Implications of summer breeding phenology on demography of monarch butterflies.

ABSTRACT: Phenological changes have been widely documented in animal and plant responses to directional environmental change. However, predicting the consequences of these shifts for species interactions and population viability requires knowledge of vital rate responses to biotic and abiotic drivers. Here, we paired long-term phenology data documenting monarch butterfly abundance and occurrence of their milkweed hostplant with outdoor experiments in the central United States to ask how changes in spring arrival times to monarch breeding sites affect their development, survival, and within-season population growth. Monarch arrival times did not change across the 17 years of monitoring, but the peak abundance of monarchs, which occurred just prior to their fall migration, shifted 9 days later in 2019

SUBMITTER: Debinski DM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11962244 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature