Intra-population variation in the natal origins and wing morphology of overwintering western monarch butterflies Danaus plexippus

Understanding the natal origins of migratory animals is critical for understanding their population dynamics and conservation. However, quantitative estimates of population recruitment from different natal habitats can be difficult to assess for many species, especially those with large geographic ranges. These limitations hinder the evaluation of alternative hypotheses about the key movements and ecological interactions of migratory species. Here, we quantitatively investigated intra-population variation in the natal origins of western North American monarch butterflies Danaus plexippus using spatial analyses of stable isotope ratios and correlations with wing morphology. A map of hydrogen isotope values in western monarch butterfly wings (δ2Hm) was estimated using a transfer function that relates the δ2Hm values of monarch butterfly wing keratin to a long-term dataset of precipitation isotope (δ2Hp) values across the western United States. Isotopic analyses of 114 monarch butterfly wi...,
Combined CA Monarchs SIA 2015-09-11
Morphological wing measurements and isotope data for collected monarch butterflies. Includes basic demography, localities, and Ophryocystis elektroscirrha checks. Also includes preliminary (unpublished) spectrophotometric data - these data are incomplete and should not be used.
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