Abstract
AbstractOver the past two decades, the population of monarch butterflies east of the Rocky Mountains has experienced a significant decline in overwintering numbers. Habitat restoration that includes planting milkweeds is essential to boost monarch numbers within the breeding range. Milkweeds are the only host plants for larval monarch butterflies, but female oviposition preference for different milkweed species, especially those with overlapping ranges, is not well documented. We examined the relative inclination to lay eggs on nine milkweed species native to Iowa (no choice), and oviposition preference (choice) among the four most commonly occurring Iowa species (Asclepias incarnata, Asclepias syriaca, Asclepias tuberosa, and Asclepias verticillata). In both experiments, eggs were counted daily for four days. The milkweeds tested were Asclepias exaltata (poke milkweed), Asclepias hirtella (tall green milkweed), A. incarnata (swamp milkweed), Asclepias speciosa (showy milkweed), Asclepias sullivantii (prairie milkweed), A. syriaca (common milkweed), A. tuberosa (butterfly milkweed), A. verticillata (whorled milkweed), and Cynanchum laeve (honeyvine milkweed). When females were given only a single species on which to lay eggs, there were significant differences among milkweed species in the average number of eggs laid; A. incarnata had the highest average egg count. When females were given a choice among A. incarnata, A. syriaca, A. tuberosa, and A. verticillata, there were also differences among milkweed species in the number of eggs laid; again, A. incarnata had the highest average number of eggs laid. Additionally, females laid more total eggs when four plants of different milkweed species were available than when there were four plants of a single milkweed species. Our results show that monarch butterflies will lay eggs on all nine milkweeds, but that there are clear preferences for some milkweed species over others.
Highlights
The monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus L.) population east of the Rocky Mountains has experienced a significant decline in overwintering numbers over the past two decades (Brower et al 2012, Stenoien et al 2016)
When milkweed species was included as a fixed effect and individual butterfly was included as a random effect, milkweed species had a significant effect on the number of eggs laid per female
Our findings suggest that monarch butterflies will lay eggs on all milkweed species tested in nochoice experiments they are more inclined to lay on some species than others (Fig. 2)
Summary
The monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus L.) population east of the Rocky Mountains has experienced a significant decline in overwintering numbers over the past two decades (Brower et al 2012, Stenoien et al 2016). This decline has been attributed to multiple factors including the loss of milkweed, the only host plants of monarch larvae (Oberhauser et al 2001, Pleasants and Oberhauser 2013, Pleasants 2017, Pleasants et al 2017, Zaya et al 2017). State, and nonprofit groups have undertaken efforts to reestablish monarch habitat These projects have focused on adding milkweed plants to the landscape
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