OPUS: A synthesis of 55 years of research on the monarch butterfly

OPUS： 55 年帝王蝶研究的综合

• 批准号: 0949650
• 负责人: Lincoln Brower
• 金额: $ 14.04万
• 依托单位: Sweet Briar College
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2010
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2010-03-15 至 2016-02-29
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0949650&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: OPUS; synthesis; 55; years; research

In the last half century the monarch butterfly, Danaus plexippus, has become an important model organism for research on mimicry, plant-herbivore interactions, chemical ecology, physiological ecology, and migration. In addition, the charismatic insect has proven to be an appealing entry point into the world of science for both children and adults. Much of the research that has made this a model organism has been conducted by Lincoln Brower, who will be supported to write a book targeted to scientists, graduate and undergraduate students, and science-curious general readers. The book will address the monarch butterflies' chemical defense against predators, the ecological chemistry of the butterflies' interactions with their milkweed hostplants, the physiology, ecology and behavior of the butterflies as they cope with the microclimate in their Mexican wintering sites, and the butterflies' unique migration and wintering biology that illustrate timely conservation issues. The intellectual merit of the book for scientists will be in its presentation of data, critical review of evidence, and extensive bibliography. An important broader impact of the project will be the archiving of original datasets in a digital data registry. Explanations of the significance of these data and including unanswered questions in each chapter will help to spark new research. The book will enhance non-specialists' and students' understanding of diverse methodologies that can be used to address ecological questions, and their appreciation of the value of long-term studies and the collaborative nature of many discoveries. Copious illustrations will engage the reader and tell the story, so that the non-expert is prepared to understand data and how experiments in both the field and laboratory were actually conducted.

在过去的世纪中，黑脉金斑蝶（Danaus plexippus）已成为拟态学、植物-食草动物相互作用、化学生态学、生理生态学和迁徙等研究的重要模式生物。此外，这种魅力十足的昆虫已被证明是儿童和成人进入科学世界的一个有吸引力的切入点。使其成为模式生物的大部分研究都是由林肯布劳尔进行的，他将得到支持，以科学家、研究生和本科生以及对科学好奇的普通读者为目标撰写一本书。这本书将解决帝王蝶对捕食者的化学防御，蝴蝶与马利筋寄主植物的相互作用的生态化学，蝴蝶的生理，生态和行为，因为它们科普墨西哥越冬地点的小气候，以及蝴蝶独特的迁徙和越冬生物学，说明及时的保护问题。这本书对科学家的智力价值在于它对数据的介绍、对证据的批判性评论和广泛的参考书目。该项目的一个重要的更广泛的影响将是在数字数据登记册中对原始数据集进行存档。对这些数据的重要性的阐述以及在每一章中包括未回答的问题将有助于激发新的研究。这本书将提高非专业人士和学生对可用于解决生态问题的各种方法的理解，以及他们对长期研究的价值和许多发现的合作性质的理解。丰富的插图将吸引读者并讲述故事，以便非专家准备了解数据以及如何在现场和实验室进行实验。