1
|
Tsai HY, Molina C, Pleasants J, Kronforst MR. Environmental, Developmental, and Genetic Conditions Shaping Monarch Butterfly Migration Behavior. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2025:2025.01.16.633431. [PMID: 39868297 PMCID: PMC11761016 DOI: 10.1101/2025.01.16.633431] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2025]
Abstract
Monarch butterflies in North America migrate south each autumn, but the mechanisms that initiate their migratory flight remain incompletely understood. We investigated environmental, developmental, and genetic factors that contribute to directional flight by testing summer and autumn-generation monarchs in three flight simulators: two at ground level (with and without wind blockage) and a novel balloon-based system that raised butterflies 30 meters into the air. Monarchs reared under autumn-like conditions in a growth chamber during the summer were also tested to explore the influence of developmental cues. Autumn generation monarchs demonstrated significant southwestern flight orientation, observed exclusively in the balloon simulator, underscoring the importance of high-altitude flight for migratory behavior. Summer generation monarchs reared under autumn-like conditions displayed southward orientation, larger wing sizes, and partial reproductive diapause, indicating specific seasonal environmental cues that are sufficient to induce migratory traits. In contrast, a lab line of monarchs reared in captivity since 2016 exhibited diminished wing size and reduced orientation ability, even when raised outdoors in the autumn, consistent with a loss of migratory traits in the absence of migration. Surprisingly, butterflies in the balloon simulator tended to orient upwind, which suggests that wind may also serves as a directional cue during migration. These findings highlight the critical roles of altitude, wind, and environmental cues in monarch migration and validate the balloon flight simulator as a powerful tool for studying migratory behavior. This research advances our understanding of the initiation of monarch migration and informs strategies for conservation efforts amidst environmental change.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hsiang-Yu Tsai
- Department of Ecology & Evolution, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637
| | - Cristian Molina
- Department of Ecology & Evolution, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637
| | - John Pleasants
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 50011
| | - Marcus R Kronforst
- Department of Ecology & Evolution, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Gupta S, Cribellier A, Poda SB, Roux O, Muijres FT, Riffell JA. Multisensory integration in Anopheles mosquito swarms: The role of visual and acoustic information in mate tracking and collision avoidance. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.04.18.590128. [PMID: 38712209 PMCID: PMC11071295 DOI: 10.1101/2024.04.18.590128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/08/2024]
Abstract
Male mosquitoes form aerial aggregations, known as swarms, to attract females and maximize their chances of finding a mate. Within these swarms, individuals must be able to recognize potential mates and navigate the dynamic social environment to successfully intercept a mating partner. Prior research has almost exclusively focused on the role of acoustic cues in mediating the male mosquito's ability to recognize and pursue flying females. However, the role of other sensory modalities in this behavior has not been explored. Moreover, how males avoid collisions with one another in the dense swarm while pursuing females remains poorly understood. In this study, we combined free-flight and tethered flight simulator experiments to demonstrate that swarming Anopheles coluzzii mosquitoes integrate visual and acoustic information to track conspecifics and avoid collisions. Our tethered experiments revealed that acoustic stimuli gated mosquito steering responses to visual objects simulating nearby mosquitoes, especially in males that exhibited attraction to visual objects in the presence of female flight tones. Additionally, we observed that visual cues alone could trigger changes in mosquitoes' wingbeat amplitude and frequency. These findings were corroborated by our free-flight experiments, which revealed that mosquitoes modulate their flight responses to nearby conspecifics in a similar manner to tethered animals, allowing for collision avoidance within swarms. Together, these results demonstrate that both males and females integrate multiple sensory inputs to mediate swarming behavior, and for males, the change in flight kinematics in response to multimodal cues allows them to simultaneously track females while avoiding collisions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Saumya Gupta
- Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
| | - Antoine Cribellier
- Experimental Zoology Group, Wageningen University, De Elst 1, 6708 WD, Wageningen, Netherlands
| | - Serge B. Poda
- Experimental Zoology Group, Wageningen University, De Elst 1, 6708 WD, Wageningen, Netherlands
- Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Santé (IRSS), Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
| | - Olivier Roux
- Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Santé (IRSS), Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
- MIVEGEC, University of Montpellier, IRD, CNRS, Montpellier, France
| | - Florian T. Muijres
- Experimental Zoology Group, Wageningen University, De Elst 1, 6708 WD, Wageningen, Netherlands
| | - Jeffrey A. Riffell
- Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Chen H, Wan G, Li J, Ma Y, Reynolds DR, Dreyer D, Warrant EJ, Chapman JW, Hu G. Adaptive migratory orientation of an invasive pest on a new continent. iScience 2023; 26:108281. [PMID: 38187194 PMCID: PMC10767162 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.108281] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2023] [Revised: 10/12/2023] [Accepted: 10/18/2023] [Indexed: 01/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Many species of insects undertake long-range, seasonally reversed migrations, displaying sophisticated orientation behaviors to optimize their migratory trajectories. However, when invasive insects arrive in new biogeographical regions, it is unclear if migrants retain (or how quickly they regain) ancestral migratory traits, such as seasonally preferred flight headings. Here we present behavioral evidence that an invasive migratory pest, the fall armyworm moth (Spodoptera frugiperda), a native of the Americas, exhibited locally adaptive migratory orientation less than three years after arriving on a new continent. Specimens collected from China showed flight orientations directed north-northwest in spring and southwest in autumn, and this would promote seasonal forward and return migrations in East Asia. We also show that the driver of the seasonal switch in orientation direction is photoperiod. Our results thus provide a clear example of an invasive insect that has rapidly exhibited adaptive migratory behaviors, either inherited or newly evolved, in a completely alien environment.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hui Chen
- Department of Entomology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
- National Key Laboratory of Bio-interactions and Crop Health, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
- Lund Vision Group, Department of Biology, Lund University, Sölvegatan 35, 22362 Lund, Sweden
| | - Guijun Wan
- Department of Entomology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
- National Key Laboratory of Bio-interactions and Crop Health, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
| | - Jianchun Li
- Department of Entomology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
- National Key Laboratory of Bio-interactions and Crop Health, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
| | - Yibo Ma
- Department of Entomology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
- National Key Laboratory of Bio-interactions and Crop Health, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
| | - Don R. Reynolds
- Natural Resources Institute, University of Greenwich, Chatham ME4 4TB, UK
- Rothamsted Research, Harpenden AL5 2JQ, UK
| | - David Dreyer
- Lund Vision Group, Department of Biology, Lund University, Sölvegatan 35, 22362 Lund, Sweden
| | - Eric J. Warrant
- Lund Vision Group, Department of Biology, Lund University, Sölvegatan 35, 22362 Lund, Sweden
| | - Jason W. Chapman
- Department of Entomology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn, Cornwall TR10 9FE, UK
- Environment and Sustainability Institute, University of Exeter, Penryn, Cornwall TR10 9FE, UK
| | - Gao Hu
- Department of Entomology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
- National Key Laboratory of Bio-interactions and Crop Health, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Beetz MJ, El Jundi B. The neurobiology of the Monarch butterfly compass. CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 2023; 60:101109. [PMID: 37660836 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2023.101109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2023] [Revised: 08/17/2023] [Accepted: 08/28/2023] [Indexed: 09/05/2023]
Abstract
Monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) have become a superb model system to unravel how the tiny insect brain controls an impressive navigation behavior, such as long-distance migration. Moreover, the ability to compare the neural substrate between migratory and nonmigratory Monarch butterflies provides us with an attractive model to specifically study how the insect brain is adapted for migration. We here review our current progress on the neural substrate of spatial orientation in Monarch butterflies and how their spectacular annual migration might be controlled by their brain. We also discuss open research questions, the answers to which will provide important missing pieces to obtain a full picture of insect migration - from the perception of orientation cues to the neural control of migration.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- M Jerome Beetz
- Zoology II, Biocenter, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Basil El Jundi
- Animal Physiology, Department of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Franzke M, Kraus C, Gayler M, Dreyer D, Pfeiffer K, el Jundi B. Stimulus-dependent orientation strategies in monarch butterflies. J Exp Biol 2022; 225:274064. [PMID: 35048981 PMCID: PMC8918799 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.243687] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2021] [Accepted: 01/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Insects are well-known for their ability to keep track of their heading direction based on a combination of skylight cues and visual landmarks. This allows them to navigate back to their nest, disperse throughout unfamiliar environments, as well as migrate over large distances between their breeding and non-breeding habitats. The monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) for instance is known for its annual southward migration from North America to certain trees in Central Mexico. To maintain a constant flight route, these butterflies use a time-compensated sun compass for orientation which is processed in a region in the brain, termed the central complex. However, to successfully complete their journey, the butterflies’ brain must generate a multitude of orientation strategies, allowing them to dynamically switch from sun-compass orientation to a tactic behavior toward a certain target. To study if monarch butterflies exhibit different orientation modes and if they can switch between them, we observed the orientation behavior of tethered flying butterflies in a flight simulator while presenting different visual cues to them. We found that the butterflies’ behavior depended on the presented visual stimulus. Thus, while a dark stripe was used for flight stabilization, a bright stripe was fixated by the butterflies in their frontal visual field. If we replaced a bright stripe by a simulated sun stimulus, the butterflies switched their behavior and exhibited compass orientation. Taken together, our data show that monarch butterflies rely on and switch between different orientation modes, allowing the animal to adjust orientation to its actual behavioral demands.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Myriam Franzke
- University of Wuerzburg, Biocenter, Zoology II, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Christian Kraus
- University of Wuerzburg, Biocenter, Zoology II, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Maria Gayler
- University of Wuerzburg, Biocenter, Zoology II, Würzburg, Germany
| | - David Dreyer
- Lund University, Department of Biology, Lund Vision Group, Lund, Sweden
| | - Keram Pfeiffer
- University of Wuerzburg, Biocenter, Zoology II, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Basil el Jundi
- University of Wuerzburg, Biocenter, Zoology II, Würzburg, Germany
| |
Collapse
|