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

在过去的半个世纪里，帝王蝶已经成为研究拟态、植物-食草动物相互作用、化学生态学、生理生态学和迁徙的重要模式生物。此外，这种极具魅力的昆虫已被证明是儿童和成年人进入科学世界的一个有吸引力的切入点。使这种生物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，写一本书，目标读者是科学家、研究生和本科生，以及对科学感兴趣的普通读者。这本书将讨论帝王蝶对捕食者的化学防御，蝴蝶与乳草寄主植物相互作用的生态化学，蝴蝶在应对墨西哥越冬地小气候时的生理、生态和行为，以及蝴蝶独特的迁徙和越冬生物学，说明了及时的保护问题。对于科学家来说，这本书的学术价值将在于它的数据呈现、对证据的批判性审查和广泛的参考书目。该项目的一个重要的更广泛的影响将是将原始数据集存档到数字数据登记处。解释这些数据的意义，并在每一章中包括未回答的问题，将有助于引发新的研究。这本书将加强非专家和学生对可用于解决生态问题的不同方法的理解，以及他们对长期研究的价值和许多发现的合作性质的欣赏。丰富的插图将吸引读者并讲述故事，以便非专家准备理解数据以及现场和实验室中的实验是如何实际进行的。

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.