Characterizing New Wintering Sites for Monarch Butterfly Colonies in Sierra Nevada, Mexico.

Ramiro Pérez-Miranda,Víctor Javier Arriola-Padilla,Martín Enrique Romero-Sanchez

doi:10.3390/insects11060384

Abstract

Every year, Danaus plexippus (Linnaeus, 1758) travels to hibernate in oyamel fir forests located between the limits of the states of Michoacán and Mexico in Mexico. Climate change and anthropogenic actions are diminishing oyamel fir forests in Mexico, putting pressure on the habitats of monarch butterflies. In the last decade, new colonies outside their usual range have been predicted through modeling and reported by the National Commission on Protected Areas of Mexico. The objectives of the study were to recover information on the historical and new hibernation sites, reported or modeled, from different literature sources. We also aimed to perform a bioclimatic and forest biometric characterization of new monarch butterfly colonies located in Sierra Nevada in Mexico to provide information to aid in conservation strategies for the monarch butterfly population. We conducted field trips to georeference the colonies at sites located in the Atlautla municipality in Mexico State. Climatic, topographic, and forest biometric variables were used to characterize the sites physically. It was found that the butterfly’s roosts occurred at a higher elevation than those recorded by other sources. The locations where the monarch’s colonies were established, in the east of Mexico State, provide information relevant to defining and developing policies for their conservation.

Highlights

The distribution of plants and animals in a place depends on historical, ecological, and physiological factors
Since monitoring began in the winter of 1993, the forest area occupied by overwintering monarch butterflies has declined (Figure 3)
The data suggest that a negative trend occurred during the period evaluated (1993–2020), as a diminished area of forest serving as hibernation sites for the monarch butterfly was found

Summary

Introduction

The distribution of plants and animals in a place depends on historical, ecological, and physiological factors. It varies according to the biotic and abiotic conditions present in the geographical space. It is a function of the fundamental niche (abiotic conditions) of the place, and several elements such as the environmental tolerance, the presence or absence of species (pollinators, dispersers, competitors, predators, and others), and the possibilities of dispersion over time and from relevant original areas [1]. Anthropogenic climate change (CC) is a phenomenon that is altering temperature and precipitation patterns, which is affecting natural processes around the world. Habitats located on different environmental gradients will be subject to change, and biological populations will not be able to adapt to the speed of the climate change phenomenon.

Objectives

Results

Discussion

Conclusion