Notice bibliographique
- Notice
Type(s) de contenu et mode(s) de consultation : Texte noté : sans médiation
Auteur(s) : Agrawal, Anurag A. (1972-....)
Titre(s) : Monarchs and milkweed [Texte imprimé] : a migrating butterfly, a poisonous plant, and their remarkable story of coevolution / Anurag Agrawal
Publication : Princeton, New Jersey : Princeton university press, copyright 2017
Description matérielle : 1 vol. (IX-283 p.) : ill. en coul. ; 24 cm
Note(s) : Bibliogr. p. 249-270. Index
Monarch butterflies are one of nature's most recognizable creatures, known for their
bright colors and epic annual migration from the United States and Canada to Mexico.
Yet there is much more to the monarch than its distinctive presence and mythic journeying.
In Monarchs and Milkweed, Anurag Agrawal presents a vivid investigation into how the
monarch butterfly has evolved closely alongside the milkweed--a toxic plant named
for the sticky white substance emitted when its leaves are damaged--and how this inextricable
and intimate relationship has been like an arms race over the millennia, a battle
of exploitation and defense between two fascinating species. The monarch life cycle
begins each spring when it deposits eggs on milkweed leaves. But this dependency of
monarchs on milkweeds as food is not reciprocated, and milkweeds do all they can to
poison or thwart the young monarchs. Agrawal delves into major scientific discoveries,
including his own pioneering research, and traces how plant poisons have not only
shaped monarch-milkweed interactions but have also been culturally important for centuries.
Agrawal presents current ideas regarding the recent decline in monarch populations,
including habitat destruction, increased winter storms, and lack of milkweed--the
last one a theory that the author rejects. He evaluates the current sustainability
of monarchs and reveals a novel explanation for their plummeting numbers. Lavishly
illustrated with more than eighty color photos and images, Monarchs and Milkweed takes
readers on an unforgettable exploration of one of nature's most important and sophisticated
evolutionary relationships
Sujet(s) : Papillons
Asclépiadacées
Coévolution
Indice(s) Dewey :
595.789 (23e éd.) = Papilionoïdes
Identifiants, prix et caractéristiques : ISBN 9780691166353. - ISBN 0691166358 (br.)
Identifiant de la notice : ark:/12148/cb45325885q
Notice n° :
FRBNF45325885
(notice reprise d'un réservoir extérieur)
Table des matières : Welcome to the monarchy ; The arms race ; The chemistry of medicine and poison
; Waiting, mating, and migrating ; Hatching and defending ; Saving up to raise a
family ; The milkweed village ; The autumn migration ; Long live the monarchy!
