Dataset Information

Effects of simulated highway noise on heart rates of larval monarch butterflies, Danaus plexippus: implications for roadside habitat suitability.

ABSTRACT: Developed countries around the world are criss-crossed with vast networks of roadways. Conservationists have recently focused attention on roadsides as possible locations for establishing pollinator habitat, with the monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) featuring prominently in such discussions. However, roadsides are inherently loud, which could negatively affect developing larvae. We conducted a series of experiments testing if simulated highway noise stresses monarch larvae, which we gauged by non-destructive monitoring of heart rates. In two replicated experiments, larvae exposed for 2 h experienced a significant increase in heart rate (16 and 17% elevation), indicating they perceive traffic noise as a stressor. Meanwhile, experiments exposing larvae for either 7 or 12 days to continuous traffic noise both showed no heart rate elevation at the end of larval development, suggesting chronic noise exposure leads to habituation or desensitization. Habituation to stress as larvae may impair reactions to real-world stressors as adults, which could be problematic for a butterfly that undertakes an annual two-month migration that is fraught with dangers. More generally, these results could have far-reaching implications for the billions of insects worldwide that develop near roadways, and argue that further study is needed before promoting roadside habitat for butterfly conservation.

SUBMITTER: Davis AK

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6012697 | biostudies-literature | 2018 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Effects of simulated highway noise on heart rates of larval monarch butterflies, <i>Danaus plexippus</i>: implications for roadside habitat suitability.

Davis Andrew K AK Schroeder Hayley H Yeager Ian I Pearce Jana J

Biology letters 20180501 5

Developed countries around the world are criss-crossed with vast networks of roadways. Conservationists have recently focused attention on roadsides as possible locations for establishing pollinator habitat, with the monarch butterfly (<i>Danaus plexippus</i>) featuring prominently in such discussions. However, roadsides are inherently loud, which could negatively affect developing larvae. We conducted a series of experiments testing if simulated highway noise stresses monarch larvae, which we g ...[more]

PMID: 29743264

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Project description:North American monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) undergo a spectacular fall migration. In contrast to summer butterflies, migrants are juvenile hormone (JH) deficient, which leads to reproductive diapause and increased longevity. Migrants also utilize time-compensated sun compass orientation to help them navigate to their overwintering grounds. Here, we describe a brain expressed sequence tag (EST) resource to identify genes involved in migratory behaviors. A brain EST library was constructed from summer and migrating butterflies. Of 9,484 unique sequences, 6068 had positive hits with the non-redundant protein database; the EST database likely represents approximately 52% of the gene-encoding potential of the monarch genome. The brain transcriptome was cataloged using Gene Ontology and compared to Drosophila. Monarch genes were well represented, including those implicated in behavior. Three genes involved in increased JH activity (allatotropin, juvenile hormone acid methyltransfersase, and takeout) were upregulated in summer butterflies, compared to migrants. The locomotion-relevant turtle gene was marginally upregulated in migrants, while the foraging and single-minded genes were not differentially regulated. Many of the genes important for the monarch circadian clock mechanism (involved in sun compass orientation) were in the EST resource, including the newly identified cryptochrome 2. The EST database also revealed a novel Na+/K+ ATPase allele predicted to be more resistant to the toxic effects of milkweed than that reported previously. Potential genetic markers were identified from 3,486 EST contigs and included 1599 double-hit single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and 98 microsatellite polymorphisms. These data provide a template of the brain transcriptome for the monarch butterfly. Our "snap-shot" analysis of the differential regulation of candidate genes between summer and migratory butterflies suggests that unbiased, comprehensive transcriptional profiling will inform the molecular basis of migration. The identified SNPs and microsatellite polymorphisms can be used as genetic markers to address questions of population and subspecies structure.

Dataset Information

Effects of simulated highway noise on heart rates of larval monarch butterflies, Danaus plexippus: implications for roadside habitat suitability.

Publications

Effects of simulated highway noise on heart rates of larval monarch butterflies, <i>Danaus plexippus</i>: implications for roadside habitat suitability.

Similar Datasets

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