined 15% which adds up to an 80% decline over the past 20 years (Murawski). 
At first look, it might seem like the Monarch Butterfly is less affected by climate change than other animals. These types of butterflies have a high dispersal ability across large geographic ranges. Along with this trait, they have a short generation time and a high reproductive rate meaning that they have a high capacity to adapt to long term environmental changes (“Monarch Butterflies”). Although this can be a good thing, there are many characteristics that the Monarch Butterflies hold that expose them to the effects of climate change.
Nearly all types of butterflies including Monarch Butterflies, are highly sensitive to a change in weather and climate. Like many other animals, these butterflies depend on environmental cues, like temperature, to do processes such as reproduction, migration, and hibernation (“Monarch Butterflies”). The Monarch’s overwinter habitat is also declining because of climate change, this affects their migration patterns as there are events of long droughts and extreme storms or abnormally hot and cold temperatures (“Monarch Butterflies”). “A lot of environmental threats can pile up on top of each other,” says the University of Wisconsin entomologist and director of the UW-Arboretum, Karen Oberhauser (Murawski).
Another negative side effect of climate change on these butterflies is on the milkweed plant. The Monarch is dependent solely on the milkweed plant as a host plant and the milkweed plant is declining throughout the monarch range as climate change increases (“Monarch Butterflies”). Increasing carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels is causing the plant to become too toxic for the monarch caterpillars to eat. More specifically the molecules that are built by milkweed are being altered by the high amount of carbon (Murawski). Ecologist Leslie Decker, a postdoctoral researcher at Stanford University, explains how “milkweed produces toxic steroids called cardenolides and that the monarchs have evolved in a way that allows them to tolerate low levels of this poison, storing it in their bodies as a bitter-tasting deterrent to predators (Murawski).” These cardenolides help the Monarch Butterflies by impeding the growth of a monarch parasite called Ophryocystis elektroscirrha (Murawski). This single-celled parasite can infect newly hatched caterpillars by drilling holes in their gut to replicate. Even if the caterpillars survive this parasite, they are born with misshapen wings and lowered endurance. In a study by Decker, she grew milkweed in a greenhouse with a high level of carbon dioxide and found that the plants produce a different mix of cardenolides, a mix that was significantly less effective against the parasite (Murawski).
Overall, many animals are being affected in so many different ways as climate change effects continue to increase throughout time. We know that the environment is dependent on each other so even if their animals are not being directly affected by global warming, they are probably being indirectly affected. For the Monarch Butterflies, they are being directly affected in more than one way and if we don’t make changes soon we will eventually see the extinction of this beautiful creature.
Sources:
“Monarch Butterflies and Climate Change.” WWF, World Wildlife Fund, www.worldwildlife.org/pages/monarch-butterflies-and-climate-change.
Murawski, Darlyne A., and Medford Taylor. “We’re Losing Monarchs Fast-Here’s Why.” Climate Change, Pesticides Put Monarch Butterflies at Risk of Extinction, 21 Dec. 2018, www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2018/12/monarch-butterflies-risk-extinction-climate-change/#close.
Hi Chris, this was a super interesting and informative blog. I knew from research on bees that other pollinators, like monarch butterflies, were going extinct, but this really clarified why. I also find your point on the impact of COVID-19 on the environment very interesting. Since the monarch butterfly population is being threatened, I wanted to find out what the consequences would be if they did go extinct.
The loss of monarch butterflies would be a major issue for the scientific research community, as butterflies have been key to research for centuries. The previously large population of such butterflies allowed scientists to utilize them as “model organisms” for research in “various areas in biological research such as genetics, evolution, embryology, navigation, pest control, biodiversity conservation and population dynamics” (Derla). The research on the butterflies has provided invaluable data, and the extinction of the monarch population would negatively impact the future of such research.
In addition to assisting in biological research, monarch butterflies can be useful indicators to the health of the environment. In regions with healthy butterfly populations, for instance, the stability of the population leads to “widespread environmental benefits such as natural pest control and healthy pollination” (Derla). Regions with threatened butterfly populations, however, indicate to scientists that that region is suffering effects of climate change, such as drought, which directly harms multiple butterfly species.
Additionally, as I mentioned, monarch butterflies are considered pollinators, and thus can perform similar tasks to bees. Pollination of plants is crucial to the production of the world’s food source, as “75 percent of the food crops worldwide depend on” pollinators (Derla). Additionally, the importance of pollinators to the food supply is increasing, since “in the past 50 years, agriculture’s dependence on pollination increased by 300 percent” (Derla). Thus, the loss of monarch butterflies could majorly threaten the international food supply, as well as harm jobs in agriculture.
Ultimately, continuing to work towards improving the environment after the pandemic passes is crucial to sustaining the butterfly population, as their survival is very beneficial for humans as well.
Source:
https://www.techtimes.com/articles/143486/20160324/monarch-butterflies-may-be-doomed-what-happens-if-they-go-extinct.htm
Hi Chris,
Your post about monarch butterflies is really fascinating, as they are not one of the first species that would pop into my head when I think about the effect of climate change on animals. They are definitely still a species worth saving and if climate change continues to worsen after the global pandemic, they could be at serious risk.
Similar to how monarch butterflies rely on the milkweed plant, pandas are hugely dependent on bamboo for their diet. Because bamboo forests can flower and die from time to time, pandas have to constantly keep looking for healthy bamboo to eat (Advani). 99% of a panda’s diet is made up of bamboo and it spends quite a bit of its time eating bamboo due to the food’s nearly zero-nutrition value (Hill). As a result of all of these factors, pandas need to be able to find connected bamboo forests nearby when other forests die out.
Although they have had no trouble with finding the necessary bamboo forests in the past, it could become an issue because of climate change. Climate change could cause pandas to move to higher elevations for survival with habitats below 1500 meters mostly disappearing by the end of the century (Hill). As Hill explain in his article, higher elevations might see an increase in bamboo, but the problem is that the relocation of pandas will result in more fragmented habitat distribution. According to a study in the Biological Conservation journal, “Researchers have concluded that even with just an increase of 1 degree Celsius in global temperatures, giant pandas would lose half their habitat by 2070.”
Humans will also contribute to this fragmentation as they will move upwards for agricultural purposes, since the conditions will be more suitable at higher elevations with the warming of the planet (Advani). They will therefore take away land from the pandas’ habitats, which will lead to their habitats being even more spread out. As a result, pandas will have more trouble finding enough bamboo to eat and they will have to travel longer distances to look for it, which will be a huge issue for the naturally lethargic animals (Hill).
This negative impact on pandas, in addition to the effect on monarch butterflies that you discuss, demonstrates the harsh conditions that these animals will face due to climate change. With the lack of access to bamboo, pandas will not be able to obtain the nutrition they need to survive, which will lead to a reduction in the number of pandas in the wild. A similar situation will be seen with monarch butterflies and milkweed. Although these are not the typical animals that one might think of in relation to climate change, it shows that climate change has many detrimental effects. This needs to be taken into account when looking at conservation efforts after the current situation with the pandemic passes, so that the deterioration of the environment can be reduced.
Sources:
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/climate-change-threatens-giant-panda recovery_b_58c6c4b1e4b0c3276fb7877e
http://www.takepart.com/article/2015/01/12/half-giant-pandas-habitat-could-be-unlivable-2070
Update for first souce:
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/climate-change-threatens-giant-panda-recovery_b_58c6c4b1e4b0c3276fb7877e
Hey Chris! Butterflies are beautiful creatures and the monarch is no exception. When I worked at Valley Forge National Park, it was interesting how one of the only native plants that was really seeing significant recovery was the milkweed, which is good to hear. I always loved observing the characteristics of that strange plant, and the viscous fluid that lay inside it, so I decided to gear my response to regard specifically the milkweed plant.
The term “milkweed” actually encompasses over 1000 individually species of plants that range throughout the United States and Canada (Balogh). The plant is very well adapted for symbiosis with insects. 5 nectar cups are held within the plant, each with their share of pollen. Insect legs fit perfectly in-between these cups. As a result, pollen attaches to the legs and the insect than flies to the next plant (Balogh). However, when mentioning characteristics of the milkweed, one must include its relationship with the monarch butterfly.
As referenced earlier, the milkweed has a sticky, thick, white sap that emerges from its stem if broken. It appears to resemble some sort of creamy desert, but in truth it’s poisonous (“Spreading”). Now this is actually a good thing, for this is what causes the fundamental mutualism between the plant and the monarch butterfly. In fact, monarch butterflies refuse to lay their eggs anywhere other than on milkweed (“Spreading”). By laying eggs there, the butterfly spreads the milkweed from one plant to the next. In return, the milkweed’s leaves act as a food source for the caterpillar, and the plant also effectively wards off potential predators by surrounding the eggs and caterpillars with its poisonous sap (Balogh).
The milkweed’s poison works by disrupting the fundamental molecular pumps that control the movement of ions within animals. However, monarch butterflies have adapted modifications to these molecular pumps to become immune to the poison. This allows both monarch butterflies and their larvae to eat the plant without having to face the consequences (Pennisi).
Works Cited:
Balogh, Anne. “How to Grow Milkweed for Monarch Butterflies – Garden Design.” GardenDesign.com, Garden Design Magazine, 8 Oct. 2019, http://www.gardendesign.com/plants/milkweed.html.
Pennisi, Elizabeth. “How the Monarch Butterfly Evolved Its Resistance to Toxic Milkweed.” American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Association for the Advancement of Science, 2 Oct. 2019, http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2019/10/how-monarch-butterfly-evolved-its-resistance-toxic-milkweed.
“Spreading Milkweed, Not Myths.” The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 19 Apr. 2017, medium.com/usfws/spreading-milkweed-not-myths-5df8c480912d.
Hi Chris,
Great post! I have always admired monarch butterflies for their beauty, but I had no idea that they were so heavily affected by climate change. It is another sobering reality that emphasizes the importance of acting now before we cause damage that is truly irreversible.
While reading your post, I grew interested in learning about the ways that humans have been helping to protect the monarch butterfly. After doing some research, I found some articles about a recent agreement between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the University of Illinois-Chicago that is groundbreaking because it encourages cooperation from private industries (Parham). As part of the agreement, over 45 transportation and energy companies as well as a multitude of private landowners will provide and maintain habitat for the butterflies on their lands (Parham). One of the participating industries, TxDOT, has agreed to plant milkweed along its land to ensure the monarch butterflies have the habitat they need as they travel north from Texas (Dallas Morning News Editorial). This agreement is an example of a “Candidate Conservation Agreement with Assurances (CCAA),” which is a formal, voluntary agreement between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and private partners to “conserve habitats that benefit at-risk species” (Parham).
The Service intends on making a decision about listing the monarch butterfly under the Endangered Species Act by December 2020. As a result, joining this agreement now would be incredibly beneficial to industries because their participation would exempt them from increased costs and additional enforcement if the butterfly were officially listed (Parham). The agreement, which will last 25 years, has set a goal of ultimately preserving 2 million acres of habitat for the butterflies (Dallas Morning News Editorial). Iris Caldwell, the program manager in the Energy Resources Center at the University of Illinois-Chicago, hopes that by the end of May, at least 465,000 acres will have been secured as industries confirm their cooperation (Dallas Morning News Editorial).
Overall, while this agreement only focuses on one of the many factors endangering the monarch butterfly, I believe it represents a noteworthy effort in improving conservation strategies. I hope it sets a precedent for the future about the potential role private industries can play in conserving other endangered species.
Sources:
https://www.fws.gov/news/ShowNews.cfm?ref=historic-agreement-will-conserve-millions-of-acres-for-monarch-b&_ID=36540
https://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/editorials/2020/04/25/saving-the-monarch-butterfly-the-feds-have-an-offer-for-private-industry/