Identifying Large- and Small-Scale Habitat Characteristics of Monarch Butterfly Migratory Roost Sites with Citizen Science Observations
Monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) in eastern North America must make frequent stops to rest and refuel during their annual migration. During these stopovers, monarchs form communal roosts, which are often observed by laypersons. Journey North is a citizen science program that compiles roost obs...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2012-01-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Zoology |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2012/149026 |
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| author | Andrew K. Davis Nathan P. Nibbelink Elizabeth Howard |
| author_facet | Andrew K. Davis Nathan P. Nibbelink Elizabeth Howard |
| author_sort | Andrew K. Davis |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) in eastern North America must make frequent stops to rest and refuel during their annual migration. During these stopovers, monarchs form communal roosts, which are often observed by laypersons. Journey North is a citizen science program that compiles roost observations, and we examined these data in an attempt to identify habitat characteristics of roosts. From each observation we extracted information on the type of vegetation used, and we used GIS and a national landcover data set to determine land cover characteristics within a 10 km radius of the roost. Ninety-seven percent of roosts were reported on trees; most were in pines and conifers, maples, oaks, pecans and willows. Conifers and maples were used most often in northern flyway regions, while pecans and oaks were more-frequently used in southern regions. No one landcover type was directly associated with roost sites, although there was more open water near roost sites than around random sites. Roosts in southern Texas were associated primarily with grasslands, but this was not the case elsewhere. Considering the large variety of tree types used and the diversity of landcover types around roost sites, monarchs appear highly-adaptable in terms of roost site selection. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-387b22aa55554b7b8bcc578c20de0644 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1687-8477 1687-8485 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2012-01-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
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| series | International Journal of Zoology |
| spelling | doaj-art-387b22aa55554b7b8bcc578c20de06442025-02-03T01:21:47ZengWileyInternational Journal of Zoology1687-84771687-84852012-01-01201210.1155/2012/149026149026Identifying Large- and Small-Scale Habitat Characteristics of Monarch Butterfly Migratory Roost Sites with Citizen Science ObservationsAndrew K. Davis0Nathan P. Nibbelink1Elizabeth Howard2Odum School of Ecology, The University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USAD.B. Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, The University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USAJourney North, 1321 Bragg Hill Road, Norwich, VT 05055, USAMonarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) in eastern North America must make frequent stops to rest and refuel during their annual migration. During these stopovers, monarchs form communal roosts, which are often observed by laypersons. Journey North is a citizen science program that compiles roost observations, and we examined these data in an attempt to identify habitat characteristics of roosts. From each observation we extracted information on the type of vegetation used, and we used GIS and a national landcover data set to determine land cover characteristics within a 10 km radius of the roost. Ninety-seven percent of roosts were reported on trees; most were in pines and conifers, maples, oaks, pecans and willows. Conifers and maples were used most often in northern flyway regions, while pecans and oaks were more-frequently used in southern regions. No one landcover type was directly associated with roost sites, although there was more open water near roost sites than around random sites. Roosts in southern Texas were associated primarily with grasslands, but this was not the case elsewhere. Considering the large variety of tree types used and the diversity of landcover types around roost sites, monarchs appear highly-adaptable in terms of roost site selection.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2012/149026 |
| spellingShingle | Andrew K. Davis Nathan P. Nibbelink Elizabeth Howard Identifying Large- and Small-Scale Habitat Characteristics of Monarch Butterfly Migratory Roost Sites with Citizen Science Observations International Journal of Zoology |
| title | Identifying Large- and Small-Scale Habitat Characteristics of Monarch Butterfly Migratory Roost Sites with Citizen Science Observations |
| title_full | Identifying Large- and Small-Scale Habitat Characteristics of Monarch Butterfly Migratory Roost Sites with Citizen Science Observations |
| title_fullStr | Identifying Large- and Small-Scale Habitat Characteristics of Monarch Butterfly Migratory Roost Sites with Citizen Science Observations |
| title_full_unstemmed | Identifying Large- and Small-Scale Habitat Characteristics of Monarch Butterfly Migratory Roost Sites with Citizen Science Observations |
| title_short | Identifying Large- and Small-Scale Habitat Characteristics of Monarch Butterfly Migratory Roost Sites with Citizen Science Observations |
| title_sort | identifying large and small scale habitat characteristics of monarch butterfly migratory roost sites with citizen science observations |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2012/149026 |
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