Digital Data for Land and climate change in Mexico and Texas reveals small effects on migratory habitat of monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus).

Principal Investigator(s):  View help for Principal Investigator(s) USGS

Version:  View help for Version V1

Name File Type Size Last Modified
Climate_CSVs_Texas_Mexico.zip application/zip 6 KB 11/13/2025 09:18:AM
Data_Dictionary_Texas_Mexico_Monarchs.csv text/csv 64.4 KB 11/13/2025 09:18:AM
Metadata_Monarch_TexMex_20240327.xml application/xml 58.5 KB 11/13/2025 09:18:AM
R_Code_Texas_Mexico.zip application/zip 14.5 KB 11/13/2025 09:18:AM
Shapefile_Texas_Mexico.zip application/zip 9.8 MB 11/13/2025 09:18:AM
Supplemental_Manuscript_Code_CSVs.zip application/zip 27.2 KB 11/13/2025 09:19:AM

Project Citation: 

USGS. Digital Data for Land and climate change in Mexico and Texas reveals small effects on migratory habitat of monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus). Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2025-11-13. https://doi.org/10.3886/E240270V1

Project Description

Project Title:  View help for Project Title Digital Data for Land and climate change in Mexico and Texas reveals small effects on migratory habitat of monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus).
Summary:  View help for Summary The decline of the iconic monarch butterfly in North America has motivated research on the impacts of land use and land cover (LULC) change and climate variability on monarch habitat and population dynamics. We investigated spring and fall trends in LULC, milkweed and nectar resources over a 20-year period, and ~30 years of climate variables in Mexico and Texas, a key region supporting spring and fall migration during monarchs annual life cycle. We estimated a 2.9% decline in milkweed in Texas, but little to no change in Mexico. Fall and spring nectar resources declined <1% in both countries. Vegetation greenness increased in both the fall and spring in Mexico while the other climate variables, for both countries, did not. Monarch habitat in Mexico and Texas appears relatively more intact than in other parts of their range, particularly the midwestern agricultural landscapes of the US. Given the relatively modest observed changes, it seems unlikely that habitat loss (quantity and quality) in Mexico and Texas has caused large declines in population size or survival during migration.
Original Distribution URL:  View help for Original Distribution URL https://www.sciencebase.gov/catalog/item/65c64c7fd34ef4b119cb28d8

Scope of Project

Subject Terms:  View help for Subject Terms climate change; land cover change; migratory species; milkweed resources; monarch butterfly; nectar resources
Geographic Coverage:  View help for Geographic Coverage United States, Mexico
Data Type(s):  View help for Data Type(s) geographic information system (GIS) data


Related Publications

Download this project

Published Versions

V1 [2025-11-13]

Export Metadata

Dublin Core

DDI 2.5

Report a Problem

Found a serious problem with the data, such as disclosure risk or copyrighted content? Let us know.

This material is distributed exactly as received from the data depositor. ICPSR has not reviewed, checked, or processed this material. For additional information about the study, please contact the investigator(s) directly. If you have questions about the accessibility of materials distributed by ICPSR or require further assistance, please visit ICPSR's Accessibility Center.