Tracking technologies: advances driving new insights into monarch

Understanding the rules of how monarch butterflies complete their annual North American migration will be clarified by studying them within a movement ecology framework. Insect movement ecology is growing at a rapid pace due to the development of novel monitoring systems that allow ever-smaller animals to be tracked at higher spatiotemporal resolution for longer periods of time. New innovations in tracking hardware and associated software, including miniaturization, energy autonomy, data management, and wireless communication, are reducing the size and increasing the capability of next-generation tracking technologies, bringing the goal of tracking monarchs over their entire migration closer within reach. These tools are beginning to be leveraged to provide insight into different aspects of monarch biology and ecology, and to contribute to a growing capacity to understand insect movement ecology more broadly and its impact on human life.

Automated summary

Studying monarch butterflies within the framework of movement ecology can help us understand and track their annual migration patterns. Advancements in tracking technology have led to smaller and more capable monitoring systems, allowing us to gain insights into monarch biology and ecology, as well as the broader field of insect movement ecology and its impact on human life.