Effects of the parasite, Ophryocystis elektroscirrha, on wing characteristics important for migration in the monarch butterfly

There is mounting evidence that the longterm declines of overwintering monarchs in Mexico are exacerbated by losses during the fall migratory journey. Infection with the protozoan, Ophryocystis elektroscirrha (OE), is known to negatively impact migration success. Here we examine how infections affec...

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Autores principales:	Davis Andrew K., de Roode Jacobus C.
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	De Gruyter 2018
Materias:	monarch butterfly migration ophryocystis elektroscirrha (oe) wing morphology tear-resistance Biology (General) QH301-705.5
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/cfab72ecb35a45d0b530f5cd28065504
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:cfab72ecb35a45d0b530f5cd280655042021-12-02T19:17:53ZEffects of the parasite, Ophryocystis elektroscirrha, on wing characteristics important for migration in the monarch butterfly2084-883810.1515/ami-2018-0008https://doaj.org/article/cfab72ecb35a45d0b530f5cd280655042018-12-01T00:00:00Zhttps://doi.org/10.1515/ami-2018-0008https://doaj.org/toc/2084-8838There is mounting evidence that the longterm declines of overwintering monarchs in Mexico are exacerbated by losses during the fall migratory journey. Infection with the protozoan, Ophryocystis elektroscirrha (OE), is known to negatively impact migration success. Here we examine how infections affect specific wing traits of monarchs that are important for migratory success. We used a collection of infected and uninfected monarchs reared under identical conditions, and from the (deceased) specimens, measured wing area (larger monarchs are known to have greater migratory success), wing color (the shade of orange pigmentation in monarchs is a known predictor of migration and flight ability), and the physical density of wings (a measure of wing mass per unit area). We also measured the tear-resistance of wings, using an apparatus that measured the force needed to cause a tear in the wing. Results showed no effect of OE on overall wing size, nor on the shade of orange pigmentation, but a clear effect on measures of physical density and tensile strength. Wings of infected monarchs weighed less per unit area (by 6%), and there was a 20% reduction in tear-resistance of wings. All results were qualitatively similar in a follow-up investigation using freshly-killed specimens. Collectively, this indicates infected monarchs are more prone to wing damage, which would be costly during long-distance migration. As such, this would be one more way in which OE infections reduce migratory success. Given the toll of OE to the monarch population, especially during migration, it would be prudent to focus conservation efforts on mitigating human activities that spread this disease.Davis Andrew K.de Roode Jacobus C.De Gruyterarticlemonarch butterflymigrationophryocystis elektroscirrha (oe)wing morphologytear-resistanceBiology (General)QH301-705.5ENAnimal Migration, Vol 5, Iss 1, Pp 84-93 (2018)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	monarch butterfly migration ophryocystis elektroscirrha (oe) wing morphology tear-resistance Biology (General) QH301-705.5
spellingShingle	monarch butterfly migration ophryocystis elektroscirrha (oe) wing morphology tear-resistance Biology (General) QH301-705.5 Davis Andrew K. de Roode Jacobus C. Effects of the parasite, Ophryocystis elektroscirrha, on wing characteristics important for migration in the monarch butterfly
description	There is mounting evidence that the longterm declines of overwintering monarchs in Mexico are exacerbated by losses during the fall migratory journey. Infection with the protozoan, Ophryocystis elektroscirrha (OE), is known to negatively impact migration success. Here we examine how infections affect specific wing traits of monarchs that are important for migratory success. We used a collection of infected and uninfected monarchs reared under identical conditions, and from the (deceased) specimens, measured wing area (larger monarchs are known to have greater migratory success), wing color (the shade of orange pigmentation in monarchs is a known predictor of migration and flight ability), and the physical density of wings (a measure of wing mass per unit area). We also measured the tear-resistance of wings, using an apparatus that measured the force needed to cause a tear in the wing. Results showed no effect of OE on overall wing size, nor on the shade of orange pigmentation, but a clear effect on measures of physical density and tensile strength. Wings of infected monarchs weighed less per unit area (by 6%), and there was a 20% reduction in tear-resistance of wings. All results were qualitatively similar in a follow-up investigation using freshly-killed specimens. Collectively, this indicates infected monarchs are more prone to wing damage, which would be costly during long-distance migration. As such, this would be one more way in which OE infections reduce migratory success. Given the toll of OE to the monarch population, especially during migration, it would be prudent to focus conservation efforts on mitigating human activities that spread this disease.
format	article
author	Davis Andrew K. de Roode Jacobus C.
author_facet	Davis Andrew K. de Roode Jacobus C.
author_sort	Davis Andrew K.
title	Effects of the parasite, Ophryocystis elektroscirrha, on wing characteristics important for migration in the monarch butterfly
title_short	Effects of the parasite, Ophryocystis elektroscirrha, on wing characteristics important for migration in the monarch butterfly
title_full	Effects of the parasite, Ophryocystis elektroscirrha, on wing characteristics important for migration in the monarch butterfly
title_fullStr	Effects of the parasite, Ophryocystis elektroscirrha, on wing characteristics important for migration in the monarch butterfly
title_full_unstemmed	Effects of the parasite, Ophryocystis elektroscirrha, on wing characteristics important for migration in the monarch butterfly
title_sort	effects of the parasite, ophryocystis elektroscirrha, on wing characteristics important for migration in the monarch butterfly
publisher	De Gruyter
publishDate	2018
url	https://doaj.org/article/cfab72ecb35a45d0b530f5cd28065504
work_keys_str_mv	AT davisandrewk effectsoftheparasiteophryocystiselektroscirrhaonwingcharacteristicsimportantformigrationinthemonarchbutterfly AT deroodejacobusc effectsoftheparasiteophryocystiselektroscirrhaonwingcharacteristicsimportantformigrationinthemonarchbutterfly
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Effects of the parasite, Ophryocystis elektroscirrha, on wing characteristics important for migration in the monarch butterfly

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