Trans-Saharan migratory patterns in Vanessa cardui and evidence for a southward leapfrog migration

Summary: Some insects, such as the painted lady butterfly Vanessa cardui, exhibit complex annual migratory cycles spanning multiple generations. Traversing extensive seas or deserts is often a required segment of these migratory journeys. We develop a bioavailable strontium isoscape for Europe and A...

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Main Authors: Megan S. Reich, Sana Ghouri, Samantha Zabudsky, Lihai Hu, Mael Le Corre, Ivy Ng’iru, Dubi Benyamini, Daria Shipilina, Steve C. Collins, Dino J. Martins, Roger Vila, Gerard Talavera, Clément P. Bataille
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2024-12-01
Series:iScience
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589004224025677
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author Megan S. Reich
Sana Ghouri
Samantha Zabudsky
Lihai Hu
Mael Le Corre
Ivy Ng’iru
Dubi Benyamini
Daria Shipilina
Steve C. Collins
Dino J. Martins
Roger Vila
Gerard Talavera
Clément P. Bataille
author_facet Megan S. Reich
Sana Ghouri
Samantha Zabudsky
Lihai Hu
Mael Le Corre
Ivy Ng’iru
Dubi Benyamini
Daria Shipilina
Steve C. Collins
Dino J. Martins
Roger Vila
Gerard Talavera
Clément P. Bataille
author_sort Megan S. Reich
collection DOAJ
description Summary: Some insects, such as the painted lady butterfly Vanessa cardui, exhibit complex annual migratory cycles spanning multiple generations. Traversing extensive seas or deserts is often a required segment of these migratory journeys. We develop a bioavailable strontium isoscape for Europe and Africa and then use isotope geolocation combining hydrogen and strontium isotopes to estimate the natal origins of painted ladies captured north and south of the Sahara during spring and autumn, respectively. Our findings reveal moderate migratory connectivity across the Sahara characterized by a broad-front, parallel migration. We also report evidence of a leapfrog migration, wherein early autumn migrants from higher latitudes cover greater distances southward than their late autumn counterparts. This work represents a major advancement in understanding insect migratory patterns and connectivity, particularly across extensive barriers, which is essential for understanding population dynamics and predicting the impacts of global change on insect-mediated ecosystem services.
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spelling doaj-art-4e3b60a0701449cda2cc4eb767bede612025-08-20T02:35:01ZengElsevieriScience2589-00422024-12-01271211134210.1016/j.isci.2024.111342Trans-Saharan migratory patterns in Vanessa cardui and evidence for a southward leapfrog migrationMegan S. Reich0Sana Ghouri1Samantha Zabudsky2Lihai Hu3Mael Le Corre4Ivy Ng’iru5Dubi Benyamini6Daria Shipilina7Steve C. Collins8Dino J. Martins9Roger Vila10Gerard Talavera11Clément P. Bataille12Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada; Corresponding authorDepartment of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, CanadaDepartment of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, CanadaDepartment of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, CanadaDepartment of Archaeology, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK; UMR 7209 - AASPE, Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris, FranceMpala Research Centre, Nanyuki, Laikipia, Kenya; School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales, UK; UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Wallingford, Oxfordshire, UKThe Israeli Lepidopterist Society, Beit Arye, IsraelDepartment of Ecology and Genetics, Uppsala University, Uppsala, SwedenAfrican Butterfly Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya; McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USAMpala Research Centre, Nanyuki, Laikipia, Kenya; Turkana Basin Institute, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USAInstitut de Biologia Evolutiva, CSIC - Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Catalonia, SpainInstitut Botànic de Barcelona (IBB), CSIC - CMCNB, Barcelona, Catalonia, SpainDepartment of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada; Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada; Corresponding authorSummary: Some insects, such as the painted lady butterfly Vanessa cardui, exhibit complex annual migratory cycles spanning multiple generations. Traversing extensive seas or deserts is often a required segment of these migratory journeys. We develop a bioavailable strontium isoscape for Europe and Africa and then use isotope geolocation combining hydrogen and strontium isotopes to estimate the natal origins of painted ladies captured north and south of the Sahara during spring and autumn, respectively. Our findings reveal moderate migratory connectivity across the Sahara characterized by a broad-front, parallel migration. We also report evidence of a leapfrog migration, wherein early autumn migrants from higher latitudes cover greater distances southward than their late autumn counterparts. This work represents a major advancement in understanding insect migratory patterns and connectivity, particularly across extensive barriers, which is essential for understanding population dynamics and predicting the impacts of global change on insect-mediated ecosystem services.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589004224025677ChemistryNature conservationEcologyEntomology
spellingShingle Megan S. Reich
Sana Ghouri
Samantha Zabudsky
Lihai Hu
Mael Le Corre
Ivy Ng’iru
Dubi Benyamini
Daria Shipilina
Steve C. Collins
Dino J. Martins
Roger Vila
Gerard Talavera
Clément P. Bataille
Trans-Saharan migratory patterns in Vanessa cardui and evidence for a southward leapfrog migration
iScience
Chemistry
Nature conservation
Ecology
Entomology
title Trans-Saharan migratory patterns in Vanessa cardui and evidence for a southward leapfrog migration
title_full Trans-Saharan migratory patterns in Vanessa cardui and evidence for a southward leapfrog migration
title_fullStr Trans-Saharan migratory patterns in Vanessa cardui and evidence for a southward leapfrog migration
title_full_unstemmed Trans-Saharan migratory patterns in Vanessa cardui and evidence for a southward leapfrog migration
title_short Trans-Saharan migratory patterns in Vanessa cardui and evidence for a southward leapfrog migration
title_sort trans saharan migratory patterns in vanessa cardui and evidence for a southward leapfrog migration
topic Chemistry
Nature conservation
Ecology
Entomology
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589004224025677
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