Decline in Monarch butterfly population
- Posted By
10Pointer
- Categories
Environment
- Published
21st Aug, 2020
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- There has been a decline in the population of Monarch butterflies.
- The study favours the declining numbers due to the ‘milkweed limitation’ hypothesis.
- The hypothesis has a view that the decline in habitat loss was because of the increasing use of glyphosate herbicide on corn and soybean fields in the Upper Midwest region of the US.
- The monarch butterfly is the most familiar North American butterfly.
- It is considered an iconic pollinator species.
- Its wings feature an easily recognizable black, orange, and white pattern, with a wingspan of 8.9 – 10.2 cm.
- Famous for their seasonal migration, millions of monarchs migrate from the US and Canada south to California and Mexico for the winter.
- Monarchs have been bred on the International Space Station.
