Trans-Saharan migratory patterns in Vanessa cardui and evidence for a southward leapfrog migration
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
Affiliations
Megan S. Reich
Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada; Corresponding author
Sana Ghouri
Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
Samantha Zabudsky
Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
Lihai Hu
Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
Mael Le Corre
Department of Archaeology, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK; UMR 7209 - AASPE, Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris, France
Ivy Ng’iru
Mpala Research Centre, Nanyuki, Laikipia, Kenya; School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales, UK; UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Wallingford, Oxfordshire, UK
Dubi Benyamini
The Israeli Lepidopterist Society, Beit Arye, Israel
Daria Shipilina
Department of Ecology and Genetics, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
Steve C. Collins
African Butterfly Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya; McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
Dino J. Martins
Mpala Research Centre, Nanyuki, Laikipia, Kenya; Turkana Basin Institute, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
Institut Botànic de Barcelona (IBB), CSIC - CMCNB, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
Clément P. Bataille
Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada; Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada; Corresponding author
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.
