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Unravelling monarch butterfly migration

Date: 17-Jan-08
Author: University of Massachusetts Medical School

Since its discovery, the annual migration of eastern North American monarch butterfly has captivated the human imagination and spirit. That millions of butterflies annually fly up to 2000 miles to reach a cluster of pine groves in central Mexico comprising just 70 square miles is for many an awesome and mysterious occurrence.

Monarch butterflies. Courtesy: Andrew Yee
(Click on image for larger version)

Over the past decade, scientists have begun to unveil the journey for what it is -- a spectacular result of biology, driven by an intricate molecular mechanism in a tiny cluster of cells in the butterfly brain.

Previous research has demonstrated that the butterflies use a time-compensated sun compass and daylight cues to help them navigate to the pine groves ... that time compensation is provided by the butterfly's circadian clock, which allows the monarch to continually correct its flight direction to maintain a fixed flight bearing even as the sun moves across the sky.

Now, University of Massachusetts Medical School Professor and Chair of Neurobiology Steven M. Reppert, MD, and colleagues reveal that the circadian clock of the monarch uses a novel molecular mechanism, heretofore not found in any other insect or mammal ... Through these studies, scientists had described a clock mechanism that is essentially a loop where proteins are made and destroyed over a cycle that takes approximately 24 hours to complete. Further, investigators identified those factors that work together to drive this process.

Full story: Scientists unravel the molecular basis of monarch butterfly migration

Related links:

• Migrating Monarch Butterfly
• Internal Clock Leads Monarch Butterflies to Mexico