Presentation: Part Two
How Do Chemicals in Milkweed Benefit Monarchs?
Abstract:
There are few types of predators that are immune or whom can manipulate the toxic of the Monarch Butterflies, such as the Mice, Black-headed grosbeaks, blue jays, frogs and Black-backed orioles. Brower and Calvert estimated that black-backed orioles and black-headed grosbeaks killed 4,550 to 34,300 and an average of 15, 067 butterflies per day (Brower and Calvert 1985). Some of these predators have a preference of which gender Monarch butterfly they like to prey on. Birds prey selectively upon male monarch butterflies, because of a difference in fat content or possibly because females contain higher concentrations and larger amounts of cardenolide or other defensive chemicals. However, there are some butterflies that mimic the Monarch butterfly such as the Viceroy that do not eat the Milkweed plants and are not poisonous, yet they are protected by miming the Monarch butterfly. Most of the predators prey on Monarch butterflies during the overwintering season which lasts for approximately 135 days and is characterized by four phases, 1) an initial aggregation phase, 2) Colony packing 3) Quiescent stability and 4) Remigration.
Outline:
1.Review Presentation One
a. Review
2.Anti-Predation
a. Mimicry
b. Poisonous
c. Coloration
3.Effects of the Toxin to Predators
a. Vomiting
4.Adaptation of Predators
a. Type of Predators
b. Location
c. Season
d. Gender selection
5.Behavior of Monarch Butterflies in their habitat
a. Aggregation
Resources:
Braudeau, Michael, 2004. The Flight of the Monarch and other Reflections.
George Braziller / New York
Butler, Jerry F., Hall, Donald W., Minno, Marc C., 2005. Florida Butterfly Caterpillars and their host Plants. University Press of Florida / Gainesville
Halpern, Sue, 2001. Four Wings and a Prayer : Caught in the Mystery of the Monarch Butterfly . Pantheon Books / New York
Pollard, E., Yates, T.J., 1993. Monitoring Butterflies for Ecology and Conservation. Chapman & Hall / London