Monarch Butterfly & Milkweed Relationship

Monarch larvae are specialist herbivores of milkweed plants, and have been recorded feeding on 27 different North American species in this. The larvae store toxic steroids, known as cardenolides, from milkweed, and they use these cardenolides as a defense against predators. The bad taste and toxicity of both the larvae and adults are advertised by conspicuous, warning coloration. When a bird or other predator tastes a monarch, it learns to associate this color pattern with the bad taste, and avoids preying on monarchs in the future.

Early in the 20th century, Poulton (1909) suggested that the reason that monarchs feed only on milkweeds might be because chemicals in the milkweeds provide them with some protection from predators. However, it was not until the 1960’s that researchers discovered that cardenolides were the chemicals in milkweed that made monarchs toxic and bitter-tasting (Parsons 1965). Since then, several studies have shown that monarchs are able to store these toxic compounds.

1. Write a summary of the Monarch Butterfly and Milkweed relationship in your own words.

______

______

______

______

2. Does the Milkweed plant benefit from this relationship? If so, how?

______

______

______

3. Is there a symbiosis relationship between the Monarch Butterfly and humans? If so, what kind of relationship is it?

______

______

______

Decline in Monarch Butterfly Population #1

Prompt: Monarch butterfly population has been declining recently. Write 3 questions that you have about the monarch butterfly decline.

Response:______

______

______

______

======STOP Wait for further instructions ======

Complete Cause and Effect Box for the Monarch Butterfly Population Decline

Cause / Effect

2. Based on the graph (on the right), how can we stop the decline of the Monarch Butterfly population?______

______

______

______

3. Are there any problems with your solution? If so, explain. ______

______

______

4. If farmers continue to use Glyphosate, what is your prediction of what will happen to the Monarch Butterfly population. Explain.

______

______

______

______

5. If the Monarch Butterfly population continues to decline, would it cause other problems for us and the planet? Why or Why not.

______

______

______

______