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Comparative Study
. 2017 Oct 1;46(5):1098-1105.
doi: 10.1093/ee/nvx137.

Milkweed Matters: Monarch Butterfly (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) Survival and Development on Nine Midwestern Milkweed Species

V M Pocius  1 , D M Debinski  1   2 , J M Pleasants  1 , K G Bidne  3 , R L Hellmich  3 , L P Brower  4
Affiliations
Comparative Study

Milkweed Matters: Monarch Butterfly (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) Survival and Development on Nine Midwestern Milkweed Species

V M Pocius et al. Environ Entomol. .

Abstract

The population of monarch butterflies east of the Rocky Mountains has experienced a significant decline over the past 20 yr. In order to increase monarch numbers in the breeding range, habitat restoration that includes planting milkweed plants is essential. Milkweeds in the genus Asclepias and Cynanchum are the only host plants for larval monarch butterflies in North America, but larval performance and survival across nine milkweeds native to the Midwest is not well documented. We examined development and survival of monarchs from first-instar larval stages to adulthood on nine milkweed species native to Iowa. The milkweeds included Asclepias exaltata (poke milkweed) (Gentianales: Apocynaceae), Asclepias hirtella (tall green milkweed) (Gentianales: Apocynaceae), Asclepias incarnata (swamp milkweed) (Gentianales: Apocynaceae), Asclepias speciosa (showy milkweed) (Gentianales: Apocynaceae), Asclepias sullivantii (prairie milkweed) (Gentianales: Apocynaceae), Asclepias syriaca (common milkweed) (Gentianales: Apocynaceae), Asclepias tuberosa (butterfly milkweed) (Gentianales: Apocynaceae), Asclepias verticillata (whorled milkweed) (Gentianales: Apocynaceae), and Cynanchum laeve (honey vine milkweed) (Gentianales: Apocynaceae). In greenhouse experiments, fewer larvae that fed on Asclepias hirtella and Asclepias sullivantii reached adulthood compared with larvae that fed on the other milkweed species. Monarch pupal width and adult dry mass differed among milkweeds, but larval duration (days), pupal duration (days), pupal mass, pupal length, and adult wet mass were not significantly different. Both the absolute and relative adult lipids were different among milkweed treatments; these differences are not fully explained by differences in adult dry mass. Monarch butterflies can survive on all nine milkweed species, but the expected survival probability varied from 30 to 75% among the nine milkweed species.

Keywords: Asclepias; conservation; larval survival; milkweed; monarch butterfly.

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Figures

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.
Visualization of Kaplan–Meier survival probability over time (days) of monarch butterflies from larvae to adults that fed on nine different milkweed species (EXA = A. exaltata, HIR = A. hirtella, INC = A. incarnata, LAE = C. laeve, SPE = A. speciosa, SUL = A. sullivantii, SYR = A. syriaca, TUB = A. tuberosa). At the beginning of the experiment, n = 36 larvae for each milkweed species. Each line represents one milkweed species. Fewer monarchs that fed on A. hirtella survived than those that fed on A. tuberosa or A. exaltata; fewer monarchs that consumed A. sullivantii survived than those that consumed A. exaltata. Lines that do not share a letter are significantly different from each other at P < 0.001.
Fig. 2.
Fig. 2.
Percent of monarchs surviving from 0 to 5 d as larvae (A), 0–10 d as larvae (B), 0–14 d during pupation (C, pupation), and from neonate to adulthood (D). There are no significant differences among milkweed species when survivorship is examined at 5, 10, or 14 d. Survival is different among milkweed treatments from neonate to adulthood (D). More monarchs survived on A. exaltata and A. tuberosa than on A. hirtella (P < 0.05); more monarchs survived on A. tuberosa than on A. sullivantii (P < 0.05).
Fig. 3.
Fig. 3.
Differences in relative adult lipid content (% total mass) among nine native milkweed species. This graph represents the lipid content from half of the resulting adults from eight trials (n = 89 total). Error bars depict 95% confidence intervals. EXA = A. exaltata (n = 13 butterflies), HIR = A. hirtella (n = three butterflies), INC = A. incarnata (n = 12 butterflies), LAE = C. laeve (n = 11 butterflies), SPE = A. speciosa (n = 10 butterflies), SUL = A. sullivantii (n = four butterflies), SYR = A. syriaca (n = 13 butterflies), TUB = A. tuberosa (n = 12 butterflies), and VER = A. verticillata (n = 11 butterflies). Bars that do not share a letter are significantly different from each other at P < 0.05.
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