How can tracking technologies help us study monarch butterflies?

Tracking technologies have wide application to studying insect movements and behaviors. Understanding the rules of how monarch butterflies complete their annual North American migration will be clarified by studying them within a movement ecology framework.

Can a tiny sensor track a butterfly's environment?

Inhee Lee, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Pittsburgh's Swanson School of Engineering, partnered with researchers at the University of Michigan to create a tiny sensor to track and monitor the environmental conditions the butterflies encounter on the way.

Can You track monarch butterflies with electronic tags?

That way, you can be in accordance with the law and avoid being hit with any fines or penalties when tracking monarch butterflies Electronic tags were recently placed on free-flying monarch butterflies for the first time ever in recorded history.

Can you take photos of monarch butterfly migration sites?

Researchers at the University of Maine have created a new app called the Monarch Model Validation Project that allows people on the East Coast to take photos of monarch butterfly migration sites. Users can also include written details of where exactly they saw the butterflies.

Can technology help protect monarch butterflies?

However, numbers of monarch butterflies have unfortunately fallen precipitously over the past two decades. Using cutting-edge technology to monitor monarch butterflies may be able to help us learn more about this wonderful species and, ultimately, help us better protect them.

How to track monarch butterflies at continental scale?

Qualitative evaluation of methods to track individual monarch butterflies at continental scale (based on four indicated axes: spatial scale, spatial resolution, size, and temporal resolution). Distance along axes are approximations by the author.