Population Genetics of Overwintering Monarch Butterflies,Danaus plexippus(Linnaeus), from Central Mexico Inferred from Mitochondrial DNA and Microsatellite Markers

A study reveals significant genetic differentiation between migratory and nonmigratory populations of monarch butterflies, Danaus plexippus, in Mexico. Using mitochondrial DNA (COI and COII) and microsatellite markers, researchers found low haplotype diversity and limited gene flow between the behaviorally distinct groups, despite similarities in haplotype frequencies between nonmigratory populations from distant locations like Mexico and Costa Rica. Demographic analyses suggest a population expansion during the late Pleistocene (~35000-40000 years ago), followed by stability with an effective female population size of around 6 million over the last 10,000 years. Microsatellite data, however, showed no clear structure between groups, possibly due to heterozygote deficiencies.

Pfeiler, E., Nazario-Yepiz, N. O., Pérez-Gálvez, F., Chávez-Mora, C. A., Laclette, M. R. L., Rendón-Salinas, E., & Markow, T. A. (2016). Population Genetics of Overwintering Monarch Butterflies,Danaus plexippus(Linnaeus), from Central Mexico Inferred from Mitochondrial DNA and Microsatellite Markers. Journal of Heredity, esw071. https://doi.org/10.1093/jhered/esw071