Characteristics of urban milkweed gardens that influence monarch butterfly egg abundance

IF 2.4 3区环境科学与生态学 Q2 ECOLOGY

Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution Pub Date : 2024-07-31 DOI:10.3389/fevo.2024.1444460

Karen R. Klinger, Aster F. Hasle, Karen S. Oberhauser

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Abstract

The eastern population of monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) has dramatically declined in the last few decades, which is largely attributed to a loss of milkweed habitat in agricultural areas. Residential land in metropolitan areas has the potential to provide a significant source of the milkweed needed to support the monarch population. To examine if and how urban milkweed patches can support monarch butterflies, we worked with community scientists in the Chicago metropolitan area to monitor monarch eggs and caterpillars in yards and community gardens. We hypothesized that the largest numbers of eggs (i.e. gardens that were most attractive to monarchs) would be observed in patches that were older, had a high abundance of milkweed, contained more than one species of milkweed including Asclepias syriaca (common milkweed) and/or A. incarnata (swamp milkweed), and had a large diversity of nectar plants. All patches were assessed at their peak egg count each year, which ranged from zero to 170 eggs in a given observation. To determine which characteristics were most influential to egg presence, we examined patches where eggs were present or absent during this peak observation. For abundance, we divided these peak observations into whether or not the egg counts were in the top 20% in a given year, excluding patches where eggs were absent, and assessed their patch characteristics. Our results show that patch age and presence of A. syriaca affected whether patches contained eggs or not. We also found that patches with the largest number of eggs observed tended to have A. syriaca, more milkweed plants, and a higher diversity of blooming plant species. The data we collected from community scientists in the Chicago area has enhanced our understanding of how urban gardeners can create effective breeding habitats for monarch butterflies. By planting Asclepias syriaca within its natural range, along with other native milkweed species and a diverse selection of flowering plants, individuals can create gardens that serve as excellent habitats for monarchs and other pollinators.

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影响帝王斑蝶产卵量的城市奶草花园特征

帝王斑蝶（Danaus plexippus）的东部种群数量在过去几十年中急剧下降，这在很大程度上归因于农业区奶草栖息地的减少。大都市地区的住宅用地有可能提供支持帝王斑蝶种群所需的大量乳草。为了研究城市奶草斑块是否以及如何支持帝王斑蝶，我们与芝加哥大都会地区的社区科学家合作，对庭院和社区花园中的帝王斑蝶卵和毛虫进行监测。我们假定，在那些树龄较长、乳草丰度较高、包含一种以上乳草（包括 Asclepias syriaca（普通乳草）和/或 A.incarnata（沼泽乳草））且蜜源植物种类繁多的斑块中，可以观察到最大量的卵（即对帝王斑蝶最具吸引力的花园）。所有斑块都是在每年卵数高峰时进行评估的，在特定观测中，卵数从零到 170 个不等。为了确定哪些特征对卵的存在影响最大，我们检查了在这一高峰观测期间有卵或无卵的斑块。对于丰度，我们将这些峰值观测划分为特定年份中卵数是否在前 20% 的区域，排除卵不存在的斑块，并评估其斑块特征。我们的结果表明，斑块的年龄和 A. syriaca 的存在会影响斑块是否含有卵。我们还发现，观察到虫卵数量最多的斑块往往有 A. syriaca、更多的奶葵植物和更多样的开花植物物种。我们从芝加哥地区的社区科学家那里收集到的数据加深了我们对城市园丁如何为帝王斑蝶创造有效繁殖栖息地的理解。通过在帝王斑蝶的自然分布范围内种植 Asclepias syriaca，同时种植其他本地乳草物种和多种开花植物，个人可以创建一个能为帝王斑蝶和其他授粉昆虫提供良好栖息地的花园。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution Environmental Science-Ecology

CiteScore

4.00

自引率

6.70%

发文量

1143

审稿时长

12 weeks

期刊介绍： Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution publishes rigorously peer-reviewed research across fundamental and applied sciences, to provide ecological and evolutionary insights into our natural and anthropogenic world, and how it should best be managed. Field Chief Editor Mark A. Elgar at the University of Melbourne is supported by an outstanding Editorial Board of international researchers. This multidisciplinary open-access journal is at the forefront of disseminating and communicating scientific knowledge and impactful discoveries to researchers, academics and the public worldwide. Eminent biologist and theist Theodosius Dobzhansky’s astute observation that “Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution” has arguably even broader relevance now than when it was first penned in The American Biology Teacher in 1973. One could similarly argue that not much in evolution makes sense without recourse to ecological concepts: understanding diversity — from microbial adaptations to species assemblages — requires insights from both ecological and evolutionary disciplines. Nowadays, technological developments from other fields allow us to address unprecedented ecological and evolutionary questions of astonishing detail, impressive breadth and compelling inference. The specialty sections of Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution will publish, under a single platform, contemporary, rigorous research, reviews, opinions, and commentaries that cover the spectrum of ecological and evolutionary inquiry, both fundamental and applied. Articles are peer-reviewed according to the Frontiers review guidelines, which evaluate manuscripts on objective editorial criteria. Through this unique, Frontiers platform for open-access publishing and research networking, Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution aims to provide colleagues and the broader community with ecological and evolutionary insights into our natural and anthropogenic world, and how it might best be managed.