Scientists use solar-powered trackers to map monarch butterfly migration routes
About 175 tagged butterflies have been detected in Mexico as researchers use tiny devices to track movements across North America.
Scientists have fitted nearly 1,750 monarch butterflies with tiny solar-powered trackers to follow their migration across North America, according to the Times of India. The project aims to map previously uncertain routes as the insects travel south towards wintering grounds in Mexico.
Rebeca Quiñonez-Piñón and other researchers are using the technology to understand how butterflies travel and where they stop to rest or feed. Approximately 175 tagged butterflies have already been detected in Mexico during this year's migration.
The solar-powered radio transmitters were developed by Cellular Tracking Technologies and weigh approximately 60 milligrams. These devices cost around $200 each and operate at the same frequency as Bluetooth technology.
The tracking is part of Project Monarch Science, which involves a free mobile app developed through a collaboration of researchers and conservation organisations. The app allows compatible receivers and smartphones to detect signals when a tagged butterfly passes within range.
Researchers have recorded monarchs travelling from Utah towards central Mexico, revealing connections with butterflies from the eastern population. Other tracked insects have moved down the Eastern Seaboard towards Florida before crossing the Gulf of Mexico.
Moving forward, researchers are particularly interested in studying the Texas funnel, which is a narrow corridor used by many monarchs east of the Rocky Mountains during their seasonal migration.