03323cam a2200385 i 4500 350206506 TxAuBib 20170612120000.0 161012s2017||||||||||||||||||||||||eng|u 2016034053 9780691166353 $29.95 0691166358 $29.95 (OCoLC)958799669 DLC eng rda DLC BTCTA YDX OCLCO OCLCF BDX YAM OCLCQ TXDRI ABG YDX OBE VP@ ALH TxAuBib rda Agrawal, Anurag A. Monarchs and milkweed : a migrating butterfly, a poisonous plant, and their remarkable story of coevolution / Anurag Agrawal. Princeton, New Jersey : Princeton University Press, [2017] ix, 283 pages : illustrations (chiefly color), color maps ; 24 cm. txt rdacontent n rdamedia nc rdacarrier sti rdacontent rdamedia rdacarrier Includes bibliographical references (pages 249-270) and index. 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!. 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. 20170612. Monarch butterfly. Monarch butterfly. Host plants. Insect-plant relationships. Coevolution. Milkweed butterflies. Milkweeds.