[NatureNS] More thoughts on abundance of Monarchs

References: <20060927170916.19m4udp12kg0kk84@my6.dal.ca>
From: Christopher Majka <c.majka@ns.sympatico.ca>
Date: Thu, 28 Sep 2006 11:03:09 -0300
To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca
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Original-Recipient: rfc822;"| (cd /csuite/info/Environment/FNSN/MList; /csuite/lib/arch2html)"

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Hi Ian et al.,

On 27-Sep-06, at 5:09 PM, iamclar@dal.ca wrote:

> Of course we'll never know how well "our" migrating Monarchs do in =20
> reaching
> Mexico, given that most are marked in Ontario.  But I suspect that =20
> ours, like
> our avian migrants, are greatly over-represented here through the =20
> general
> autumn pattern of southwestern, and later western, airflow to =20
> Atlantic Canada.
> If so, they may be up against long odds in reaching their winter home.

Mark Eldrikin has just drawn my attention to the following paper:

  Dockx, C., Brower, L.P., Wassenaar, L.I., and Hobsond, K.A. 2004. =20
Do North American Monarch butterflies travel to Cuba? Stable isotope =20
and chemical tracer techniques. 2004. Ecological Applications, 14(4): =20=

1106=E2=80=931114.

The abstract of the paper is available at:

http://www.esajournals.org/esaonline/?request=3Dget-=20
abstract&issn=3D1051-0761&volume=3D014&issue=3D04&page=3D1106

And says:
"Abstract. Since the discovery of monarch butterfly (Danaus =20
plexippus) overwintering colonies in Mexico in the 1970s, it was =20
assumed that monarchs from eastern North America migrated only to =20
Mexico. This paper reveals that monarchs from Canada and the east =20
coast of the United States also regularly travel to Cuba during the =20
migration period. The natal grounds of Cuban monarchs were determined =20=

through the combined use of stable hydrogen (=CE=B4D) and stable carbon =20=

(=CE=B413C) isotope measurements and by cardenolide fingerprint analysis =
=20
using thin-layer chromatography (TLC).

"The TLC data revealed that there was an influx of migrants in =20
November to Cuba, and the stable isotope data revealed that migrant =20
Cuban monarchs originated from southeastern Canada and the eastern =20
United States. Our findings suggest that North American migrant =20
monarchs that move to Cuba hybridize with resident populations there =20
and do not return to the continent. The differences in the natal =20
grounds, migratory route, and reproductive stages between monarchs =20
wintering in Mexico and Cuba suggest that there are at least two =20
subpopulations of eastern North American monarchs. The extent to =20
which Cuba may act as a bridge for monarch movement to the Yucatan =20
and other Caribbean islands and the genetic impact of this newly =20
revealed flux in monarch movements remain to be determined."

So, perhaps our Nova Scotia Monarchs are ending up in Cuba rather =20
than Michoacan?

Cheers,

Chris

_._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._.=20=

_.
Christopher Majka - Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History
1747 Summer Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada  B3H 3A6
(902) 424-6435   Email <c.majka@ns.sympatico.ca>
_._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._.=20=

_.


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<HTML><BODY style=3D"word-wrap: break-word; -khtml-nbsp-mode: space; =
-khtml-line-break: after-white-space; ">Hi Ian et =
al.,<DIV><BR><DIV><DIV>On 27-Sep-06, at 5:09 PM, <A =
href=3D"mailto:iamclar@dal.ca">iamclar@dal.ca</A> wrote:</DIV><BR =
class=3D"Apple-interchange-newline"><BLOCKQUOTE type=3D"cite"><DIV =
style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; =
margin-left: 0px; ">Of course we'll never know how well "our" migrating =
Monarchs do in reaching</DIV><DIV style=3D"margin-top: 0px; =
margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Mexico, given =
that most are marked in Ontario.<SPAN class=3D"Apple-converted-space">=C2=A0=
 </SPAN>But I suspect that ours, like</DIV><DIV style=3D"margin-top: =
0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">our =
avian migrants, are greatly over-represented here through the =
general</DIV><DIV style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; =
margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">autumn pattern of southwestern, =
and later western, airflow to Atlantic Canada.<SPAN =
class=3D"Apple-converted-space">=C2=A0</SPAN></DIV><DIV =
style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; =
margin-left: 0px; ">If so, they may be up against long odds in reaching =
their winter home.</DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV><DIV><BR =
class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>Mark Eldrikin has just =
drawn my attention to the following paper:</DIV><DIV><BR =
class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>=C2=A0Dockx, C., Brower, =
L.P., Wassenaar, L.I., and Hobsond, K.A. 2004. Do North American Monarch =
butterflies travel to Cuba? Stable isotope and chemical tracer =
techniques. 2004. Ecological Applications, =
14(4):=C2=A01106=E2=80=931114.</DIV><DIV><BR =
class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV>The abstract of the paper =
is=C2=A0available at:</DIV><DIV><BR =
class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV><A =
href=3D"http://www.esajournals.org/esaonline/?request=3Dget-abstract&issn=3D=
1051-0761&volume=3D014&issue=3D04&page=3D1106">http://www.esajournals.org/=
esaonline/?request=3Dget-abstract&amp;issn=3D1051-0761&amp;volume=3D014&am=
p;issue=3D04&amp;page=3D1106</A></DIV><DIV><BR =
class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>And says:</DIV><P><SPAN =
class=3D"Apple-style-span"><I>"Abstract.</I>=C2=A0Since the discovery of =
monarch butterfly (<I>Danaus plexippus</I>) overwintering colonies in =
Mexico in the 1970s, it was assumed that monarchs from eastern North =
America migrated only to Mexico. This paper reveals that monarchs from =
Canada and the east coast of the United States also regularly travel to =
Cuba during the migration period. The natal grounds of Cuban monarchs =
were determined through the combined use of stable hydrogen (=CE=B4D) =
and stable carbon (=CE=B413C) isotope measurements and by cardenolide =
fingerprint analysis using thin-layer chromatography =
(TLC).=C2=A0</SPAN></P><P><SPAN class=3D"Apple-style-span">"The TLC data =
revealed that there was an influx of migrants in November to Cuba, and =
the stable isotope data revealed that migrant Cuban monarchs originated =
from southeastern Canada and the eastern United States. Our findings =
suggest that North American migrant monarchs that move to Cuba hybridize =
with resident populations there and do not return to the continent. The =
differences in the natal grounds, migratory route, and reproductive =
stages between monarchs wintering in Mexico and Cuba suggest that there =
are at least two subpopulations of eastern North American monarchs. The =
extent to which Cuba may act as a bridge for monarch movement to the =
Yucatan and other Caribbean islands and the genetic impact of this newly =
revealed flux in monarch movements remain to be =
determined."</SPAN></P><P>So, perhaps our Nova Scotia Monarchs are =
ending up in Cuba rather than =
Michoacan?</P><P>Cheers,</P><P>Chris</P><DIV><DIV> <P style=3D"margin: =
0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face=3D"Times" size=3D"3" style=3D"font: =
12.0px =
Times">_._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._=
._._._.</FONT></P> <P style=3D"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT =
face=3D"Times" size=3D"3" style=3D"font: 12.0px Times">Christopher Majka =
- Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History</FONT></P> <P style=3D"margin: =
0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face=3D"Times" size=3D"3" style=3D"font: =
12.0px Times">1747 Summer Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada<SPAN =
class=3D"Apple-converted-space">=C2=A0 </SPAN>B3H 3A6</FONT></P> <P =
style=3D"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face=3D"Times" size=3D"3" =
style=3D"font: 12.0px Times">(902) 424-6435 <SPAN =
class=3D"Apple-converted-space">=C2=A0 </SPAN>Email &lt;<A =
href=3D"mailto:c.majka@ns.sympatico.ca">c.majka@ns.sympatico.ca</A>&gt;</F=
ONT></P> <P style=3D"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face=3D"Times"=
 size=3D"3" style=3D"font: 12.0px =
Times">_._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._=
._._._.</FONT></P>  </DIV><BR></DIV></BODY></HTML>=

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